If you’re like me, then you love creating fun and colorful slippers or booties for your little ones. They’re just so much fun to make!! I love that you can alter the personality of each pair by simply changing yarn color.
However, crocheted booties and slippers do have their limitations. Sometimes they might not be squishy and supportive enough…or maybe they’re too slippery for non-carpeted floors. I’ve found a few ways to help with these issues, along with my friends Shannon and Courtney.
One of my favorite ways to create a little more warmth and cushion in a pair of booties is to double up the sole. For my Scrappy the Happy Puppy Slippers and Olivia the Bunny Booties, I have done just that. Instead of just making one sole for the bottom of the foot, make 2. Then simply sew them together. The double sole adds thickness to the bottom of the slipper.
Another way to add some extra thickness or cushion is to add an insole. My friend Shannon from CitrusSun Crochet added a fabric liner to her Reindeer Booties. She made a template using her sole, cut out fabric and batting, then used a sewing machine to sew the insert down. You could also sew this by hand.
If you wanted to add an extra layer to the outside of the slipper (instead of the inside), you could follow the same example only use heavy felt or suede. You could either hand-sew or use a sewing machine to add these extra pieces to the sole of your bootie. The suede would also add a non-slip grip to your slipper! Adding an extra layer of fabric to either the inside or the outside of your slipper or bootie is a little time consuming. But I think the finished product will be amazing!
Many slippers or booties are made with acrylic yarn, which is going to be slippery on tile or hardwood floors. My friend Courtney from 3 Hoots Boutique has tried a few different methods for adding non-skid grip. The first is to use 3 dimensional fabric paint. Courtney gave her daughter a bottle of purple and let her decorate the bottoms of her Doris the Cow Slippers. Be aware that fabric paint is permanent, and can get messy. It also takes some time to dry. But it’s easy to replace if it comes off or wears down.
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Hot glue is another simple way to add a non-slip grip to the bottom of a slipper. It’s fast, dries quickly, and is simple to replace. Courtney has washed these Scrappy the Happy Puppy Slippers repeatedly, and just adds more glue when the old wears off.
Non-slip kitchen shelf liner is another great, cheap, and easy way to add a non-slip sole to the bottom of a slipper or bootie. I had some scraps leftover in my kitchen, so I cut pieces to fit the foot and heel area of my sole. Then I sewed them in place with yarn in the same color. These pieces could also be sewn or glued on. The liner also adds a little squishiness to the bottom of the slipper! I find that this liner lasts a little longer than the glue or fabric paint, but it’s definitely not permanent. However, it’s very easy to replace.
I know there are a number of other methods to add comfort and non-slip grips to the bottoms of slippers, but these are just a few that my friends and I have tried and found success with. What others have you heard of or tried? Drop me a comment below!!
You can see all of my bootie and slipper designs in this video. Which one do you like best?
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