Make Your Own Pair of Shoes - A Modern Take on the Ancient Viking Style

I just wanna be clear here.

I started this blog, years ago, as a creative outlet from the hum-drum of life. I do projects all the time, but posting them online sort of holds me accountable. If I didn't post things here, I would be less likely to actually do them. I really enjoy learning new things, and I enjoy posting and cataloging them here, so I'm thankful to have this medium.

This blog is a needle in a haystack. There are millions of DIY blogs out there. Isn't that great? We can all learn from skilled people who bother to share their ideas and projects. We live in a day and age where information has become so accessible that you can actually learn a new skill every time you open YouTube. Back in the olden days, you would have to apprentice for years to learn a new skill...or at least read a book.

This accessibility is good and bad.

It's good because the ability to learn is literally a click away.

It's bad because once something amazing becomes uber-accessible, people stop caring. Most people don't avail themselves to this fountain of knowledge. Instead, they just get dumber playing games, watching TV, and posting mindless things on social media.

Anyways, my point with this blog is not so much to show off or to get you to ask me to do all these projects for you (Note: I'm for hire, but it'll cost ya!). I work a regular job, albeit part-time, but I still have all the duties of a regular housewife, plus random "extra-curriculars" with my church, friends, and family. So, I actually don't have as much spare time as you may think. It's just that when I do have time, I try to use it. I try to use my time either learning a new skill or honing an old one. I do this in hopes that my brain stays creative.

A wise lady once told me, "You gotta use it, or else you will lose it."

But it's not just me. You can be creative too. That is my MAIN reason for this blog: to inspire you to try something new yourself. Some of my posts are step-by-step. Others are just informative. Others are a combination of the two. But the main purpose of this blog is to inspire you. If I do something that you like, there is literally nothing stopping you from doing the same (barring a physical handicap).

I think sometimes people think that there are creative people and that there are non-creative people. Most people I talk to consider themselves the latter. I think that is crap. If you are living and breathing and have any kind of appreciation for art or crafts or DIY or whatever, the only thing stopping you from doing them is yourself.

I think the main reason people tell themselves that they can't be creative in certain areas is because of fear. It may sound silly to say that. I mean, are people cowering in trepidation of a pair of scissors and a glue stick? No. But what I mean is fear of failure. If I can tell you anything helpful, I hope you will at least hear this: Don't be afraid of failure. 

Sometimes, I simply like to do projects to see what I can learn from them. Not all projects have to be perfect winners. In fact, I didn't post this (and I TOTALLY should have) but I actually slit my finger open on my rotary cutter while cutting pieces for my first T-Shirt quilt and had to run to the bathroom to get it to stop bleeding all over the place. On my second T-Shirt quilt, I actually sewed a big, horrible fold into the outer seam and had to take out about a foot of stitches and resew them.....and I've been sewing on a machine SINCE I WAS SIX YEARS OLD, People! So, no one is perfect, but you know what?

It's called "learning"....and no one is immune!

But the problem is that most people let their fear get the better of themselves, and then that fear turns to very real laziness. I mean, really. Why spend eight hours on a quilt when I can just run to the store and buy a blanket for $12? Who has time for all that mess? Why spend days sewing a dress when I can just get my crafty friend to do it?......But at what real cost, though? When we live like this, we (...yes, fuel the exploitative "Made in China" machine, but that is a whole other can of worms...) end up completely losing that amazing feeling of accomplishment and self-worth. 

And isn't that what made America great? ;)

Anyways, don't be afraid of failure. This project today is sort of testament to that. (What? There's an actual project to come? This isn't just a self-righteous sermon???) Sometimes, you should just try your hand at something you've never done before, simply so that you can learn about the process. Even if the end result is crap and you will never end up using or wearing it, if you bother to learn what went wrong or what could have been improved, you will be better for it. The process itself actually (1) gives you a deeper appreciation for people who do the skill for a living ("Oh...I was going to pay him only $20, but this is clearly a $100 job!") and (2) you end up getting one step closer to becoming an expert yourself.

So...thanks for listening, and I hope that you take to heart what I've said. Now, let's get into today's project and end this rant that was not unlike a current episode of Saturday Night Live: 

Really preachy and went on a liiiiittle too long.

So today, Kids, we are going to make a pair of shoes. Remember that post where I made those Kimono-style shoes? Anyways, I was searching "leather shoe pattern" on Pinterest the other day, and came across these old Viking/Nordic patterns for shoes. I don't know why I'm always so dazzled by shoe-making, but I really am. I'm still learning, and one day, I'll get it right!!! 

(But today was not that day! Oh well, read on!)

I'd never seen a pattern like that before, and I was inspired by the other-worldly look of all the branch-like pieces sticking out from the toes. It's not really my cup of tea to wear personally, but from a mathematical standpoint, the fact that they all gathered--from seeming chaos into toe-covering order--was really compelling to me.

