I have been looking for over the knee boots for some time now. They just look so cute with skirts and dresses and are perfect for staying warm in the winter. The problem is that I have very slim calves, and there aren’t a lot of options out there that fit me. Rumor has it that Stuart Weitzman has some options for slim calves, but even on sale they are nearly $500, which is a bit over budget.
I knew I needed something custom so I called a cobbler nearby and they said they don’t do this type of work because it doesn’t ever turn out quite right, so I decided to take drastic measures and put my amateur sewing skills to work! I have never done anything like this before, so it was a total experiment. I found some adorable and comfortable faux suede boots at Target: the Women’s Journee Collection Maya Faux Suede Over the Knee Boots in Taupe Brown. At $47.99 they were not cost prohibitive. I thought if I could tailor them myself I might finally have some boots that fit.
First I tried on the boots and pinched the back to get an idea of how much I needed to cut out. Then I turned them inside out and ripped off the strip reinforcing the back seam. I folded along the back seam and sewed a line down the back about an inch parallel to the existing seam to make the boots fit more closely to the leg. At the bottom, I merged my seam with the stopping point of the existing back seam to produce an even transition. Last, I cut off the excess fabric and reinforced the seam with a zig zag stitch on the edge of the hem.
You may notice in the last picture above that the presser foot has been removed. Well, that’s because I broke the needle on my machine. I used a heavy duty needle as needed for such thick fabric, but apparently it wasn’t heavy duty enough. Oops! The end result isn’t perfectly straight or pretty from the inside, but it looks great from the outside and you would never know the boots had been tailored by an amateur like me. And now I have a pair of awesome over the knee boots that fit me. If there is one thing that can ruin a look, it is clothes that don’t fit properly.
I learn something new from every project I do and it prepares me for the next. I think I need some more practice sewing heavy duty fabrics and this was a great start.
P.S. The pretty top and skirt are from Madewell, which is having 30% off in stores and online right now with the code LATEBIRD. You’re welcome. 😉