This Just In: The French Press Felted Slippers are Finally Finished!
Yes, it's true. Both slippers are now sporting straps and buttons. I do still have to add the non-slip 'sole', but for all intents and purposes they are officially done:
This is definitely a 5-star pattern in my book and well worth the $7. The pattern was easy to follow and the finished product is both useful, stylish, and oh so comfy. My only gripe is that the designer didn't provide instructions as to how to go about sewing on the straps and the buttons. I did post a comment on Melynda's blog asking her for tips on sewing on the straps and here's what she posted in return:
"I just use the same yarn that I made the slippers with to sew on the strap. This is where the darning needle comes into play. I place the strap where I want it and, starting at one end I start making vertical stitches. I continue to the other corner of the strap, placing about 5-7 vertical stitches total."
This information, coupled with a picture of one of her finished slippers, helped me realize that the straps are sewn down with the vertical stitches on the wider side and tacked down with the button on the shorter side. Once I understood this it was just a question of assembling the pieces, but this is definitely not as easy as it seems. Here are some things that may help you through the finishing process:
- Do not try to sew on the straps/buttons if you are tired, frustrated, or inebriated: I found the finishing to require an awful lot of focus -- the same kind of focus needed for kitchener stitch. Now that I know what to do I doubt I'll have these problems in the future, but for the first pair it helps to be focused entirely on the task at hand.
- Identify the left and right slippers PRIOR to sewing: This will help to ensure that the button and strap is correctly oriented. I confused the left and right slippers and had to unpick all my stitches. Blah!
- Use the references provided above and in the pattern: This should help you see how everything comes together.
- Good light: A must, especially when working with darker colors.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hi Josephine, thanks for your lovely comment on my Almeara gloves over on Ravelry. Wanted to just pop in and visit your blog and say hello.
I used to live in MD, near Baltimore before we moved to Austin TX 5 yrs ago, although I'm originally from England :)
Love the slippers. I'm already thinking of knitted gifts for 2010!
Happy New Year.
Hugs Denise
Denise:
Thanks for the comment. It's definitely never too early to start planning ahead. I tend to leave my projects with set deadlines until the last minute and chaos almost always ensues. It's something I'm going to work on for 2010 ;) For the time being I just need to knock out a thumb and two and half fingers on the Almeara gloves and I'll be happy. What part of England are you originally from?
-Josephine-
Post a Comment