Accessories The Shoemakers' Circle

I’m ready to learn!

 

Well, I have made several pairs of shoes for my big boys. What I have found is that I prefer leather as a material. Because I sew all of the important parts of my shoes, the material needs to be strong enough. And artificial leather or whatever you call it just doesn't do it IMO.

I got the best results by doing a lot of research beforehand and then basically copying the real thing as far as possible. Most of the shoes I made were done without lasts. But for my latest project, a pair of western boots, lasts were unavoidable. You can mostly see how these were done here: /threads/a-really-really-cool-outfit-for-raphael.763184/

Otherwise, I made Loki's and Thor's boots, as well as those of Hawkeye and Captain America. For Tony Stark's everyday work outfit, I painstakingly created a pair of workboots.

For others, I already made a pair of gladiator-Elvish sandals, a pair of combat boots, pirate boots and others.

All of my shoes are based on this tutorial:
/tutorials/advanced-shoemaking.87/

With that technique and the right cut, you can make basically every type of flat shoe.

 

I highly recommend to look at stripedbox's works. She makes shoes for 1:6 action dolls and posts a lot of work in progress.
I've just started to make shoes, my friend gives me advices on it. We make shoetrees by hand, but the idea to make printed 3D ones seems to me very reasonable: that will make the whole work very precise.

 

This is a great idea for a thread!

I'm glad someone else mentioning 3D printing lasts. I was considering that idea as well.

I don't have the dolls I want to make shoes for yet, but I'll be receiving some EID feet in a week or two, and I will practice with those (the resulting shoes should fit at least one of the bodies I'm waiting for).

My local library will print small 3D items and I'm going to try making some lasts for the EID feet (with a bit of ankle, too, if possible, so I can make boots). I think I could also print soles with heels attached, since one of the main concerns to me with shoes is that the heels can handle the weight of the doll. The 3D examples they showed me seemed pretty sturdy, at least compared to other sole materials, such as cork, clay, etc.

 

3D-printed lasts are a fantastic idea. The ones for the western boots are made of Apoxie (I made a cast of the feet and sculpted the shape around these). But of course this takes a lot of time. I would love to try lasts made of that wood filament, as in real lasts, nails have to hold the leather. I wonder whether that wood stuff is strong enough for that.

 

Awesome thread!

I like to make mainly Medieval type shoes, called Turnshoes. You sew them inside out like a garment and turn them right side out. I love to do miniature work of all kinds with super fine genuine leathers.

I do use lots of leatherworking techniques for my stuff, as well as a lot of Medieval historic research by others- "on the shoulders of giants" et cetera. I am involved in historic reenactment and I love to recreate historic looks, either for myself and my friends, or for my dolls.
I've made lasts with plaster and tape coated in beeswax, as well as taking rough silicone putty molds of doll feet and then molding the last from polymer clay.

 

I've made a bunch of shoes, but they're pretty basic. I'll try my hand at fantasy footwear some time this year (hopefully) so if I happen to stumble across something that works, I'll share it here.



I make patterns using the saran wrap / masking tape method. From there on I go with fabric (the pictured ones are cotton, I've also used faux suede as all real leather I had on hand was too thick), reinforced with fusible interfacing, and sewn up according to the pattern, sometimes with decorative topstitching.
For soles I usually go with craft foam; the sides never look neat, so I glue lengths of satin ribbon around them. I also use satin ribbon for shoelaces, and tiny grommets meant for scrapbooking.

 

There are 2 workbooks by Lyn Alexander: "Make Doll Shoes!" Workbook I and II from Hobby House Press. The first book deals with sewing on a sewing machine and the second workbook deals with leather. These workbooks have been reprinted at least 10 times, so this is a popular resource. The patterns are for antique doll shoes which could be modified for other feet and the generous line drawings shows technique. There's a bibliography in the back for further resources.

Disclosure: I tend to buy bjd shoes, but I knit slippers for when my bjds want to relax. I used 3 free human slipper patterns from Ravelry, used 10 stitches/inch and they all came out great! I hope to post a photo soon in a knitting section.

 

Fortunately, my Vikings can wear felt boots like these which are fairly easy to hand sew. I used the pattern from70__cossack_boots_pattern_by_scargeear-d53fl6r.jpg

 

I’m wanting to make leather shoes for my MSD . I’m looking at maybe a mideval turn shoe like @Rosslyn or a shoe based on a pair of real shoes I bought at a ren fair. I found this tutorial earth and living: iron age shoes: a tutorial, sort of

But I’m a little worried that at this scale the tiny leather pieces would be too thin to hold up well.

