So, ok look. I know this isn’t a project for everyone. It’s a bit crass, but honestly, that’s the bulk of the joy of it. The idea for this project is not original. Deep in the recesses of the internet at least 5-6 years ago, I saw a random image from Burning Man of someone wearing house slippers made of baby dolls and it was so unwearable in general polite society, I knew I HAD to make them for one of my best friends. He too is unwearable in general polite society, so I knew they were destined to be together. I rushed right out that week so many years ago and bought the supplies as cheap as possible from Big Lots. I got as far as the beginning of the design process and then as per standard operating procedures, hit a tiny snag and completely abandoned it. Cut to this past year when I was finally purging dead projects to make way for new ones and I really didn’t want to drop this one.
The visual instructions are a little incomplete, but if you are simply dying to make these and are getting hung up:
- You’re a fucking weirdo and I love you.
- I will gladly help walk you through any construction issues you may face. Just message me.
Supplies
- Cloth body baby doll x2 (Large enough to fit target foot in the soft body cavity)
- Sturdy house socks – 1 pair (coordinating color if you wish – I was just going for cost when selecting mine)
- Polyfill batting – enough for your desired fluffyness
- Hand sewing needle and matching thread
- Seam ripper/ Scissors
- E6000 – optional/as needed
Instructions
My house socks were not long enough for the size of my friend’s feet, so I had to make a little modification to start (this mod is what tanked the project in case you were wondering how big of a snag it wasn’t).
I cut 2 squares of fabric, sewed a new toe box around 3 edges and sewed it to the toe of the house sock.
It may not be cute, however none of this will be visible if you need to make a similar adjustment from materials on hand.
Next, prepare the doll. Since these have pants, just open the inner seam of the leg, leaving the ankle cuff intact.
Next, using a seam ripper or scissors, cut an opening in the body cavity. This is where most of the foot will sit inside the slipper, so make sure it’s big enough to get the width of a foot in.
Remove about half of the batting from inside the doll. Put the house sock on your foot and slide into the opening. Move your foot around to help the remaining batting settle in evenly and to make sure you have removed enough batting for the foot to fit comfortably.
Now that the doll is prepped, remove house sock and hand sew (or machine if it fits for you) the bottom pant legs together to enclose the bottom of the slipper.
With the bottom sewn together, put your foot and house sock back in the slipper. Stuff the doll to your desired cushioning around the sides, top and bottom of the sock.
Take your foot out of the slipper, leaving the house sock in place. Hand stitch the doll pant leg around the sock to enclose the top of the slipper. Be sure not to sew the sock opening closed.
I made sure to reinforce and stitch the ankle cuffs together to help keep the pressure of of the other stitching and to make sure no batting would leak out.
My dollies came with some accessories that I didn’t want to get lost.
To secure the pacifier, use E6000 or another strong glue to coat the end of the nub. Glue in place. This part felt the most wrong, as I’m confident this is a real fantasy for some parents of young crying children.
The other doll had a baby bear on an elastic cuff. Since these are going to endure a lot of movement, just to be safe, I hand stitched the bear head to the sleeve cuff.
And now they’re done!
Disclaimer: Making Shit with Kristin is not responsible for any weird looks, comments or expulsion from polite society if you make and wear these ridiculous things.
I was really shocked at how fast these came together. Maybe a couple of hours once I actually sat down to finish it. Years on a shelf and finally able to share their glory with the world in just a couple of hours of effort. My friend loves them and shortly after receiving them, debuted them at his company “Wear Your PJs to Work Day.”
He. Wore. Them. To. Work. No better ending to the craft journey.
Making Shit With Kristin 