I “LOVE” this Ultrasuede for making Ten Ping’s tiny doll shoes…

First of all, I have to thank you for your very kind comments about the pictures of me and Kristoffer at the baseball game. I was SO not wanting to post those pictures but I relented and you made me feel so at ease. I just wanted my first “real” photo of me to be a better one than that! But thanks so much!!

As you’ve been reading in some of my previous posts, I’ve been on a mission trying to figure out how to make some tiny little doll shoes for my new 8″ Ten Ping doll. Her foot is just barely an inch long, so working with something this tiny is quite a challenge. It’s also a challenge I was willing to keep after until I mastered it. Well, today I came P-R-E-T-T-Y close to getting them. Just as a recap, here’s a few shoe “attempts” I tried a few days ago… not as successful as I had hoped…

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Then I had a little bit of a breakthrough with these little slip on shoes…

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I wanted to really try and figure out how to make a pair of little Mary Jane shoes if I could…and came up with these from a printed felt.

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But I still wanted something better than this. One of my subscribers sent me some scraps of Ultrasuede and the very next day I found an entire dress at the Goodwill store made from Ultrasuede. It was a reddish/coral color and I was planning to cut it up and “master” the shoe pattern if I had to cut up the entire dress trying to figure it out!

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I have to tell you, this Ultrasuede is THE ANSWER! It is wonderful to work with and I’ve almost got it figured out!!! A few more tweaks and I’ll be churning out these shoes with every outfit I make! That makes me VERY happy. Let me show you my results from the red Ultrasuede I’ve been using. Then I’ll cut into Kathie’s pieces she sent me.
I had to keep tweaking and tweaking my pattern until I got it pretty close…

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Here’s the start of one of the shoes…

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It was easier to add the sole of the shoe onto the top part while the fabric was a bigger piece. I machine stitched around it and then trimmed the extra fabric away. (This was PRETTY tedious!)

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I added some black beads for the side clasp and added a sweet little bow on the top of the shoe.

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In these close up pictures I can see where I need to go around the sole of the shoe and make the edges smoother…they look a little pointed in some places.

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I used an Appli-bond needle when I did the hand sewing on these shoes. They are needles I picked up at a quilt fair down in Paducah, KY and they are EXTREMELY sharp. In fact they have 3 sides that come to a very sharp point…we’re talking RAZOR sharp. I’m not sure if you can see the points or not… but I’ll try to get a close up shot.

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They are specifically designed to go through tough fabrics like leather and thick layers of fabric. They did a nice job and I think it made stitching the shoes a little easier. I’m sure you could maybe use a regular needle, but I liked the ease of using these.

I looked for the website where the needles can be purchased and found it. If you’d like to see this lady’s site, click HERE.

Well, now that these little shoes are completed, I’ve done it again… created a pair of shoes and now I have to make an outfit to go with them.
Oh brother, when will I learn to do it the right way? Outfit first, then the shoes….

Hope you enjoyed today’s post!

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

19 thoughts on “I “LOVE” this Ultrasuede for making Ten Ping’s tiny doll shoes…”

  1. A great post and thanks for sharing. When will you begin teaching sewing classes? Digital videos for download? I do believe you would be quite good at it with your sparkling personality that comes through in your blogs!

    Best.
    Linda

    1. HI Linda Marie,
      Ha! You are too funny! I’m glad you liked the post, but there won’t be any teaching except on here any time soon. I am too busy as it is…all I need is another thing added to my life. I “would” like to do a little “sewing school” and have you all follow along with me. I mean like I’d give you a pattern and then each post would be a few more directions on how to complete it, but that’s a ways off. Then I’d have you all send in a picture of your completed “thing” and then I would post pictures… I always wanted to do that from the very beginning…
      Thank you Linda Marie,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. I think you found the answer to making Ten Ping’s shoes, ultra suede! Looking at all of your pictures made me realize just how long you’ve been working at this. Congrats on sticking with it, they are adorable. I will have to remember you and Ten Ping’s shoes the next time I feel like giving up on an idea.
    I am always sticking my finger with needles, so I said a big OUCH to myself when I saw that needle tip! They look like they would work so nicely though. I use a beading needle for sewing down facings and snaps. Silly, huh?
    Linda is right, Jeanne, your sparkling personality comes through your writing beautifully.

    1. Good morning Cindy,
      Yes, I think some kid’s song says it best…something about “sticktoitiveness!” What a silly thing to say, “I’ve Mastered…”…..tiny doll shoes!

      Thank you Cindy…I don’t know how my “sparkling personality” necessarily comes through, but if you and Linda Marie think it does, that’s fine with me! I’d hate to be reading a dull blog! :o)
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Ten Ping shoes are too cute, love that color! Now can’t wait to see what you create to go with them.

    1. HI Regina,
      Yep, I’ve done it again…now I have to search my fabrics to find just the right thing for Ten Ping’s next outfit. Although I better get some other dolls an outfit made, or I’m going to have a revolt with some customers!
      Thanks so much Regina,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Jeanne I loved the photo of you and your handsome son. The shoes are adorable! I can relate to working and working to get something right and I love it when I finally get it figured out! Dritz also makes Glovers/Leather needles for hand sewing. I found some in JoAnn’s.

