DIY felted baby shoes: a beginner's step-by-step guide
By TheCleverKitty editorial team
The pair that started everything
Ten years ago a friend’s shower needed a gift and my sewing resume was one crocheted hat. The felted baby shoes I made that week are the reason this site exists — and the pattern below is the version that survived being sewn wrong before it was sewn right. These are hand-sewn, weekend-afternoon shoes: no machine, no leather tools, no pattern purchase.
Supplies
Cut the pieces
Trace the baby’s foot while standing — weight on the foot; tracing a socked sleeping foot undershoots. Add 5mm ease all around, then add 5mm more for the sole — babies wear socks with these, and felt has no stretch to give. Cut two soles from the main felt, two uppers in a contrasting shade, and two ankle straps 1 inch wide. Left and right shoes share pieces — felt rounds corners better than fabric, so one symmetric upper pattern serves both feet.
Sew the upper to the sole
Blanket stitch the upper around the sole’s edge, working with all three layers at the toe where the uppers overlap. Keep the needle coming out of the sole side pointing at the previous stitch — that’s the clean line. Thread: a weight-8 embroidery floss doubled reads as thick, visible topstitching, which is half the look of handmade boots.
The elastic strap (the part that keeps them on)
Sew a 1-inch piece of 1/4-inch elastic between the two marked dots across the opening — doubled cross stitches at each end. Elastic goes taut-side-up: stretch it slightly while sewing so the opening hugs the ankle instead of gaping. Ten years of pairs have proven this band is the difference between shoes babies wear and shoes that decorate the floor.
Fitting notes that come from failure
If the shoe scoots off heels, the sole is too wide at the back — take in the back seam 3mm before re-stitching. If the toe pinches cotton socks flat, the upper is fine and the socks are thick — winter socks want 3mm more ease everywhere. And test on the recipient’s foot while they sleep: baby feet change weekly, and the second pair is always the better pair.
Gifting note
One pair, boxed with the tissue paper you pattern-cut from — handmade shoes + a note that they machine-wash in a lingerie bag is the gift that gets handed down between cousins.
Frequently asked questions
What felt works best for baby shoes?
Use 100% wool or a rich wool-blend felt around 2-3mm thick. It holds stitches without a stabilizer, doesn't fray, and softens with washing instead of pilling.
How big should the soles be?
Trace the baby's standing foot, add 5mm of ease all around, then cut the sole another 5mm larger than the tracing. Newborn feet grow fast — err toward the bigger number.
