I did it! I made my own shoes! I can’t tell you how much I am really proud of myself for completing the project. A year ago -heck, several years ago a project like this would’ve really intimidated me, but it came together very naturally.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram then you know 2 things about me: one, I started documenting my shoemaking progress on IGTV and two, I love shoes. All kinds! So when I found “A Happy Stitch” on IG and then found out she was an Etsy seller I had to support my fellow maker. I purchased one of her kits – it’s called the “I Got It” Kit since I had the fabric (Hobby Lobby) I wanted to use -then I reached out to her to ask if it would be okay to do a sew along and she happily said yes!
Melissa from “A Happy Stitch” has been so wonderful along the way, cheering me on with each post, story and video and being overall very supportive. You guys need to check out her shop because her packaging, the supplies and the experience are so worth it. Inside the kit you get everything you’ll need for this. I did not have to buy a single tool – so that was nice just in case I want to do this again. Plus, these tools and supplies are pretty expensive on their own so thankfully Melissa made it super easy and accessible for us.
The directions booklet is very easy to follow, with pictures and diagrams to help you along the way. The hardest part was towards the end -with the blanket stitch. I had to start over about 3 times, but once I got a rhythm down, I was unstoppable. I’m sharing some pics of the stitch:
I watch this video on YouTube for help. It’s about 3 minutes long, so it’s a quick watch.
I will admit that I underestimated the importance of the wax for the thread. I used it – I actually used all of it, but I didn’t understand the “why” until I started making my stitch. The thread is very thick and so when you use the wax, it helps those fibers in the thread lay down and it gives it a more polished look. So I all that to say -do not skip the wax process. And I recommend that you continue to do the wax portion even as you keep sewing the blanket stitch.
You can watch my entire sew along on IGTV. Sadly, my last video is the shortest since my phone died in the middle of it. But, you can watch the Youtube version of the blanket stitch tutorial here. I am thinking about adding this to my Youtube page that doesn’t exist yet. What do you guys think?
RAVEN MAUREEN 