 

I am so happy to see this thread!
For starters this is a very good book
https://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Making-Shoes-Tarja-Simpanen-ebook

I have a 3d printer but have not figured how to make a 3d drawing to feed the printer. I am working on it.

I have a way to make shoes using a baking board made of a sheet of polyclay. A cut layer of clay is laid on my baking board so the clay retains the high heel shape. The baking board has a sole outline (white paper) to follow when laying the clay down on the baking board so I get the fold, heel and toe point exactly where I want it.
Here is a pic that shows the baking boards. You can see the shoe last follows the curve of the baking board. The dolls's shoes shown in the pic are made from the baking board so you can see they fit the doll's actual feet.
making polyclay doll shoes by Linda, on Flickr

The big problem is getting the right and left shoe soles symmetrical and same size. The 3d printer solves this problem perfectly but my method of using polyclay goes a long way to solve the symmetry problem in a low tech way using cheap materials. The baking board was a little tricky to make but I have something that works for me. I will use the yellow shoe base to make a finished shoe and show you later how it turns out.

Also this YouTube is fantastic!
Walkercolours

 

You'd be amazed how well good leather holds up in miniature, even for intricate stuff. The trick is to work with it enough to get the feel for how much tension each thickness can take and how much stretch and give it will have so you don't rip through any punched holes. Kid or goatskin is good but I have also done stuff with pigskin. Calf suede is rarely split thin enough and it isn't as strong when it is, and that's all you can get at most craft stores, so I advise finding some ruined purses at thrift shops and cutting them up to get thin leather cheaply, although they might be kind of dry and need some conditioning. I buy things like thin goat or kid leathers at a local leather shop or online.

 

I've made a few shoes with Walkercolors as my inspiration! None of them very good mind you, but that's beside the point. I have been trying to figure out how to make lasts with little success... I tried making a mold of a foot with silicone putty and casting plaster into it but it wasn't really working out.

Cap O' Rushes on Instagram: “Another attempt at shoes!”
These are the pair that have turned out the best so far... They ended up too large somehow though. My mature 1/6s have odd sized feet so I'm keen to keep trying.

 

That’s exactly what I want to do @Rosslyn ! I look apart an old fashion corset, it’s leather and has red leather flames....I think it was made for biker babes but it’s a very thin leather. I haven’t got up the nerve to tear open my antique leather gloves yet...

 

I made a shoe last from the doll's feet using aluminum foil and tape. I smoothed the foil over the foot while it was on a shoe platform. I filled the mold with plaster of paris and waited to let it harden. The plaster of paris does not stick to the foil so it was easy to demold the casting I have to trim down the base of the last to fit my shoe base platform but I think it will work. I have a line to follow at the base so I can shave off with a knife to conform to the shoe base.
Doll shoe last made from plaster of paris by Linda, on Flickr

I just shaved down the plaster of paris shoe last to fit my shoe platform baking board.
Here it is ready to try.

 

I'm going to watch and contribute. I've made court slippers, medieval shoes and boots. I'm always interested in learning new ways of doing things.

 

This is my best shoe resource for Medieval and Iron Age shoes. Marc Carlson's Footwear of the Middle Ages. There's a lot to help you understand shoe construction and pattern evolutions in European shoes, but obviously some of the leatherwork tips you'd have to do at small scale or ditch entirely as we're not making human sized shoes here.

 

I have two patterns to use for my new shoe lasts. I fit the plaster lasts inside some shoes that fit Amanda well and like the fit. The lasts are a good size even after I coated them with PVA White glue.

I think I will add a tongue to the toe part of the pumps and combine the two patterns to make lace up boots

Doll shoe paper pattern mock up by Linda, on Flickr

 

This is super cool! I have never tried to make high heeled shoes.

 

@Rosslyn, Thanks! I am really wanting to figure this out. It is a real struggle for me but I think I am making progress finally! haha Now I am going to mix up some corn starch and silicone caulk to make a push mold for the heels. I have been forming them by hand but want symmetry for this new set of much more accurate shoe lasts. The lasts I made before were carved "by guess and by gosh" and were lacking in accuracy. The slope of the heel and the carve out of the arch on Amanda's feet makes them complicated to copy for a last plus Amanda has a big toe that goes up and little toes going down so it's hard to find the ball of the foot balance point to get the angle of the slope.

I marvel at her sculpt, so beautiful.

 

Really nice work, @tinyseams! I'm enjoying your progress!

Edited to add: I would love to see your heeled boots. Heeled "Victorian" boots are like my favorite thing in doll shoes (aside from elegant heels).

