Nautical Baby Shoes

I made some fun little shoes for my neighbor's baby boy. She likes orange and navy, and I like stripes. It's a little bit of both of us. (I didn't have any orange boy-ish looking fabric.) I used the free pattern Little Man Shoes by Shwin&Shwin.

I really like the look of these shoes. They are different than most other free baby shoe patterns I've seen. At first I had a hard time figuring out how to make them, but once I did, they went really quickly. I think they are easier and quicker to sew than the common three seam shoes with elastic around the ankle.

I love how the orange snaps pop against the navy and white.

I added vinyl bottoms for durability and puffy paint to the vinyl for grip. I don't know how well the paint will stay, but it's worth a try!