baby shoes

I've been following Shwin & Shwin, a blog about kids clothes for a while now. There are a lot of sewing blogs out there, and a good number of blogs about sewing kids clothes, but this blog has patterns and tutorials and all kinds of detailed info. It's not just a place where the creator posts photos and brags, it's actually helpful! Also, the stuff they make is really well designed. I especially like that the boys clothes are just as unique as the girls clothes. It's easy to add ruffles and other embellishments when you're sewing for a little girl, but I'm more impressed with the details they put into the little menswear.

I made the shoes below for friends who just found out they are expecting a little girl. The pattern is based on this one for newborn mary jane shoes. I love the little pleats and comfy felt lining. My first attempt I cut along the line that is apparently supposed to be the seam allowance, oops, and they ended up doll-sized. I made another pair of the mary janes and forgot to take a picture before giving them away. This pair I skipped the strap and went with the ballet slipper look. Ta da!