Sparkly Surprise!

This fanciful little set of shoes really shine!



These are available in very limited quantities. I got my hands on some sparkly denim and used the pleather from a crazy silver leather skirt from my early 20's... yes I actually wore a silver pleather mini skirt in public!



As I worked with the denim I decided to use to interior side of the fabric as it glittered more than the exterior side.



I added a strip of silver pleather to the top as well as around the cuff. All stitching was done with a glittery silver thread... they babies sparkle!

Even the outer soles are made of silver pleather, no skimping here!



Mielle had so much fun helping me pick out the fabric! However, they are a bit large on her and I would love to see them getting used!



They are in size 18 to 24 months, if you are interested in another size, let me know. I don't have much fabric left, but I could whip together another pair or two.

Deep Red Stripes with coordinating Floral Fabric

This is a slightly heavier weight shoe than most of my designs, I used decorator fabrics and did a mix and match effect. The courduroy-like stripes run lengthwise along the top of the foot and coordinate with a floral fabric which I used in the heel and lining.



These shoes are fully lined inside, with a leather sole outside and should be quite durable. I used a heavy zig zag to finish the seams.



This pair is available now in size 18 to 24 month and can be custom ordered in another size if desired.



They are pretty roomy on my petite 20 month old, but don't fall off her foot, so there's plenty of room to grow in these babies!

Fabric Ideas

At my sister's request I have started taking pictures of some of the fabric I have available to make shoes of. This is a small selection of ideas and options.... I have LOTS of fabric you know! I'm looking forward to cutting into it and creating some awesome shoes.


Earthy stars and stripes



Green upholstery fabric with yellow and pink pattern (Reversable)



Reverse side of upholstery fabric Yellowy pink with green pattern



Burgundy with large size geometic pattern



Dark blue denim with white stripes



Bright ethnic pattern on green fabric



Bright ethnic pattern on green fabric



Fancy Asian print on red brocade (close-up)



Fancy Asian print on red brocade


If any of these inspire you, please contact me via e-mail at bananamamar@hotmail.com and we will discuss sizes and shipping. I'd love to create a custom made pair of shoes for your little ones!

Snuggly Snippets by Banana Mama!

These sweet little soft soled shoes were inspired by a need for leather soled shoes for my growing daughter. Mielle is quickly approaching 2 years old and I have found that I've been hesitant to spend the money on all leather shoes. I took it into my head that I could create shoes for her myself and began experimenting with fabric.

As others have seen my creations I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on them. I'm hoping by creating this blogspace to show them off, that perhaps some mamas will special order some for their toddlers (and new babies too!)I have high hopes of eventually starting a small business making shoes, which will allow me to stay home with my children while they are still little.

These shoes are made using fabrics such as denim, cordurouy or upholstery fabrics. They all have a sturdy leather sole but are much more washable than an all leather shoe. I recomend hand washing and air drying, but have put them through the washing machine and dryer with no ill effects. All of my shoes are fully lined with fabric keeping the child's foot out of contact with the leather bottoms, should you choose to use them without socks.

I have finally mananged to post photos and descriptions of most of my creations to date. I have much more fabrics and ideas to share and I hope to continue updating this site regularly. I hope you enjoy the photos and I am looking forward to reading your comments.

If you are interested in ordering a pair, please email me bananamamar@hotmail.com (or Personal Message at MDC) and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Beautiful Butterflies

Fancifully sewn in place, these butterflies flutter across the top of the foot to peep out from under the edge of a pair of pants. I found that stitching on these simple appliques, definitely dress up a pair of basic denim shoes. I used a turqouise thread to match the butterflies when finishing the top of the uppers and cuffs.



I love the way the butterlies pop out from the shoe, seeming ready to take flight at any time.



I have other colors of denim and other colors of butterflies and could work with you to design a pair to fit your needs!

Colored Denim (Basic)

Many of my shoes are designed using denim to construct the uppers and the cuffs. I'm always on the lookout for interesting colors to work with. I consider these to be a "Basic" denim pair.



Since I spent less time decorating them, they sew up more quickly and take up less time in front of the sewing machine. This pair is constructed using a rich raspberry color I just love!

I do have enough fabric to make a few more pairs out of this color and will add more colors as I find them! I do have some ribbon and iron on's that could be added to "dress them up" if you are interested.

Charlie Brown

I was inspired to call this design Charlie Brown because of the fun zig zag stitch used across the top and along the cuff. Charlie Brown is made of a rich warm brown cordurouy fabric with a darker brown contrasting stitch.



My younger sister was teasing me about making all girlie shoes, and I decided that I had better make a more masculine pair for my nephew. Unfortunately these are a bit too big for him yet, so I might just have to cut out a new pair for him in a smaller size!



The color is a little closer to the second photo but I thought the details showed up better in the first. Also as I aquire different pieces of cordurouy the color may change somewhat.

Precious Pockets

From time to time I come across a special pair of pockets, with which I can create a one of a kind shoe made using fancy pockets. The extra stitching and textural interest of pockets like these are so fun to work with!



I will be keeping an eye out for cool pockets in my search for recyclable fabrics to use for shoe making.



This particular pair is for dress up occasions only, as they are VERY white. They looked so sweet on Easter Sunday with her fancy Easter Dress!

Floral Fancies

This particular pair was designed by my older sister for her youngest daughter. I was visiting her in Georgia and we got our hands on a playful selection of upholstery fabrics. She choose two different coordinating fabrics for this pair of shoes. I lined the entire shoe with a third coordinating fabric to keep the foot out of contact with the interior leather, and to make them a little more sturdy.



It took me awhile to sit down and get them sewn up for her, but I'm thrilled with the results. I let Mielle wear them to church one day and we got a ton of compliments on them! I hope she is as happy with them as I am. (They are in the mail, Sis!)



I do have more of this fabric, but it was a fairly small piece, so the pieces feature different flowers and foliage. They are definitely one of a kind and in short supply!

Dark Blue Denim (Pockets)

This pair of shoes is made using the back pockets from a pair of blue jeans. I used a similar thread color to the orangey yellow used on the jeans originally and added some fancy stitching along the top and around the cuff. These go with nearly anything and are one of my more masculine friendly designs.



My daughter wears them regularily so don't go thinking they are too boyish! A decorative ribbon could be added to make them a little more girlie, but their simplicity is part of what make them so versatile.

Sentimental Denim

This is one of my earliest efforts, I made these using the pockets from a very old and very beloved pair of blue jeans from my teenage years. I had decorated the pockets with fabric and ribbon when I was about 14 years old. These jeans saw a lot of use and were passed on to my younger sister and eventually her best friend as well!



When I stumbled across these pockets I was inspired to use them to create a fun pair of shoes for my daughter.



While the denim and ribbon on this particular pair of shoes is very worn a similar look could be recreated using newer fabric.