Miss E needs slippers for preschool; it's what they wear inside the classroom. I was about to spend $28 on a new pair of Robeez when I realized I could probably make her a pair. I found a fabulous tutorial from Stardust Shoes, got some pretty fat quarters and non-skid fabric at JoAnn last week, and put some cute slippers together. Honestly, they are so very simple, and the tutorial is fantastic. In and around a sleeping/crying baby, I got the pieces cut out, the interfacing ironed on, and finally assembled them.
I used the flickr group's input to size them appropriately, and at 140%, they mimic a size 7 toddler/preschooler. They are a bit wide, but that just gives her breathing and stretching room and she hasn't complained a bit. I used brown fleece for the inside sole, which she says is super comfy. We'll probably be making more at some point since they are so simple to do ... and cost a teensy fraction of the cost of Robeez!
And using the same two fabrics, I finally squeezed in the time for another doll. I had found the Black Apple Doll pattern and really wanted to try that out to compare it to what I have made up. All in all, it's very similar -- just a basic cloth doll. However, it's adorable and Miss E is in love with her. We named her Leilani (Hawaiian for "heavenly child" or "heavenly flower"). She just gives off that aloha feel! Again, a very simple thing to make in and around a sleeping/crying baby (working in spurts of anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and a half), and the payoff is amazing. I just love the fact that some of the dolls Miss E uses the most are the ones I've made ... and now I've got a new baby girl to make MORE dolls for -- yippee! :)