BABIES 6 9 MONTHS

I cut apart a thrift-shop suede purse and made some baby booties for a baby shower, given today. They were a lot harder to stitch than I thought they would be - or else my fingers have gotten remarkably soft these past few years! And I felt a bit awkward too with my gift alongside all these perfectly adorable store-bought things in all these beautiful colors. Plus a lot of adorable handmade things too!

Sometimes it's an act of faith to believe that handmade stuff is welcome, or wanted... especially when it's something as small and ordinary as a pair of unadorned booties. Somehow giving a store-bought thing feels safer - either because it's returnable or because there is more than one person saying it's worthwhile (after all, the manufacturer and store owner must have chosen it, in addition to my choosing it from the store!)

I don't like the risk of imposing my own handmade things on other people. It makes me uncomfortably vulnerable. Yet I keep making things, not just for the economy of it but because I enjoy the making. So I guess I'll keep giving them! And maybe figure out ways to make them cuter, too.

zebra felt baby booties with red accent