Experiment #16: New Slippers from an Old Sweater

I was the happy owner of a pair of fluffy, warm slippers that my mom got for me back in my University days. They're near the end of their life, though, and probably have been for a few years.

It's slowly getting colder, and I am pining for my days as a Florida resident (a November routine for me). I'm not moving back to Florida any time soon, though, so I need something to replace those slippers Mom got me, and fast.

Pinterest led me to this tutorial from Home Sweet Soul that I've had saved for a while. I happen to have several old sweaters on hand to use. I don't have yarn or a needle like she has, but I do have sewing supplies, so I'll be substituting thread for yarn and hoping it works. Read on for my experience of the tutorial.

Step One: Cut Fabric 

This step started easy, and would have stayed easy if I did not own a dog who likes to eat fabric.

I cut my pattern around my foot first, just as the tutorial says. Then I decide to use the back of the sweater for the sole piece because the front of the sweater is white. Having a white piece on the sole of your foot is a bad idea. Dirt and all that.

I lay the pattern down on the black striped part of my sweater and cut it, being careful to take up as little space as possible. I want to use the rest of the stripey part for Eddie's sweater that I am planning to make soon.

I realize as I am about to cut the fabric that I have no idea if this sweater will fray easily or not. It's from Target. I unintentionally ignored the tutorial's recommendation. 

I get lucky. The sweater doesn't fray.

With two sole pieces complete, I turn to the leg pieces. The picture in the tutorial shows the creator of the sweater boots sitting on the floor. Why? Because this step requires that you cut fabric around the sole of your foot. I have a problem. I have a dog that likes to eat fabric. He's sitting on the couch right now, but if I move to the floor he'll be all over me and my sweater faster than I can blink. 

I have to solve this problem by bending myself around to get my foot onto the table. Not ideal. Not comfortable. Ridiculous dog. 

Foot on table. Dog Still trying to eat foot. 

I do manage to get the piece cut around my foot despite the precarious sitting position. I realize when I finish, though, that I put the seam on the front rather than the back. That was unobservant of me. 

Note for anyone else who tries this after me...This would be easiest done sitting on the floor. And make sure the seam of the arm is on the back. That probably would look better. 

I brush off the error and move forward. I may add some decorative detail that would distract anyway (I still have pom poms from the dress to pillow experiment), and I have a the rest of the sweater with stripes that I could take off and add as trim. 

I make the second leg piece. I do think ahead enough to make sure that both sides are evenly tall.

Time Spent: 20 minutes. Could be fewer if you could actually sit on the floor. 

Step Two: Put pieces together

I remember as I started pinning that I cut the sole larger than I needed. I decide to use the extra fabric to curl up over the top piece and make an edge of stripes around the sole of my foot (You can see what I mean in the pictures). This process of folding meant I had to be more careful as I pinned the fabric, though, and it took me longer to pin the fabric.

This is also not a very precise method, and I have to adjust sections of pins once or twice as I stretch the fabric and realize the pieces aren't quite sitting together the way I want. They're slippers, though, so when I don't get them done quite perfectly I just decide I don't care.

This is the sweater boot on my foot with pins still in.
This was not wise. Do not do this.

Once I finish pinning the first one, I pull it on my foot, pins and all, to make sure it fits properly before sewing. It does. And I do not stab myself. Do not do this yourself. I adjust a few pins while the boot is on, and then move on to the next boot. 

Now it's time to sew them together. I won't be following the tutorial here, because I don't own yarn. Instead, I'll be sewing it together, and we'll just see what happens.

Total Pinning Time: 45 minutes with errors and corrections

Step Three: Sew

This step takes the longest for me. The tutorials calls for yarn and a yarn needle, neither of which I have. Because I am trying to do this as cost effectively as possible, I get stubborn and decide I'll just use thread. The pro here is that I have an overabundance of thread. The con is that thread requires a lot more stitches and doesn't look as cute. 

Hey, I'll just be wearing this around the house, right? And posting a picture online for the world to see. We'll ignore that part. This is really about what I can make with what I have! (says stubborn me).

The sewing takes a few hours, because I get distracted repeatedly. The dog is running around and jumping on furniture he's not allowed on, and topics I've been thinking about keep distracting me as I pause sewing to go online to research them. The first boot ends up taking two hours to sew. After Mike gets home things actually go faster because I work while I talk with him, and don't pause repeatedly (also he chases Eddie off the furniture instead of me). The second boot takes more like 1-1.5 hours.

Total Sewing time, thread rather than yarn: 3.5 hours...probable more like 2 if you have yarn and aren't being distracted every few minutes. 

Step Four: Add extra details 

This step is entirely optional. At this point, I already have a pair of wearable slippers; I am, however, determined to make them look cute in addition to being practical despite my earlier claim of not caring (who really believed that?). 

They currently look a little better than I thought they were going to, but not as cute as the picture. I suspect yarn might help, and also having a gray sweater to work with like the one in the tutorial rather than the black and white sweater that I have. 

I ponder what I can add to make my own version better that I won't have to go out and buy. The pom pom trim is always an option. I have another trim too, but I think it's going to be too narrow to actually be useful. I don't want to add more stripes.

In Conclusion...

Time Spent: 6 hours

 You could do this in as few as 3, I think (If you use yarn and don't get distracted). I could have stopped at about 4.5 with a basic boot, but wanted to add the trim.

Level of Difficulty: Easy 

Nothing to add. I think anyone could do this, especially if you work with yarn rather than thread. The tutorial over at Home Sweet Soul is super easy to follow.

Cost: $0

Nothing. I've reused materials that would have gotten thrown away or that I already had. If you buy yarn or a needle for it, you're looking at maybe $10-$15 dollars. You'll have yarn leftover, but if you never plan to use it again, you may be better off to get an inexpensive pair of slippers or a pair of socks. 

Savings: The cost of whatever slippers you would have bought

Slippers run from $10 dollars up to $100 depending on the brand (and I'm sure you could find some that cost more). However, it is worth noting that these sweater slipper boots are very much like socks in that they have no durable sole. You aren't leaving the house in these homemade slipper boots. A nicer pair of boots will have an actual sole on it. I could wear my old slippers like shoes if I wanted to. These will not do that.

My Tips: 

1. For the pattern, don't make it the shape of your foot exactly, but a but more rectangular. The tutorial shows this in a picture. I missed it and made it more the shape of my foot, which (I think) made for harder work later and a more difficult time making the slipper look even. 

2. If you want your slippers to look polished more than you want to save money, use yarn. I did not because my goal was to spend $0, and I do not own yarn. I did accomplish my goal, but I think the slipper boots may have been nicer looking if I had used yarn. 

3. Consider adding something durable to the sole. I don't know what yet, but the slipper is very slippery. I'm going to be investigating further.

Was it worth it?

I've been wearing them around the house already! If you aren't into spending the time on a project and reusing everything you have, go buy a pair of fuzzy socks, but if you like the idea of reusing something, saving a bit of money, and having something that looks a bit more like a pair of shoes, these are for you. Also, I'm liking the added possibility of putting on some sort of sturdy sole later, which you can't do with fuzzy socks.

I declare this experiment a success.

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