Fleece Baby Booties

—by DAWN ANDERSON
From HANDCRAFT ILLUSTRATED Magazine, Fall 1999

 

Keep little feet toasty warm in these color-block fleece booties.

MATERIALS

For one pair.

• 45"-wide fleece 1/4 yard turquoise 1/4 yard royal blue 1/8 yard orange 1/8 yard lime green
• 5/8 yard x 2mm two-tone welting
• 5/8 yard 1/4" elastic
• One package jiffy Grip fabric
• Lime-green sewing thread

You'll also need:

• 4 patterns Click Here for printable patterns; sewing machine; sewing shears; small safety pin; and pins.

Fleece is the perfect material to keep babies' feet warm and cozy, and grip-fabric soles will also keep them steady. Sew these jaunty color-block booties from bits of fleece left over from other sewing projects, or, for a simpler look, cut all the pieces from a single color (allow 1/4 yard per pair).

Unless you're used to sewing for children, you may at first find the individual pattern pieces small and a bit tricky to maneuver in the sewing machine. A free-arm sewing machine is useful for stitching the elastic casing around the ankle, but if your machine doesn't have this feature, just stitch an inch at a time and reposition the fabric as needed. On the plus side, fleece doesn't unravel, and the stitches tend to sink down into the plush surface, so it really doesn't matter what color thread you use.
 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut fleece and Jiffy Grip fabric. Observing fleece "stretch," as indicated on patterns, cut two turquoise uppers (reverse one), two royal blue uppers (reverse one), two royal blue uppers (reverse one), two orange vamps, two lime-green soles, and two lime-green cuffs. Also cut two jiffy Grip fabric soles. Follow steps 2 through 4 for each bootie.

 
2. Sew bootie upper. Machine-baste welting around curved edge of orange vamp, clipping welting tape so it lies flat. Pin turquoise and royal blue uppers, right sides together. Stitch AB seam 1/4" from edge; trim allowance to 1/8". Pin turquoise/royal upper to orange vamp, matching CAC dots. Stitch together, enclosing welting in seam. Fold upper in half, right side in, and stitch DE seam. Turn right side out.

 
3. Add cuff and elastic. Fold lime-green cuff right side in; stitch short end to make tube. Slip bootie upper inside tube, seams aligned at back, and stitch around upper edge. Roll cuff to inside, creasing 1/2 "above seamline, to form lime-green band along top edge and self-lining inside. On inside, stitch through both layers 1/4 " from raw edge, leaving 1/2" opening at back seam. Stitch again 3/8 " from previous stitching to make casing for elastic. Use small safety pin to draw elastic through casing. Adjust elastic for comfortable fit, clip excess, and overlap and zigzag ends. Stitch opening closed.

 
4. Join sole. Pin jiffy Grip sole to fleece sole, wrong sides together, and machine-baste around edge. Turn bootie wrong side out. Pin jiffy Grip side of sole to lower edge of bootie, matching dots, and stitch all around. After trimming seam allowance, zigzag raw edges together all around. Turn bootie right side out.