Espadrilles in Petal and Bud...

I am a bit late in blogging these as I made them quickly to take on holiday...so excuse the slight dirt on the soles! I was inspired to make espadrilles after reading Karen's post on 'Did You Make That'. So I quickly ordered a sole from The Makery and a fat quarter of Liberty Print 'Petal and Bud' from ebay. The instructions recommend a medium weight cotton, however I just couldn't resist making a pair in Liberty Lawn! Because of this, they probably aren't long for the world! I have however worn them pretty much every day on holiday (on some very pebbly beaches) so I think that they are holding up pretty well! I lined them in a purple spot (also cotton lawn), to highlight the purple in the Liberty print.

The soles came with instructions and a pattern. The soles do come up big, so if you aren't sure what size to buy I would buy the size down. It's worth mentioning that you do need to add your own seam allowance to the pattern provided. There is a small amount of machine stitching to create the lined front and back but after that it's all hand stitching. Blanket stitch is used to attach the pieces to the soles. I hadn't sewn using this stitch before but found a useful tutorial online. I used Prym Espadrille Yarn Thread for the blanket stitch, however I'm sure that a strong thread would also work well. Karen is indeed right, making your own espadrilles is easy!