My dear mothers and grandmothers. Autumn is coming. Winter will be here soon, and you're wondering what to use to sew something for your baby's feet, who until now has been barefoot both at home and in the garden.
Of course, many of you will put on shoes. But this article is not about that. It's about what to use to sew booties for colder weather, for the sandpit, pram, carrier, or for everyday romping at home on a blanket.
Let's talk about babies. About booties for small babies, toddlers, and non-walkers.
The pattern is key
Before you start exploring options, you need to first look at the booties pattern. You can find it in my e-shop, in the category "Patterns for babies" with the name Mimi Booties.
You download the pattern in PDF format to your computer, tablet, or mobile, and print it at home on your home printer. You glue it together and you can prepare to choose fabrics.
Cotton knit
Mimi booties for babies are sewn from two layers. Outer and inner. Let's first get to know the outer one.
If you use cotton knit, it's not a bad choice. It will be very stretchy, won't pinch the baby's foot, and you won't need to adjust the pattern in any way.
However, knits can also be quite unruly. Because they stretch so much, they can cause a few wrinkles during sewing.
They will stretch and deform a lot. Therefore, I recommend sewing along the inner lining and not along the knit side, and pinning as much as possible. Or possibly backing it with fusible interfacing.
Booties made of knit fabric and fleece
Sweatshirt fabric
Another popular material is sweatshirt fabric. You can use both unbrushed (loops on the reverse side) and brushed (fleece layer on the back side) sweatshirt fabric. Sweatshirt fabric is sturdier and easier to sew. It also holds its final shape better. The brushed one is better in this regard as it is slightly thicker.
Of course, the grammage is decisive. The higher it is, the better and sturdier result you will get.
When sewing, sweatshirt fabric is much calmer and easier to work with. It doesn't bunch up, but still be careful and only sew along the lining.
Sweatshirt and fleece booties
Rib knit
Another material that looks great on baby booties is rib knit.
Rib knit comes in X versions and X grammage variants. Those with a lower grammage, around 210 or 230 g, are great for clothing, but not as good for sewing booties. They behave worse than classic knit. They stretch a lot, and for sewing curves and turns, it's better to iron them with fusible interfacing. This is the only way to ensure they don't twist, pull, and stretch under the needle.
After ironing with fusible interfacing, however, it loses a bit of its elasticity, and you have to "relax" the interfacing a bit with your hands after finishing.
Rib knit and fleece booties
Waffle knit
Waffle knit made of 100% cotton is another popular material. It looks very nice and you definitely won't go wrong with this material. How is waffle sewn?
Waffle booties stretch a lot, even though the waffle itself isn't very stretchy. When sewing, it tends to stretch and ripple a lot. I recommend reducing the presser foot pressure again, and if it's "too much," iron it with fusible interfacing a bit. Otherwise, it sews well. Be careful of excessive fraying and definitely don't sew too close to the edges.
Waffle knit and fleece booties
Big Sweater Knit
Booties made of sweater knit look great. In the photo, you can see booties made of Maxi sweater knit in a cool green shade - you can find the fabric at www.suchedupky.cz
This sweater knit is difficult to sew with. There's no other way to describe it. If you're sewing for the first time, it probably wouldn't be my first choice. Sweater knit stretches a lot, and I mean a lot. It absolutely needs to be fused. When actually sewing, don't be afraid to tame it with a light iron. That also helps to straighten it. Definitely don't sew too close to the edges and leave at least 1 cm for the seam. This means cutting slightly larger pieces.
Why add so much? Sweater knit has a very fraying edge, and you don't want a piece of knitting to come loose somewhere and ruin the whole product.
What to put in the lining?
For the lining, you have several options. Fleece - specifically non-pilling polar fleece, is the best choice. Both for its warmth and its ability to wick away heat from the feet. Fleece is a versatile material. It holds its shape well and looks pleasant and nice even after many washes. However, for larger sizes, it won't hold its shape as well. Which isn't a bad thing. Booties are primarily for wearing, not for photos :-)
The second option is warm sherpa. Such booties will be very warm and will warm even the coldest feet. I would recommend sherpa in combination with sweatshirt fabric, which will help it hold its shape. You can buy sherpa in several qualities. Polyester, but also cotton. Cotton sherpa won't keep its fluffy shape for long and will flatten. Polyester sherpa will hold its shape. Sherpa, however, is quite difficult to cut, and sewing with it is outright nerve-wracking. Even experienced seamstresses will agree. Hairs everywhere... Even in your mouth.
In this case, you don't have to be afraid of synthetic fibers. They work for you. Synthetic fibers are warmer and often wick away heat better and don't get soaked through immediately.
You can also try Alpin fleece inside. But again, it's more for autumn and doesn't retain much heat. The pile quickly flattens.
What not to forget before sewing?
If I'm sewing cotton and polyester together, I preshrink the cotton. You don't necessarily have to wash it immediately. You can preshrink it with an iron at the correct temperature for ironing that fabric. This dry preshrinking method has proven most effective for me. Little effort, great effect. Nothing I've preshrunk this way has ever shrunk further.
For materials like sweatshirt fleece or other "fun" fabrics, first do a wash test. Stitch a piece of fleece and the chosen fabric together and put it in the washing machine. If it looks awful after taking it out, the booties will most likely look the same...
Happy sewing, next time I'll try other materials.
Helena Lachowiczová
pattern maker, seamstress, designer
