As a result I have started Sunflowers at School where I can share all of those ideas (some are nifty, some are not so nifty) and keep this blog primarily a crafty place to hang out. So if you notice some posts missing or some things turned around, please don't panic. I am just doing some spring cleaning and transferring.
And in the spirit of keeping it crafty, I wanted to share my latest simple (and I really do mean simple) project. It was inspired by Ashley over at Make It and Love It. She created an awesome back strap from scrap material, elastic, and snaps to attach to a pair of flip flops to help the little ones keep them on their feet. (You can see her creation here.) I love what she did but when I went through all of my fabric and notions I realized that I didn't have the right snaps (just the sew on kind here) which might have worked just fine. Shoot, I could have even just sewed them on as a permanent part of the flip flop. But my fingers were itching for a hook in them, sooooo I hit my thread basket and went to work creating these:
Not quite as fanciful as the ones Ashley created, but definitely serviceable and they have lots of potential for cuteness. Crochet a little bow for the back or add some crochet flowers to the sides and/or on the top of the strap. I made mine as a permanent fixture since they use so little thread and I only paid a buck for the flipflops.
Anyway, this isn't so much a pattern as it is a tutorial since I can't really tell you how many rows to do for your little ones shoe size. I can tell you my princess wears a size 8 shoe and these flip flops are actually a little big for her (they were the smallest size the store had) so I can give you details for that, but otherwise it really isn't hard to adjust.
I used a size 7 steel hook and bedspread weight crochet thread size 10
Start by chaining 5 and then sc in the second chain from the hook and the remaining chains.
ch 1 and turn, sc across.
That is basically it. If you want them to be interchangeable then begin with a chain of 9, join to form a circle, ch 1, and work 4 sc in the circle. ch 1, turn and sc in each sc. The loop then becomes your button hole. To attach them permanently, when your piece is long enough to wrap around the strap simply wrap it around and then sc through both layers on each stitch for next row. (I did 14 rows of sc and then joined them together on the 15th row.) continue chaining one at the end of each row and working sc in each stitch until you get the desired length. You want to try it on your child for this. Remember, crochet stretches quite a bit so be sure to pull it tight across the back of her foot. When you have the right length to go across the back of her foot and wrap around the strap then you can either finish off leaving a long tail or create a button hole by chaining 5 and joining it to the opposite end of the row. Wrap the crochet around the flip flop strap being sure not to twist it. Use the tail to sew the loop around the flip flop closed (for permanent attachment) or mark for button placement (for interchangeable attachment).
I hope this makes sense to you. If not, leave me a comment and I can create a step by step photo tutorial for you.
Until next time,
