Yesterday when I started pinning the pieces to the fabric, I realized that I couldn't find the instructions for how to actually make the footies. And since I was planning on modifying the footies so that they would sit on top of shoes instead of going all the way around shoes, I was kind of hoping to have the instructions so I could figure out where I was starting from and how to get from there to where I wanted to end up.
In a random fit of inspiration, I remembered where I had put the instructions. Away. I had put the instructions away. So I pulled them out. Then I read them. Then I scratched my head. Say what? These pieces do what? And make what? These are going to be enormous! Why is this so complicated? Ugh.
Well, I decided to go ahead and give it a shot and follow the instructions as-is (but still without the sole on the bottom of the footie). Fortunately, I had 2 things going for me: 1) I only cut out the pieces for 1 footie this time, and 2) I had bought LOTS of extra fabric. Sure enough, the footie was big, bad, and bulky and looked like it might try to eat Addy's shoe if I left it unsupervised.
Ugh. Yuck. NOT CUTE! First off, it is, in fact, enormous. Gigantic, even. Second off, apparently the sole on the footie was a key structural element because that thing is just a big, orange, web-toed blob. Again I say: Ugh. Yuck. NOT CUTE!
Okay, I can do this. Start with the shoe. Use the shoe to come up with a dainty little slipper pattern. Then figure out how to get the penguin toes added on. Okay, but I'm not really wanting a slipper per se. I just want something that looks like an aquatic bird's foot and will fit over Addy's shoes, all while being more "bootie" than "sole-less moon boot." Here's what I came up with:
Yup. That's it. One piece. Way easier than the 3 piece monstrous robo-footie from the original pattern. It definitely appeals to my sense of streamlined, simplicity. But did it work? Well, I happen to think so, but you can decide for yourself:
