prettylittle's Profile

Bio

Well, it's finally happened. In a few months, I'll be making some baby booties for myself—I'm pregnant!! It's been a wonderful experience so far, and I just can't wait for March when I get to meet my little baby. : )

My name is Lacey, I'm 25, and I live in beautiful Portland, Oregon. I'm a self taught crocheter and felter, inspired by the adorable children I've cared for as a nanny and big sister.

I try to be as nice to the world around me as possible: I don't drive, I recycle religiously, eat natural foods, use biodegradable products, use energy efficient lighting, and power my apartment with wind energy. So, I guess you could say Pretty Little is an eco-friendly business.

About my Process:

• Crocheting

I begin by crocheting the booties using my own patterns and 100% wool yarn. They start out about twice as big as the finished pair, and you can see all of the holes between the stitches.

• Felting

Felting or “fulling” is the shrinking process that transforms the crocheted yarn into thick, soft, and durable booties.
Felted wool is much different than wool/synthetic felt, which is purchased by the yard, cut using a pattern, and sewn together. Felting is making your own fabric using very hot, soapy water, and a lot of agitation. The felting process can be very tricky and it took me years to refine my methods.
I felt my booties with natural detergent in my washing machine, and stand by to regularly re-shape and measure them. Once they’re felted to the right size and thickness, they are thoroughly rinsed with cold water and air dried for a few days.

• Needle Felting

Needle felting is often described as “painting with wool”, but instead of a brush and paint, I use a small, very sharp, barbed felting needle and roving (wool tufts). I place the roving onto the shoe and plunge the felting needle through the material over and over. The barbs work to bind the wool fibers together to create permanent and unique designs. My needle felting is done free-hand, so there are small variances between each pair, making every pair one of a kind.

• Sewing Velcro

The final step is hand sewing sticky-back Velcro patches onto the straps and sides of the shoe. The stitches reinforce the fabric glue to make sure the patches never come off. After trying buttons, snaps, and ties, I found that Velcro was the best way to fasten my shoes because you can strap them on as tight as needed.

About Wool:

•The wool yarn I use is very soft, and gets even softer during the felting process. The texture is fuzzy like a teddy bear, and not at all scratchy.
• Wool is naturally elastic so it won’t constrict the growth of baby feet like hard-soled shoes can.
• Felted wool is extremely durable—it cannot be torn or unraveled.
• It’s easy to keep clean—liquids will bead up and roll off wool fabric.
• It can hold 30% of its weight in water without feeling wet.
• It’s naturally flame-retardant.
• It’s biodegradable and an all-around environmentally friendly alternative to leather and synthetic materials.