cuteness overload

I have a tolerance-hate relationship with shoes. I tolerate them, because my feet would be cold without them, and I'd step on a lot more sharp, pointy things. (Especially with this hobby.) But I really hate shopping for them, because it's so hard to find shoes that fit and are still cute. I've wished SO many times that I could just make my own. And one of the things parents typically do with their kids is vicariously enjoy the things they could never do themselves, right? So all that to say, I made my kid shoes. And they're adorable!

I had a cooperative model today. So prepare for a barrage of cuteness!
First of all, the shoes themselves. Both are from Simplicity 2491, with a few modifications. Everything is scraps--linen, heavyweight muslin, a thin faux suede, and microfleece for the insides. The pattern called for wool felt inside, but I didn't want to risk finding out the hard way that his skin reacts to wool as badly as mine.







The pattern for this one looked kind of like a bear,  so I altered the shape of the ears so it would resemble our golden retrievers. I also machine stitched the mouth, since I already had black thread in the machine from my previous project, which still needs to be photographed and blogged. 














I also changed the closure. This one was originally two ribbons to tie into a bow. Hobbit is a very active baby, though. And kicking is his main thing right now. So a one-ribbon strap with Velcro like some of the other views has was a much more practical option.






The monkey shoes originally had that velcro ribbon closure, but I got even lazier and used black elastic to make them fully slip-on. If I make another pair of these in a larger size sometime, I'm thinking I might go with a frog, because that monkey face shape is perfect for that, too!

I'm really glad I made these bigger than I thought I needed to. According to the measurements, he should have had room in an extra-small. I made the small, and while there's room in the toes, it's still a bit of a struggle to pull them on his feet. They were very quick to sew together, though. I got these done from start to finish in three naps. And if the weather ever gets cooler before he has a growth spurt, they'll be good lightweight shoes for the fall.

I'll end this with a gratuitous outtake, because THAT FACE.