    1. Thank you Marsha,
      I want a picture of me like the one you have with you and your hubby that I’ve seen on your site! It’s really a nice photo!
      I’m glad you liked Ten Ping’s shoes…I’m glad I’m closer to getting them perfected…

      I’ll have to look at JoAnn’s for the needles you use…thanks…

      Didn’t I just see you were selling one of your Wiggs’ dolls…Nyssa? Are you getting Gracie or Abby? I can’t decide if I want them or not… I tend to sew for the “child” dolls more and don’t want another doll that just lays in a box….
      Thanks Marsha,
      Blessings, Jeanne

      1. Jeanne that photo of hubby and me is quite a few years old but my favorite! No new dolls for me right now. Trying to downsize. I am getting to the point I would rather sew or design patterns than get more dolls. Thank you for all the wonderful things you share with us!

  5. Hi Jeanne, Glad you found a good material that works for Ten Ping’s shoes! It’s amazing how you did them. I am glad you and others make all these wonderful things so others who don’t sew can get them. I agree with Cindy, “ouch” just looking at that needle!
    I think Ten Ping is quick in hiding her smile. There is a smile in her eyes but it’s probably overwhelming for her to get this much attention as well as having new outfits and shoes made for her. Perhaps she is also very modest and humble. Regardless, she is just a sweetie to have.
    Have a great day, pretty Jeanne!

    1. Hi Paula,
      I”m glad Kathie suggested and then sent me some Ultrasuede too! It’s marvelous to work with and now that I’ve tried a pair, I can’t wait to try another pair and see how I can improve on them.
      Thanks for your kind comments on Ten Ping… she has won my heart and I’m glad to be her new mommy! I don’t mind sewing these small things for her, because she looks so cute in them when I pose her. She’s very fun to play with and arrange…
      Blessings to you, Paula,
      Jeanne

  6. Nice job, Jeanne. Did you sew the upper to the sole by hand? Is that what you used the leather need for or just for sewing on the bows?
    I agree with Paula, our Ten Pings are modest and humble and that is why they don’t smile.
    Sometimes I wish they didn’t look quite so serious.

    1. HI Jevne,
      I used the needle to stitch the side section around the shoe. Look back up at the first picture I showed, just below my shoe pattern pieces. See where I’ve done some stitches to hold the shoe in one piece. Instead of having a seam at the back heel, it’s on the side, just where the strap goes around. I then used the needle to tack the back heel section and the front tip in place. Once I knew how long the shoe needed to be, then I just stitched around it with the machine. The 2 tacked areas held it onto the sole piece. Then I used it to sew the bow on. I think I’ll try sewing the bow on the flat piece next time before the shoe is put together. It would be much easier than the way I did it after the shoe was constructed. I also used the needle to sew the bead on, with a tiny 1/4″ square as a stabilizer piece on the inside, to keep the bead from pulling out. Sort of like a safety button on the inside of a coat.
      I gave my Ten Ping some tiny eyelashes on the bottom of her eyes with a very sharp water color pencil. If you zoom in on my pictures you can see them. If I didn’t like them, I have a kneaded eraser I could erase them with. I also used a pinkish water color pencil on her lips trying to make them just a little darker too. I need a little bit darker pencil though for it to make any difference.
      I saw your Ten Ping…right next to my Ten Ping on Ebay! Very cute outfit Jevne! I think that pink cherry blossom print on the aqua background is a very pretty fabric. You did a really nice job on it and your photos are great this time….super clear and precise! Her puppet is sweet too. I think yours ends 3 minutes before mine… We can watch each other’s auction!
      Thanks so much Jevne,
      Blessings, Jeanne

      1. So glad the ultra suede was the key to your TenPing shoes. Your construction sure beats the seam up the back construction fitting around an insole. On the monitor the red dress looks very rose more than bright red. I’m waiting to see a vest to match the shoes.

        1. HI Jan,
          I can’t quite figure out what color to call it. First it was raspberry, then reddish coral, and now you say maybe dark rose…I need a box of 64 crayolas to figure out the color! Thanks Jan, and yes, would be very nice…as well as a purse and a hat!
          Blessings, Jeanne

  7. So-o-o glad the Ultrasuede worked!
    I like the idea of sewing the sole on a larger piece of fabric and trimming them
    I’ll have to look for my Betsy McCall shoe pattern…I think I buttonhole stitched the sole on and turned them inside out…it’s been a long time ago and the method you used looks more like what is popular now. You can use really narrow strips too because it is so strong. That needle was a great idea, it pierced it easily, Are those pieces enough for 2 shoes? I can send you more……..

    1. HI Kathie,
      I am so glad you suggested the Ultrasuede to me. I don’t think I would have thought to use it and it’s wonderful to use. I’ve already been looking on Ebay and Etsy for scraps. I thought about doing a buttonhole stitch around the soles and turning them too, but decided to try this first.
      I think the strips you sent me will work for a pair of shoes… I will just have to add the strap on separately as it sort of sticks up the way I made my pattern and the strips aren’t wide enough, but I think I can make it work. I can’t wait to make a pair out of the royal blue suede…it’s so pretty!
      Thanks again for your help… so you have a little Ten Ping doll? I don’t know that I asked you before…
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. HI Dale,
      Thanks so much for your comments on making Ten Ping’s shoes. It was quite an ordeal getting them made, but I had fun learning how…
      Blessings, Jeanne

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