Okay, so...I didn't take pictures of this part, but what I did first to make my own pattern was to make a "tape cast" from a pair of ballet flats. I saw a tutorial about it several years ago on YouTube where this kid covered a stiletto with cellophane and then added strips of masking tape all around until the shoe was covered. Then, he cut the tape/cellophane part off the shoe. I thought that would be a great way to make a pattern for a shoe, so that's exactly what I did...except I used black gorilla tape instead, because I didn't have masking tape.

The picture below is after I cut the tape off the shoe. You can see that there are a bunch of triangular pieces sticking out. (If you make a tape cast shoe pattern this way, you don't have to cut it off this way. You can cut it off any number of ways as long as you get the whole thing to flatten.) I did it this way because I wanted to try to make a shoe--sole and top--in all one piece of leather. I also wanted to allude to the "branch-like" tendrils of the Viking shoe above, but in a more modern pointed-shoe way.

I traced my tape cast onto some cardstock. I added a little bit of seam-age in different places, trying to anticipate the final result.

Okay, so taping it together, this shoe looks pretty cute, no?

Part of the reason it looks so good is because the cardstock has so much body to it. Because it can stand up on its own, it holds a really great shape.

So here I traced the card stock onto some leather. Then, I cut out two mirror-image pieces. (One for each foot.)

Okay, so...Tieks, right? You know how Tieks have that double sole? (Well, you do now! Just look at the picture.) Anyways, I wanted to try that.

But I stylized mine. I made the ball and the heel parts into hearts. I thought that was kinda cute. (Copyright: Jessica Jones 2017.) :) I used recycled rubber from a roll that I think is supposed to be used for car mats or something. Anyways, I glued the pieces on and then stapled them in place. I learned from my last post on shoe-making that glue alone (even the really special cement-type glue that is EXPRESSLY for shoe-making alone) peels off over time. A stapler was the closest thing I had to those little nails or the industrial rubber/leather sewing machines that are used for shoe-making. And you know what? It worked!

I cut out some plastic canvas to use as the sole stabilizer and glued that in place.

Then, I cut out some craft foam to use as the cushion. (It works really well! Very comfy.) I think you can buy this stuff at Dollar Tree. After that, I cut out a piece of leather and glued it over the cushions to cover them.

Okay, so skipping ahead, I sewed a few stitches in the heels to hold those pieces in place, and then I sewed a few stitches in the toe area to keep those pieces in place. They were supposed to have only needed one stitch in the heel and one in the toe area because all the pieces were supposed to have gathered up to those two points, but...that ended up not actually working.

Anways, here are the finished shoes.

I mean, I guess they were a success if you are into Tom's and hobo-chic shoes like that. I'm not. These shoes looked different in my head, and they are way too big, so I'm not happy with them, but...oh well! I learned stuff for sure!

Next time, I think I will try making a tape cast of a sock instead of a shoe. See, I think that my taping around the outside of an entire shoe added a lot of extra, unnecessary dimension. I've heard that some people make tape casts of their socks for this reason. If I had taped around a sock, I would have had a better, more tailored pattern of my actual foot. Or...you know what? Forget the sock, I'll just put cellophane around my foot and tape that! That way I won't ruin a sock.

Also, I think I will definitely reinforce the leather with something with more substance...either interfacing or maybe another layer of leather. I'm just trying to figure out how to make a shoe with the least amount of sewing and without having to buy a shoe form (called a "last") and nails and all that stuff.

I am really happy with the sole and the inner workings of the shoe, like the cushion and the plastic canvas, so I'll have to remember that part. Good thing I have it posted here!

So...what did I learn? Well, This whole process took five or six hours and I found that I still have a lot to learn.

I learned that maybe Tory Burch isn't so much the hack as I once thought she was...Ha! 

(Just kidding. I like Tory Burch.)

Shoe making is a definite art!

The End!

Tailoring a Pair of Over-the-Knee Boots (It's easier than it sounds!!!)

So one of the biggest trends this past fall/winter (and looks like will still continue into the spring) is OTK (Over-the-knee) boots. They look great worn with shorter dresses and they keep your legs nice and warm. . .not that we have really needed that this past winter. . .Wait. . .Was there a winter?

Anyways.

They really do look super current and they help with coverage for those of us who don't like our legs so much. However, if you have a pair, I'm wondering if you have run into this same problem: They tend to "bust a sag." See how saggy and wrinkly? Not very pretty. I thought about buying a thinner pair and donating these. . .But if you know me, you know that I don't give things up without a fight! I would try to fix them first. . . Aaaaand you can probably guess that my fix was a success, because now I'm passing the info along to you!

So, my first step was to determine from where the sag was originating. I realized that if I pinched the fabric on either side of my knees, the rest of the boot lined up fairly nicely.

