Tiny Steps

Eden & Eliot - ballet skimmer prototype for Eden

I'm not a very good blogger.  Good  bloggers write everyday or every other day, no matter what, and no matter how they feel.

I'm not a good blogger because I run out of things to say. 

With the world abuzz with Japan's tsunami crisis, Libya's revolt, and now Osama bin Laden's demise, I feel like I ought not to be writing about things like making felted flowers and baby shoes.  Which, truthfully, is what I'd been doing while the world churned with incredible newsworthy events.

I've also had various batches of guests in my house since mid February.  All wonderful people, no doubt, but talking to people all day leaves me little time to talk to myself.  Which is what blogging really is. 

So excuses aside, there is no other way to get back into the groove other than just taking the plunge.  Hence, here is my offering - one half of a slipper I am making for Eden, Prototype 1.0.

Its a ballet skimmer I designed for casual wear in the house (or outside, since it has faux suede bottoms.)  The sole has been padded with cotton batting and lined with felted wool.  The top is also felted wool - so the idea is for the foot to be completely cushed up in soft wooly comfort.  Add a pretty little bit of ruffle and an elastic strap, and this little puppy is as stylish as it is practical.

I would make the other shoe, except now that I've figured out how it can be done, I might as well move on to Prototype 2.0.  Oh, forgot to mention that this baby is completely hand-sewn!  I dig the feel of needle and thread, kind of hynoptic and calming for the mind.  Plus, the added advantage of no loud whirring to wake up the baby who has hearing like a bat.

Speaking of naps - there are SO many Mom blogs with fabulous tutorials/projects made by mothers during naptimes.  I honestly don't know how that's possible??  I mean, how long do these kids nap?  And why aren't these mothers running around, loading the washer, washing the dishes, folding the laundry, prepping dinner, shooing in the dog, picking up bits of lunch from the floor etc. etc...... oh, and don't forget, finally updating their Facebook status or writing a random blog post?

But I digress.  Back to the subject of footwear.  I'll be posting a few more examples of shoes I've made... working on a few more styles and colorways for a new launch on my etsy shop.  Oh, did I mention the felted wool comes from recycled sweaters?  (See first post on sweater slippers where this all started.)

A New Year's Resolution - Celebrating hand-made, repurposing old stuff and finding new reasons to love what you already own.

My New Year's resolution for 2011 is to make what I would otherwise buy.  Granted of course, that I can make a comparable, functional and reasonable version of that particular thing.

I daresay I will be screaming for a shopping binge after a couple of months, but that's what's fun about making a new year's resolution.  Its something well-intentioned, not completely thought through, with somewhat dubious chances of success.

For example, take this pair of slippers I made for Eden from a repurposed wool sweater.  Its a pattern from Betz White's lovely book, Sewing Green (note: it needed a fair bit of doctoring to get it to a child's size). I found one of my "so-very-yesterday" sweaters, felted it in a hot wash cycle, sewed it up and voila!

But all the good intention in the world won't get those slippers onto my toddler's feet.  Eden took her first look at them, and screamed, "No!" and ran in the opposite direction.

Its completely baffling because those are her favorite colors, she loves all kinds of booties/boots, and its soft, cozy and so darn cute.  See what I mean about new year's resolutions?  You can make them, but then life intervenes.

I had to buy Eden new slippers.