Pattern Review: Reversible Mary Jane Baby Shoes

Original Post Dated March 15, 2009

Reversible Mary Jane baby shoes, Size 0-18 Months
Designer: SweetPeaPattern
Pattern Type: Electronic, Adobe PDF
Sewing Level: Intermediate (just over Beginner)
Can you sell items made from the pattern? YES.

A few weeks ago I was browsing baby dresses and patterns on Etsy and came across this pattern for reversible Mary Janes with three strap options from SweetPeaPattern. I will admit that this was a bit of an impulse buy, but from the listing I thought these little shoes would be a great little project to use up some of the many fat quarters and other fabric scraps I have overflowing my boxes in the sewing room.

The pattern came to me via email within several hours. I have come to appreciate pdf patterns on several levels. I like that there is no middle-man; I receive the pattern directly from the person who made it. That usually translates into a decent priced pattern for me, and more profit made for the designer. I have also found that pdf patterns are usually a labor of love: the photos are in color, the details are clearly laid out, and if something is not easily understood, the designer is usually readily available to answer questions.

After receiving the pattern, I printed it out and cut the pieces for a 6-9 month shoe with ribbon ties. The pattern comes with lots of pictures and does not assume that the sewist knows more than s/he actually does. Given the method of sewing the pieces together, it would have been very easy to make the directions more difficult than needed, but instead there were very clearly written directions and pictures to answer questions left by the instructions. There are even little side notes and tips to make sure your shoes don't pucker or cave.

All in all it took me about 70 minutes to make one pair of shoes. I am so pleased with the outcome, even on the first try. My daughter is nearly 7 months old, and I would have been fine using the 3-6 month pattern for her. I think these will not actually fit well for another month. She does love the shoes though and enjoys playing with the ribbons!

Did I mention yet that these are reversible? I love that these can be made with complimenting fabrics, and both fabrics can be used as the liner or the actual shoes!! The other good thing with this is that all of the seams are encased so there are no unsightly raw edges.

I have not made the other two versions of this shoe yet, but I plan to do so soon. Once you make one pair, I think it will be easy to make the others without a great deal of additional effort.

One more note to make, SweetPeaPatterns not only offers these sweet little Mary Janes but also has some loafers for little boys, kimono style shoes, seamless slippers, ballet style shoes and a pattern for car seat strap covers.

Want to buy the pattern? Visit SweetPeaPattern shop

Want to buy some already made shoes? Contact irenedesign@ymail[dot]com

Irene Design was not paid to conduct this review and is not supported by SweetPeaPattern. Sewing Pattern Photos come from and belong to SweetPeaPattern.