Quilted Slippers Sewalong—How to sew leather soles

Quilted Slippers Sewalong—How to sew leather soles

The most frequently asked slippers question I've gotten over the years, is whether you can use leather for the soles. The answer is sure! But, I had never tried it myself. I've honestly been a little nervous to try. So, it was time to put the fears aside and give it a go.

I found a scrap of leather in the LA fashion district that is a medium weight, a little less than 1/8" thick. In retrospect, a thinner piece of leather would have been easier to sew but I'm happy to say that it actually worked! Plus, thicker leather provides more protection from the cold which I absolutely need.

I am very, very pleased to report that the leather soles were a success and that sewing the leather was not hard at all. I thought I’d be battling the leather, that tears would be shed. But it went very smoothly! Phew!

In today’s post, I’ll be sharing the methods and tips I used to make my leather soled slippers with heel tabs. Read on for a list of tools, tips for handling the leather, how I altered the construction (just a little bit) and a video of the construction.

Quilted Slippers Email Sewalong—Nov 11-18, 2022

Quilted Slippers Email Sewalong—Nov 11-18, 2022

Hello and Happy November! This month we're going to be featuring (and celebrating!) the Quilted Slippers pattern with an email-style sewalong. I released this pattern in 2020 and, to my surprise, it’s been one of my most popular patterns. The slippers make great holiday gifts so November is the perfect month to start sewing them.

For this new sewalong, I’m going to be making two new pairs of slippers (one bootie style and one skimmers style), answering some frequently asked questions and trying out some new ideas. I’m hoping that it will be helpful, informative and inspirational. (Spoiler alert) I’m going to be working on maximizing warmth with extra layers of batting, attempting a leather sole and some decorative patchwork.

When you sign up this new email-style sewalong, you will receive a series of six emails sent November 11-18, 2022. (If you find this post after those dates, you can still sign up and the email series will start immediately.)

Check out the schedule below to see if it’s something you’re interested in. You can unsubscribe at any time.

QUILTED SLIPPERS SEWALONG SCHEDULE

  1. Intro/Fabric selection: Friday, Nov 11

  2. Prepare for quilting: Monday, Nov 14

  3. Quilting your fabric: Tuesday, Nov 15

  4. Bootie assembly: Wednesday, Nov 16

  5. Skimmer assembly: Thursday, Nov 17

  6. Final note/Thank you! Friday, Nov 18

You can sign up for the sewalong using the form below or by clicking here. If you’ve found this page after November 11, 2022, you can still sign up and the email series will start immediately. (If emails are not your thing (totally understand), some of the info included in the emails will eventually make it to the blog as well.)

I’m really excited about this sewalong and to try out a few new slipper things. I hope you can join!

P.S. If you want to get started right away, there are already a few posts in the Slippers Sewalong.

How to Sew a Basting Stitch—Sewing Basics Tutorial

How to Sew a Basting Stitch—Sewing Basics Tutorial

If you've sewn a garment before, you may have encountered a basting stitch. And, if you keep sewing, you'll be sure to use it with most projects. Basting is a fundamental sewing technique because it's so useful. Even better, it's a very easy stitch to sew. In this post and video, I'll talk about what a basting stitch is, when to use it and demonstrate sewing a basting stitch by hand and by machine.