DIY T-shirt slippers

My son loves slippers but he only wears the ones that hook on between your big toe and middle toe (These are very common in Singapore!). We decided to make t-shirt slippers - refashioned t-shirts !  I've made 3 pairs so far, and I'm planning on making two pairs each per family members so that at least we still have one to wear while the other's in the wash! Yeah, they are washable!!

[Update in Oct 2012: some bloggers have requested for more detail on the DIY weaving. Hope to have that out soon!]

Note: This project was inspired by 小石正子 who showed me how to weave the slippers .  I've made a few adjustments! Our ancestors also weaved sandals :-)

You can use any type of material. I used t-shirt material because it's thick and it doesn't fray. This project is a good way of using t-shirts that have bad smells - no one wants to smell you're feet anyway!!! For my son's (he's 7)  slippers, I used one large old  t-shirt.  For me (I'm shoe size 39), I used 1.5 of a t-shirt!

If you want to use cotton material, you can make it into bias tape so that the fraying edges are concealed, and you have thicker material to work with.  

I cut my t-shirts into 7cm strips - make the most of your t-shirt!!  For the nylon string, it's okay to get anywhere between 4 - 8mm diameters for children as they have small feet. Anything less for adults and you'll have really floppy slippers.  Remember to measure the largest width and the  length of your feet- write it down before you start weaving your slippers.

 You will need:

a) Up to 2m of nylon string for adults; or 1.5m for kids (this is only approximate)

b) 2 x 30 cm of nylon string for the straps

(a)      Straps                                (b) Getting the string ready

a) wrap the straps up with any scrap material you have but be careful not to make it very thick. Use glue to secure the material.

b) Using the longer piece of string, fold in half and tape approx 10cm from the ends. Make sure this is secure.

c) Now for the confusing part.  Bring the top end of the loop towards the taped area - you now have 4 parallel lines. Then swop the positions of the middle two.  Hook the strings around your feet - the outer 2 at your little toe and the middle two at your big toes.  You should get something like this:

Remember to hold the taped end and loop together.  Start weaving with your t-shirt strips going over and under the string. The first and second row of weaves will fix the string (see first pic below) so use your fabric glue to set everything in place.

Use your fingers to widen the strings to the width of your foot.

When you are done weaving to the desired length, very carefully pull on the two pieces of string that were taped together while putting your hand firmly on the top most part of the weave.  You should end up with something like the pic above. Stand on the weaved soles and mark the positions where the straps should be inserted. Fold the strap in half and insert the ends of the strap into the bottom 2 marks, and the folded part into the top. Tuck & secure at back with glue.  For the top part, secure using the remaining string from the weave too!  You should have a crazy looking sole at the bottom of the weave - you can cover it up by pasting scrap fabric onto it.

Here are some others I made!

Made with 2 different t-shirts. The strap was made
from nylon string and t-shirt sleeves.

I flipped the extra string from the weave all the way to the
front and crocheted all round it.  This is my fave pair!!

Update on 3 Jul - Here's a laundry tip! Use a laundry bag to hold the slippers before you pop them into the washing machine.  ;-)

Linking up to these great blogs!
http://acreativeprincess.blogspot.sg
http://www.the36thavenue.com
http://suzyssitcom.com/
http://tearosehome.blogspot.sg/
http://www.pincushioncreations.com/
http://www.recycled-fashion.com