Stitch a pair of bootees for a baby from gorgeously soft leather

What you need...

• Fabric: leather, dark pink; cotton, spotty pink
  Felt, dark pink
  Ribbon, gingham
  Thread, matching
  Sewing machine
  Punch, hole
  Safety pin
  Paintbrush, small
  Glue, PVA

instructions

1. Cut a pair of soles and uppers from dark pink leather. Next, trim a pair of soles from dark pink felt and another two from spotty pink fabric. Punch holes in the leather upper pieces as indicated on the pattern; these will be for laces. Stitch the back seam of both uppers with a 3mm seam allowance. Open out the seams and stick in place with PVA glue, using a small paintbrush.

2. Match the centre-front notches from the uppers and the centre-front notches of the soles together, then the back seam to the notch on the back part of the sole. Sew the soles to the uppers again with a 3mm seam allowance. Cut small v-shaped notches from the curved part of the seam allowance and, using PVA glue, stick it to the sole of each shoe. Turn out, smoothing the seams.

3. Stick the felt soles to the fabric ones, then trim away 3mm from the edges of each sole. Stick these inside the shoes. Thread gingham ribbon through the punched holes to finish.