Introducing Ultimate Baby Inspiration

Boy oh baby boy! And little girls too. Do I ever have goodies for you today. Are you sitting down? Because this is going to be HUGE.

For the May 2014 Release at Papertrey Ink, we've been keeping a little something under wraps until today's group post. How do stitching dies to make your own customizable and homemade felt baby booties sound for your next baby shower or sweet little someone? If you've been a fan of the Coin Purses, Clever Barrettes, and Coffee Cozy in the past, or if you just want to try something new...you are going to love these new die collections. They make whipping up these sweet little things so very easy.

A few specs on the booties. They are 3 and 1/2 inches long, which makes them a large size 1 in newborn footwear. The information I've gathered says that they will fit a 0-3 month old. I think that's a little off in the estimate. I would say a 3 to 5 month old could wear them with a pair of socks on.

How long does it take to make a pair of baby booties with these new dies? I would plan on 2 and 1/2 hours between cutting the felt, embellishing, and stitching. I have made eight pairs of these sweet things over the course of the last two weeks. I find it to be extremely relaxing at night to hand stitch them up while watching a few of my favorite television programs. I even cut a few pairs and took them on vacation with me last week. They are the perfect little project to keep your hands busy while supervising kids, watching television with the husband, waiting quietly, or sitting in the sun.

I have lots of video for you today. Click play to see how the Baby Bootie Die Collection works. And how easy they are to stitch together.



Also note a few of the extra little details I built into the dies. There are reinforcement stitches along the top flap where I thought the bootie would get a lot of wear and tear. Reinforce this area even further by adding Fray Check at the time of assembly. And there is also rectangular holes on both the instep of the bootie top and the bootie sole. This helps you keep track of making a left and right bootie as well as gives your stitching a starting and stopping point to keep the heel centered in the back.

I've come up with several ways to embellish these sweeties with two additional die collections to compliment. First off, you can add patches to the soles using the Baby Bootie Patch Collection.

Are those not adorable? Total, absolute sweetness. And here my husband is wondering about the origins of my recent bout of baby fever. Ahem...you don't have to look much further than these. Somebody have a baby quick so I can make them booties otherwise I'm going to have to do it! And my house is already a circus.

And I'm also introducing the Baby Bootie Detail Die Collection. This set allows you to customize your basic bootie created with the Baby Bootie Die Collection into four basic variations...and then some. So many possibilities. But we'll get to all that a little later.

Getting back to the star booties I showed you first above, I used them as the foundation for a "get well baby gift". I know a little guy who is going into surgery this morning. He needs a pair of good luck booties when he comes out to keep those footies warm in the hospital. So I took this package over to him a few hours ago.

My booties were created using a colorblock design in Spring Moss, Aqua Mist, and Blueberry Sky Felt. I used the Coffee Cozy Detail Dies to add stars to the tops. I carried the star theme over to the Berry Basket where I topped a diaper pin with a felt stitched star from my upcoming stamp set, Sweet Cheeks. I really thought it was neat to weave the pin through the holes in the basket. The second pin has this little guys' first initial out of the new Smooth Alphabet on a circle of Enchanted Evening cardstock.

Inside, I have a little get well note for him...and his parents. I remember what it was like to be a parent and have your baby need surgery. (My Hank had a heart cath procedure to fix multiple ventricular septal defects at the age of six months). I've got a little bit of a soft spot for what they are going through and wanted to let them all know I am thinking about them today. The monogrammed circle was carried over from the front of the Berry Basket. I stamped a sentiment from Healing Touches as well. 

Also included in the package is a matching onesie with the star from Coffee Cozy Detail Dies stitched in the same color felt and floss as the booties. I made sure I washed both my felt swatch and onesie before I sewed things up to prevent shrinkage down the line. 

Moving on, we don't want the girls to be left out. As you might have noticed in the video, I created a girl's version of the star bootie featured above using Raspberry Fizz, Winter Wisteria, and Royal Velvet felt and the Seasonal Stitches: Butterfly Dies.

Instead of a matching onesie, I had a loop of lingerie elastic that I like to use for newborn headbands. It was already machine sewn into a loop. I covered up the seam between two felt butterflies that I stitched up. So easy. I arranged the headband on the Boutique Accessory Card stamped with the new Super Chevrons and Boutique Accessory stamp collection.

Like the boys' version, I sewed in patches from the Baby Bootie Patch Collection as well.

