How to make slippers for kids

Knock up a pair of slippers for your toddler or child within a couple of hours with this quick and easy tutorial.

All you need is some felt (normal craft felt will do) and some wool.

Step 1:  Draw around your child’s foot, adding approximately half an inch to the outline.

It doesn’t have to be particularly neat as you can see!

Step 2:  Measure the length of your child’s foot to the nearest inch, add 1″ more and make a note of it.

Step 3: Then measure the width of the widest part of your child’s foot, double the measurement and make a note of it.

Step 4:  Cut a rectangle of felt to the length and width measurements you have just made note of.  Cut around the paper outline of your child’s foot and use it as a template to draw around on another piece of felt.

Step 5: Repeat with the other foot!

Step 6: Find where the foot shape begins to curve just below the big and little toes.  You can see in the picture above that this is about 2″ down.  On the rectangular piece of felt start at that point on either side (so in this case, 2″ down) and draw a curved line on each corner, meeting them right in the middle of the top of the felt (as shown below).

Step 7: Cut out the curve.  Repeat for the other foot.

Step 8: Measure the approximate length of your child’s foot from their leg to the tip of their big toe.  Here you can see it measures approximately 4″. Add 1″ (which in this case would make a total length of 5″).

Step 9: Cut the total length right in the centre of your curved piece of felt.

Step 10: Fold the curved piece of felt over and begin sewing around the edge with a blanket stitch.  Start from one of the top right hand corners and work your way around the top.  When you have worked your way all around the top and are back at the other top right corner, hold the two layers together and continue to blanket stitch only this time sewing the back and front together down the back of the heel down to the sole.  Leave about a quarter of an inch at the bottom.

Step 11:  To blanket stitch do the following: Push needle through from the front of the fabric to the back about a quarter of an inch down and a quarter of an inch across…

Step 12: Pull wool through…

Step13: Bring needle in front of the fabric. Thread it under and diagonally up through the stitch as shown…

Step 14: Then pull the wool through, pulling needle to the right as shown.  This will pull the wool into a right angle across the top of the fabric as you can see. To continue repeat from step 11.

Step 16: Once you have sewn a blanket stitch all the way around the top of the slipper, then down the back of the heel…

…start pinning the top of the slipper to the sole.  I find it easier to pin the toe to the front, then the heel to the back, and then go back and work around the sides.  Once done it should start to look more shoe-like.

Step 17: From the heel, begin sewing around the sole of the slipper with a blanket stitch.  Try to keep stitches evenly spaced and the same length all the way around.

Step 18:  Work your way right around the slipper until you reach the heel where you first began.  Knot the wool securely and snip.

And there you have a pair of slippers!

I also used the same method to make some baby booties, only for them I used polar fleece and embroidery thread.

You can see how these are much softer…

Although it has to be said, Libby loved them!

Click here to print or download the pattern.