FELT SLIPPERS: A TUTORIAL

This Felt Slipper tutorial is brought to you from good ole' Martha Stewart. These slippers make a great gift for yourself or others as they are easy to make and customize. Also felt is great to work with as it will not unravel when cut.

This template can be adjusted to fit a variety of sizes and is made with a minimum amount of sewing for some of us whose sewing skills are less than spectacular.
You can also add a thin sheet of cabinet liner or rubber to the bottom of the shoe to make it non skid and a little more durable. Just remember that these are not "all weather" shoes and probably wouldn't the good to go outside to get the trash in, lol.

The following is the tutorial/templates for all the felt shoes as well as the handy felt slipper size chart to make the shoes in different sizes.

ALL FELT SLIPPER TEMPLATES
FELT SLIPPER SIZE CHART

{For Branch Slippers}

1. Download slipper templates (2 slipper tops with branch outline, 1 left sole, 1 right sole, 1 branch), resizing as desired; print onto card stock, and cut out all templates.

2. Cut equal rectangles of heather-brown felt, salmon felt, and fusible webbing (leaving 1 side of paper backing on), each large enough to accommodate 2 slipper tops.

3. Stack brown felt and fusible webbing (paper side up).

4. Lay slipper-top templates side by side on stack. Using a pencil, trace templates, marking notches A and B as indicated on templates.

5. Place branch template on 1 traced slipper top, using marked points to position properly, and trace. Repeat on second traced slipper top, flipping branch template to trace a mirror image. Cut out branch designs, slicing through webbing and felt with a craft knife.

6. Carefully remove paper backing from fusible webbing; webbing should stay in line with cut edges of branches. Stack salmon-felt rectangle on webbing, and flip over (keep branch shapes in position). Iron, following webbing manufacturer's instructions, with brown side up. Lay slipper-top templates on fused felt, and align notches A and B with tips of branches and leaves. Trace with a disappearing-ink pen. Cut out slipper tops, cutting through notches.

7. Cut equal rectangles of heather-brown felt, salmon felt, and fusible webbing large enough to accommodate 2 soles. Stack layers, with webbing in middle. Iron, following manufacturer's instructions on webbing. Lay templates for both soles side by side on fused fabric; trace with disappearing-ink pen. Cut out soles.

8. With a sewing machine, sew closed the vertical seam at back of each slipper top with a zigzag stitch (do not overlap fabric; instead, align edges, and stitch).

9. Pin 1 sewn slipper top to 1 sole, brown side down. Starting at heel, sew around perimeter of slipper, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Repeat to finish second slipper.
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{For Butterfly Slippers}

1. Download slipper templates (2 slipper tops, 1 left sole, 1 right sole, butterflies), resizing as desired; print onto card stock, and cut out all templates.

2. Cut equal rectangles of cream felt, white felt, and fusible webbing, each large enough to accommodate 2 slipper tops. Stack layers, with webbing in middle. Iron, following webbing manufacturer's instructions.

3. Lay slipper-top templates side by side on fused felt. Trace with a disappearing-ink pen, and cut out slipper tops.

4. With disappearing-ink pen, trace butterfly templates onto different shades of pink felt. Cut out shapes.

5. Secure butterflies to cream side of slipper tops with straight pins or fabric glue. Using a sewing machine, stitch along midline of butterflies to secure to slippers.

6. To finish slippers, follow steps 7, 8, and 9 in "For Branch Slippers," using cream and white felt (cream side down on soles).
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{For Baby Shoes}

1. Use the baby shoe template . Pin templates to wool felt; cut out. To make the heel seam, which shapes the top part of the slipper, fold the upper piece in half, and stitch along the straight edge.

2. Pin the top of shoe to the sole. Sew the pieces together. Turn inside out, hiding the seams. Glue rickrack on the outside or inside rim of the instep, or hole punch a pattern. Sew a button or snap on one strap; make a button slit or sew on the other piece of the snap on the opposite strap. Attach a tiny ribbon bow to the top of each shoe, if desired.

PICTURES COURTESY OF MARTHA STEWART