You've seen me use previously released stitching dies to embellish the baby booties created with the Baby Bootie Die Collection. To customize them even further, I created the Baby Bootie Detail Die Collection. Within one die collection (all sold together) are dies to create four different types of shoe styles (and their variations) to build upon the baby booties you've made with the Baby Bootie Die Collection. I'll show you both a photo and a video on how to use each one. You can also refer to the file posted above to see how the four variations within the Baby Bootie Detail Die Collection are grouped together.

There is the Fringe Bootie/Moccasin. Video link to how-to here.

The Penny Loafer Bootie. Video link to how-to here. There is both a boy's and girl's version of these. You can also leave out the penny "opening" and have the thick cross strap serve as a foundation for embellishments.

The Spatted Bow Bootie. Video link to how-to here. Again, the eyelet oval makes a lovely foundation for additional embellishments.

And lastly, the Mary Jane/Button Strap Bootie. Video link to how-to here.

You have the option to thread the strap through the top of the bootie like the Aqua Mist Mary Janes. Or, you can opt not to die cut and stitch the strap opening and just button it down for the Button Strap Bootie in Dark Chocolate felt shown below.

So, what do you think? Are you as excited as I am over these things? You should have seen me back in March when I got the prototype dies. It was right in the middle of the March Release and I was up to my eyeballs making coin purses. Man, I dropped those like they were hot and had whipped up a bootie within a hour of getting the dies. I just needed to see how they worked! 

Just a few days after getting the original prototypes was my little sister's baby shower. My new nephew got a pair made out of Ocean Tides felt and embellished with a Smokey Shadow star and button. She knew I made them...but she didn't know I made MADE them.  It is sort of fun having that secret. And you are now in on the secret too. Nobody needs to know just how easy these are to make! You get the fun and ease of making them AND get all the kudos at the next baby shower for being so darn crafty and creative. :)

Before I leave you today and wrap up this mammoth blog post, I have a card using Sweet Cheeks stamps and dies and Lizzie's new Text Block: Baby. Also busting out the dies from the Shakers & Sprinkles kit. Man, those frames are awesome. You can see how the rectangular frame just about fits the text block. Close enough for me. And a handy little feature of the diaper pins from Sweet Cheeks (one I didn't factor in, but was pleasantly surprised by) was how you can "pin" them through things like I did here on the Aqua Mist inner frame. Love that!

I'm DYING to see everybody's projects. Click below for links to the other PTI'ers blogs.

Nichole Heady

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips

Heather Nichols

Betsy Veldman

Laurie Willison

Laura Bassen

Danielle Flanders 
Ashley Cannon Newell

Additional new product previews by:
Lizzy Jones
Melissa Bickford
Lexi Daly

Interested in adding these dies and stamps to your collection? Everything will be available to purchase at www.papertreyink.com on May 15th at 10 PM EST. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies

Berry Basket Boy Star Gift Set
Stamps: Sweet Cheeks, Healing Touch
Dies: Baby Booties, Baby Bootie Patches, Coffee Cozy Detail Dies, Smooth Alphabet
Felt: Spring Moss, Blueberry Sky, Aqua Mist
Aqua Mist Buttons
Cardstock: Blueberry Sky, Enchanted Evening, Stamper's Select White

Butterfly Gift Set
Stamps: Super Chevron, Boutique Accessories
Dies: Baby Booties, Baby Bootie Patches, Seasonal Stitches: Butterflies, Boutique Accessory Card
Felt: Winter Wisteria, Raspberry Fizz, Royal Velvet
Raspberry Fizz Buttons
Cardstock: Winter Wisteria
Ink: Royal Velvet, Winter Wisteria

Fringe Booties
Dies: Baby Booties, Baby Bootie Patches, Baby Bootie Details
Felt: Lavender Moon and Winter Wisteria
Lavender Moon Button

Penny Loafer Booties
Dies: Baby Booties, Baby Bootie Details
Felt: Ocean Tides

Spatted Bow Botties
Dies: Baby Booties, Baby Bootie Details
Felt: Scarlet Jewel and Autumn Rose

Mary Jane Booties
Dies: Baby Booties, Baby Bootie Details, Bitty Button Stackers
Felt: Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, Vintage Cream

Button Strap Booties
Dies: Baby Booties, Baby Bootie Details
Felt: Dark Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Button

Little Angel Card
Stamps: Sweet Cheeks
Dies: Sweet Cheeks, Shakers & Sprinkles Kit, Text Block: Baby
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Aqua Mist, Spring Rain, Stamper's Select White
Spring Rain Simple Stripe Pattern Paper
Ink: Blueberry Sky, Simply Chartreuse
Vintage Cream Button