 

@StellaMarigold Victorian boots! Yes! I saw a Walkercolours video where she shaped the heel of a Victorian boot with a little curve at the base. I gotta do that! I am going to make a push mold for polyclay heels today. I will sculpt one heel and then cast another so they match then make a master push mold for two matching heels so I can make them again. The heels are always the trickiest part to get right. I usually loose patience and wing it with the heels. Haha Making shoes is starting to be fun while I get some confidence with incremental success. Two matching shoes! What a concept! lol

 

I watched that video, too! I love the little curve!

You are brave working with casting - I'm kind of scared to deal with raw resin because I don't really have anywhere safe to work with the toxicity (inside = sensitive people, outside = inquisitive cats). But I'm going to try to figure out a way to make precise heels with another substance.

Keep up the great work!

 

@StellaMarigold No poured resin for me, I have the same fear as you.
I am using polyclay like Fimo. The heel cast is made so I can push the polyclay into the mold, bake and have identical heels. The push mold is flexible so I can push the heels out after they are baked. I bake the soles out of polyclay also so I have the correct slope and fold all lined up to attach my assembled uppers.

 

@tinyseams how do you make the pushmold? It sounds like a great idea for heels

 

There's lots of ways to make molds, but I had made simple molds of doll feet by using a two part putty like this one from Amazon. It's food grade FDA compliant and easy andd safe to work with. You just mix equal parts and then smoosh it around whatever you want to mold, then let it set up. Once it is set, you can push softened polymer clay into the mold, then bake, mold and all. That's called a push mold.

You can use a silicone mixture to make a more complete mold of a (wrapped with protective clingwrap?) foot or both feet, and then pour plaster of paris into that, let it set, and remove your molded foot shapes.

This used to be a great tutorial for Puki shoes that showed last-making by molds.
"I use a moldmaking powder sold at most craft stores called 3-D Gel to take a mold of the feet. Then I cast the mold in plaster and use Paperclay to add to the plaster foot to make it the shape that I want. Once the last is dry, I dip it in wax to prevent glue from sticking to it." says @genie stallings . The Pictures have fallen to the Photobucket Debacle, but you can read the descriptions...? I've PMed genie stallings to ask them to fix the images but I don't know if they are actively around or not.

 

@skyealloway Rosslyn covered the push mold. Thank you @Rosslyn!

I am going to make my own push mold material from silicon caulk and cornstarch mixed together. Hopefully that will work so I can bake the polymer clay inside the mold. The silicon stays soft even after heating so the hardened clay can be pushed out of the mold after it is baked

So I am trying to make a plaster of Paris last for Dollshe David's feet. I left his socks on so I get the ease I need to put the shoes on. Plus I have to cut the taped mold casting down the back of his leg, so the socks protect him also while I am cutting.

Plaster of Paris doll shoe last by Linda, on Flickr

Hooray! It fits! The plaster last fits! I am going to smooth the last down and coat it with PVA white glue to seal after waiting a day or so to dry.
Dollshe David doll shoes foot last by Linda, on Flickr

 

Cool @tinyseams! It's great when things work out!

Edit: These are the little shoes I made for my Minfee elf. They fit really well when you make them yourself.
minifee elf shoes by SteamWitch, on Flickr

 

Expert shoemakers, I have a question. Has anyone ever attempted trainers for dolls? One of my guys needs those ...

And a side thought, for making molds for lasts, liquid latex is also an option. Not for push molds though, but it works great with plaster of paris.

 

You are right! I did not have any liquid latex to copy the doll's leg (wish I did) but the foil is quick and easy and seems to work well enough. Walkercolours uses foil and paper mache that is where I got my idea to try tape instead of paper mache.

This is a really nice video for making sneakers


Here is another video for making low top sneakers. Wonderful detail!

 

I tried a pair of simple, white sneakers. These were also a premiere, as they are MSD-sized:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2JdK9b0V5zwjeJNm2

 

Ok, so that got lost in translation. What I meant was shoes you wear for sports Something more like this or this.

But thanks for the vids, they have great tips!

@Ipledreamer yes, something like that! They look like leather ... ? Are they lined in any way?

 

@Jany Glad you liked the vids. I keep watching and learning things I missed for watching first time. You make a shoe and stumble then notice how someone else solved the problem. So many different materials and methods to make shoes.

I have a taped pattern to try making court shoes for Dollshe David. I am thinking white linen with a big buckle on top for the cross pieces.
Court Latchet shoe pattern doll shoe by Linda, on Flickr

 

Looking good!

