Since I made the moccasins for my Mimi the other day, I decided to create a few more pairs for Christmas gifts. This time I decided to add some flower embellishments instead of fringe and beads.
It was my first time creating crochet flowers and leaves, but I think they turned out quite well. :)
With these slippers I learned a few new things and went back to fix some things on the moccasins. For one, I wanted to add an inner sole, so I bought some simple insoles and sewed them in. It added a little extra cushioning, and made them look a little more professional.
I also decided to give the slippers a no-slip bottom for safety. The last thing in the world I'd want is for my sweet little Mimi to be wearing these and slip and hurt herself, so I did some research online to find a good solution. I read lots of suggestions and watched a few YouTube videos, and I ended up combining several things to create my own method.
I think what I did turned out well, so I decided to share it with you guys in case anyone wants to create no-slip or non-skid crochet or knit slippers.
Lots of people online suggested a product called Plastidip. It's original purpose was to make the handles of tools non-slip, but many people have begun to use it in the crafting world.
However, no one gave a really successful step-by-step tutorial. I watched one YouTube video in which the woman slopped the stuff on with a spatula and it looked like a big mess, but seemed functional in the end. I thought it was worth a try, but I wanted to tweak her method a bit.
First I traced my foot on some foam board and cut it out. When inserted into the slipper, it helped keep the surface stretched and flat so the surface was easy to coat.
Next, I made a template or stencil for the no-slip area on the bottom of the slippers out of cardstock paper. I did a simple slender foot shape, but you could easily to hearts or dots or paw prints or anything else you could dream up as long as you have the patience to cut the shapes out.
On a covered work space, I attached the stencils to the slipper bottoms with a few small circles of tape. Then, I used an old paint brush (old or cheap paint brushes are essential because it will RUIN the brush) to paint within the stencil.
I painted one coat, waited thirty minutes, and then painted another semi-thick coat.
Four hours later, the slippers were ready to use with their new no-slip bottoms.
Hope this helps someone to make some fabulous non-skid slippers. :)
