Little Toms

An invitation to a baby shower for a little fellow in our church finally offered me an excuse to try Leisha's free pattern and tutorial for mini "TOMS." They're just too precious not to try, don't you think?

I use a thick navy linen with a homespun texture, with a pale khaki twill for the lining and soles. The elastic was actually salvaged from the "shelf bra" of a camisole (seriously, when will clothing manufacturers realize that an extra layer of fabric with a band of elastic does NOT constitute a substitute for a proper supportive undergarment?). It's thick and slightly fuzzy, and worked perfectly.

I made two significant alterations to the infant pattern, besides omitting the tags and adding a little bit of length to the sole, since the aforementioned baby is two months old. One was the construction of the "V" shape -- mine is lined, in a sense, which should eliminate the possibility of raveling at the corners of the "V's" (which I could see was inevitable had I followed the instructions as written). The other alteration was to make the sole lining conceal all raw edges by waiting to stitch it on until the end. Next time I make a pair I may take a few pictures of these steps, as they're hard to describe but are worth trying.

Hopefully these fit the little chap they were intended for -- otherwise, I'll get busy stitching up a slightly larger pair! My babies had such tiny feet that I can never get a good sense for how big baby shoes should be. I have a feeling I'll be buying the pattern downloads so that I have access to all of the sizes that Leisha has designed. I love the style, and think they're perfect for little ones!