The trainers aren't urgent. I've experimented a bit today, but nothing share-worthy just yet ... and there's something else I've been procrastinating on but need to tackle soonish because I sort of want to take him along for a meet this Saturday - Kori needs his dwarf boots. So I guess I had better buckle down and get something done concerning that. Maybe if I remember I'll take progress pics. I'm planning something heavy-looking with "metal" caps like Thorin & Co wear, and I'm thinking real leather for those, probably heat/wax shaped and hardened. First step: Try and make lasts (and find out how well the liquid latex really works).

 

@Jany: no, they are not lined, as they are white leather. I still have to work on that. And I have to improve on the soles. These shoes are not yet to my usual standards.

 

I'm really enjoying the stuff in this thread!

A while back, before I actually had any big BJDs around (during the long wait for Saint, haha), I had a bit of a shoe-making bug, but the whim had passed by the time they arrived. I'd love to try picking it up again. I do have some bookmarks from then though, which might be of interest:
Сапожки для куклы. МК
I thought this one was really fabulous. The pictures are very clear and I liked the step of using glue to stiffen the toes on the cotton fabric.

OSW: One Sixth Warriors
Some amazing shoes for 1/6 figures. I'm really amazed by these great 1/6 shoes. If they can do it at that size, shoes for 1/4 and bigger BJDs should be easy, right? =p I'm especially fond of the boots with the heels; I'm curious about how to make curved soles like the for flat-footed dolls.

OSW: One Sixth Warriors
The tutorial mentioned in the previous thread, also incredible.

 

Here are some soles I am baking with the heel attached. I cut sole shapes from thin cardboard and laminated two together with white glue. Then I curved the sole to match the dolls foot and let dry secured with rubber bands. Then I flattened Fimo and cut sole shapes from clay and also the heel shapes. Fitted the clay to the preformed cardboard soles and baked. I flipped the sole so it is in wearing position and pushed on the clay to make the heel ramp so the shoe sits flat (hopefully) when wearing.

doll shoes soles made from Fimo by Linda, on Flickr


@Glace Leau Those are some great sites! I love those flowered boots! I think I need to find some tiny print fabric in my stash. I am going to make granny boots for Amanda. I have the heel prototype made and will give a go at copying the heel today. Then on to making uppers from some tiny print calico! I am so excited to make them! That Russian site made me even more motivated to finish some flowered boots.

 

The heel and soles are baked and he stands easily on them. I have the pattern made for court shoes. Now to cut and sew the uppers together them glue to the inner sole, then mate the upper to the already baked and shaped sole. I am going to use a drapy fabric ribbon for side ties and a buckle over the tongue to hold them together.

Dollshe David and Amanda making doll shoes by Linda, on Flickr

 

So I am getting ready to try my first attempt making DIY silicone putty mold material using silicone caulk and corn starch. My Victorian heel has under cuts and I am thinking I need a two part mold. Here is a video that shows how to use putty to make a two part mold. Pretty cool! I am going to make my high heel cast using this method.

 

First try shaping leather around a last

 

I had no idea this thread existed! It's so awesome seeing everyone's shoes
I only just made my first pair, and I learned a lot from the experience. They're supposed to be Victorian button boots (though lacking buttons )!

To be honest I just kind of winged it once I found a pattern online for human sized ones. Since I couldn't figure out how to make a last with the materials I had, I just kind of wrapped my girl's foot in saran wrap and then sculpted the toe out more into the shape I was looking for. Then I was careful to glue the pieces of the uppers to just the faux-toe and the bottom of the sole (which I made from cardstock--not the best idea) and then finally I glued on the outer sole and heel. The outer sole is leather, and I sculpted the heel from polymer clay!
Next time I really want to make the shoes out of real leather. It would look so much better but the leather I had bought for the project was too thick to look good.

 

Found this brilliant video on YT for making doll shoe trainers



@RoseEtoile Very nice boots! It is so much fun to have your own handmade doll shoes. They are terribly addicting to make. Leather is easier to use. Real glove leather is the best if you can find it, especially if it is used and nice and pliable. I have found that very thin ultra suede is very nice to work with also.

@Jany Great start! Hope to see them finished. I saw a photo showing a sixth scale doll shoe last mounted on a wood board and the leather pinned down close around the edges of the last to shape the toe. I think they wet the leather first then stretched to shape. That seemed to work very well.

 

Yes, the pinning is what I thought of ... only I had nothing to pin it to, so I settled for stretching it around the toe and wrapping it very tightly to keep it in place One could also use thread to pull the edges together underneath the foot / last, but this is old sofa leather and I found out the hard way that it tears.
I'll try and get the boots done tonight (or maybe tomorrow), as I'm taking Kori to a meetup on Saturday and I don't want him to go barefoot. So no matter how well / bad this turns out, you'll get to see some kind of result.

