How to Make Your Own Slippers at Home

There is nothing quite like slipping your cold feet into a soft, warm pair of slippers in the evening. In the age of DIY and upcycling, it comes as no surprise that there are actually some great tutorials and instructions for making your own pair.

A pair of homemade slippers might be a lovely gift for family and friends (as long as you know their shoe size) and is something a little different than going for the shop-bought kind.

These ideas do require a little skill in sewing or crocheting, but with a bit of courage, drive, and a sense of adventure, anyone could follow these instructions and whip up a pair of snuggly slippers for the winter.

Crocheted Slippers

Source: AllFreeChrochet/YouTube

1. These claim to be one-hour slippers meaning that they can be made in one hour. If you are a crochet beginner, don’t worry if they take you two weeks. It’s the having a go that counts.

This video shows a pattern that most beginners could have a go at. It is a really good step-by-step guide and the tutor takes you through each stitch. That said, there are lots of tutorial videos for beginner crocheters to help you hone your skills.

With some chunky yarn and a 5mm crochet hook, you will be well on your way.

Source: crochetdreamz/YouTube

2. If all that seemed a bit too much because all you can manage to crochet at this point is a rectangle, then this is the pattern for you. 

With a little tuck here and a few stitches there, you can form a rectangular piece of crochet into a very professional-looking slipper. Add some buttons or bows to jazz them up if you like.

Sewn Fabric Slippers

Source: Let’s MAKE It Academy/YouTube

3. For this one, you are going to have to have some skill with a needle and thread, and access to a sewing machine. The great thing about this craft is that you can use scrap fabric to make your slippers.  There aren’t really any rules regarding the fabric as long as you follow the pattern.

If you have access to some fleecy or fluffy fabric, this would make a really cozy liner. For summer-time slippers, you could use a much lighter cotton fabric.

This tutorial comes with a link to different-sized slipper templates, so you will just have to print off the one that fits your foot. The template is in two parts. The sole is one part and the upper is one complete piece that you sew to the sole and attach together at the back.

4. This is a really simple tutorial for making slippers from old jeans. This makes a really sturdy and hardwearing pair of slippers and helps to upcycle no longer-needed clothes. If you have some leftover batting from a quilting project or even an old quilted pillowcase, you could make your slippers extra comfy.

There is no pattern to copy here as you will use your own feet or shoe to draw around. If you are making them for a friend, you will have to ask them if you can borrow their feet!

Another really fun, fuzzy, and eco-friendly material you could use would be old towels. It would be a great way to use up dingy or stained towels. Imagine sliding your feet into toweling slippers after a hot shower.

Old Jumper Slipper Socks

Source: Little House in the Woods/YouTube

5. If you have an old sweater that has seen better days, it doesn’t have to be retired, yet. If there is still some salvageable knitwear in there, you can whip it up into a cozy pair of slipper socks.

If you don’t have an old sweater but really want to have a go at this, you could always scour the thrift stores for that perfect find. You will also need some yarn and a sewing needle, and a pair of scissors.

It is actually the sleeves of the sweater that is going to make up most of the sock, so a lot of the work is already done for you. Because of this, try to find a sweater that doesn’t have really stretched-out cuffs as you want these to fit snuggly around your calf.

Decide how long you want your slipper socks/boots to be by sliding your leg into the sleeve (foot through cuff first), then cut the sleeve off at your toe.

Turn the sleeve inside out and sew the end where your toes will go shut. You will notice that this is very square, so you can also sew the top and edges into a more rounded shape and sew the edges so that the foot space is narrower. Once you have sewn it securely, you can cut off the excess fabric.

Turn the sock the right way around and start wearing them.

If it is still in good shape, the rest of the sweater does not have to go to waste. You can use the other part to make more slippers, perhaps using one of the patterns above.

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