 

I'm REALLY excited about the video for trainers--I can't wait to try it! I need to make a last first, I think but after that all bets are off!

 

@Jany Nothing like a deadline to set you straight! haha I need a deadline to finish my shoes. I have to make the mold for Amanda's heels (dreading it might not work, courage I need courage). I could get David's court shoes done today. OK, I am going to work on them right now.

 

@Idoru Ahh! I can't wait to see your trainers! I want those for my doll too! Can you believe Walkercolours just posted that vid? What a coincidence! So amazing, Walkercolours shoes!

 

@tinyseams truer words ... ! And here we go I guess they're okay for a project with so many firsts (leather only, shaping said leather, using lasts ...) but there's definitely room for improvement. (Symmetry, for instance. I've heard a rumour about this new trend called "symmetry" ... must try that some time.)



Shaping the leather worked surprisingly well though, guess I'll be making more lasts and more leather shoes

 

@Jany !!!!Look at you making beautiful doll boots! They turned out really nice! I have to try shaping leather over a last! Wow! The toes look so smooth and professional. Great work!

haha Symmetry, I am trying so hard today to make matching high heels. I tried the silicon and corn starch mold and it sort of works. The whole mold making thing is a real challenge and a mess. My gloves were too big and I had glops of silicon all over the place. lol I have two heels made (I baked the Fimo inside the mold) but they have a pitted surface so I'll have to paint them to fill in the gaps. I have learned a little along the way for my next try.

I made buckles for my Dollshe Davids's court shoes from chain and thin wire. And I found some trim that I think will look nice for the ties. I'll sew the uppers and try to get them finished tonight and let you see how they turned out.

 

Court shoes for Dollshe David. I stuffed the toe because the fabric is soft but I used too much stuffing and used the stuffing as the form while shaping the toe. It was hard to control because I did not have a hard surface to pull against. Next time I'll form the upper over the shoe last (duh!) and then stuff the toe. I was thinking of starting over making the uppers but I'll just keep the moving on. Here they are.
The buckles are made from necklace chain. I ran a thin wire through each chain link and tied into a circle and made a cross buckle with the wire to finish.
Dollshe David and Amanda by Linda, on Flickr

 

THANK YOU This is a great tutorial and some great links!

 

I've been bitten hard by the last-making bug. ^^° Got two more pairs in the works now ... we'll see how they turn out. But if making Kori's boots has taught me anything, it's "lasts save nerves".

 

I haven't gotten up to many dolly shenanigans lately myself, but I want to toss this into the thread:
"Arabian" pointy Shoe tutorial.
I've seen one of my local doll friends make some amazing shoes with this. It's sized for ChicLine from Fairyland but you could do it for any size. You could make various slippers by just leaving off the toe curl.

Is anyone interested in cataloguing a Links List of good Shoes-related tutorials?

 

This is the one I used for my minifee elf shoes. It's a great pattern and tutorial.

 

3D printed lasts are a brilliant idea, and I am sure there would be a market for them. I am uneasy about making moulds from my dolls (must get over that!), and would love to be able to get on with making shoes for dolls while they are still on order.

 

I would so be in for 3D-printed lasts! It's easy enough to get a last mold off a doll's foot, but that's not the shape of the final shoe ... and I for one can't for the life of me get both sides to look the same when adding "dimension".

Right now I'm fighting working on a pair of Mori style boots ... frayed undyed canvas, probably with some lace decoration (later).

 

This court shoes tutorial has a good point of sewing the tongue to a toe cap sized piece of lining material and sewing that assembly to the shoe upper while gathering to fit the sole.
/threads/tutorial-how-to-make-a-pair-of-doll-court-shoes.436392/
Unfortunately the picture links are broken.
I am going to try making another pair of court shoes using this method. They mention the toe cap lining piece stiffens the toe area. I'll take pics to show the inner workings while I make my shoes to show how this works. This time I will use my shoe last to shape the toe.

@Rosslyn Thanks for the Arabian shoes tutorial. The written instructions are very good! I really wish the pics showed but really helpful anyway.

 

I used the wrong interfacing for the toe parts so it wouldn't stretch over the lasts the way I wanted it to (and I ended up with folds again, grrr!), and they're not really as boot-like as I'd like, but somewhat on the right track ... those 3D-printed lasts. I want 'em.



Also some stuff I may or may not use for decoration. The soles will get another layer (I'm using craft foam) to hopefully end up with a more boot-y look. So far they look sneakery, which isn't terribly bad but not what I was aiming for.
I took the liberty of reinforcing the back with glue, too. I like that trick a lot.