If I owned a boot factory, I would have turned the boot inside out and taken the back seam in about an inch. However, due to their construction--and the fact that I don't own an industrial facility--I could only get the top 1/3 of the boots turned inside out. But. . .the seam needed to go all the way down to the ankle! 

No matter. It's not as hard of a fix as all that!

My second step was to use these stickers to denote the places I pinched. To be exact, these stickers denote the area about two inches below the knee. Why two inches below? Stay tuned. I'll explain in a bit.

I grabbed some elastic and some wide ribbon. (If you do this, the ribbon needs to be wider than the elastic.)

I pinned a piece of ribbon between each sticker on the inside of each boot. (This is from the outside.)

This is from the inside.

And a close up of the outside.

As I said before, it was impossible to get these boots turned completely inside out, but I COULD get my sewing machine into the boots far enough to sew this ribbon in place.

This looks harder than it is. What you have to remember is to sew the line on the left from top to bottom first. Cut the strings, and then sew the line to the right from top to bottom again. In other words, keep the bulk of the boot to your left at all times. You are creating two parallel lines, not a box.

Here, you can see the parallel lines from the outside. 

Then, I took my bodkin (or you could use a safety pin) and attached it to a piece of elastic and fed it through my "ribbon tube."

I pulled the elastic all the way through and held the end of it flush with the tucked-in end of the ribbon.

Then, I stitched it all in place.

Then, I pulled the elastic so that it gathered up enough to fit my legs tightly.

I cut the elastic off, folded the ribbon under, and pinned everything. Then, I stitched it all in place.

And this is what each boot looks like from the back now. It actually looks pretty good like it was done in a factory, I think!

And here is why I put the elastic two inches below the knee: Because that is where the "fat" part of my calf starts. So, essentially what I'm doing is using my "fat" to counteract gravity! As I walk, gravity wants to pull the boots down; however, now the elastic hits my calf and the boots stay up now!

Before (left) and After (right)!

The End!

Make Your Own Pair of Shoes - Criss-cross Kimono/Grunge Style

I know this is a weird post...because...who makes shoes? But, I've been watching YouTube videos and scouring Pinterest for tips and tricks, on and off for about a year now. Last Friday, I woke up and thought, "Today is the day."

I found these adorable booties on Pinterest and decided they were weird, yet sleek enough for a design to figure out. I liked that they were booties and not just shoes.

Okay, so that was a lot of pictures just now, and you get the idea on how to make baby booties really well from those pictures, but. . .adult shoes are a little more detailed.

First, I had to make a pattern. I used a pair of suede "desert boots" that I bought in Rome.

I traced the sole first.

Then, I wrapped the paper around the shoe and came up with this shape for the outer part.

This is what it looks like all wrapped up. I marked the halves of the outer pattern "Inside" and "Outside" so I wouldn't get confused about which side was which.

Then, I traced around the sole pattern, but added a little bit extra for seam allowance--about 1/4 of an inch.

Okay, skipping ahead a bit. I needed some sturdy fabric for the inner lining which is the corduroy plaid you see below. However, just leather and lining wasn't stiff enough, so I actually cut out more pieces of a stiff cream colored fabric to go between the lining and the outer parts. Also, see that orange? That is plastic canvas, and I cut out some sole parts because I didn't want my shoes to flop off my feet. You really take for granted all the construction and inner technology of the shoes you wear. 

Okay, one last comment about all these pieces. This part--cutting and patterning--took about 80% of the total time (and this project took ALL DAY), because I had to keep trimming and trimming everything down until I was happy with it. Even though I used shoes that fit me as a pattern, there were still parts of my pattern that needed tweaking, and that took FOR FLIPPING EVER!!! Now that I have a usable pattern, though, I could duplicate it fairly easily...but I would NEVER make these to sell because there is way too much tailor work involved.

Okay, so to keep everything together as much as possible, I used Elmer's spray adhesive to stick all the pieces together. It has a very temporary hold for fabrics like these, but that was okay because I just needed the pieces to keep from shifting too much as I sewed.

Here, I have sewn the heel portions of the outer pieces. You can see the fronts and the backs.

All right. Here is a step you might not think of, but it makes all the difference in the world if you want your shoes to stay on your feet. You have to make some inner heel reinforcements. I made mine out of plastic canvas. I stitched up those slits to give the pieces some roundedness for the back of the heels.

Here you can see the stitched up reinforcements sewn into the red lining

Then, I sewed the linings to the outer parts around the top seams only.

To make sure the top seams stayed flat, I hammered them. (This is the part that made me feel like a for real cobbler.) I also spray adhered the linings to the outer parts so that they wouldn't shift when I sewed them to the soles.

Then, I spray adhered the soles together. (Notice that the plastic canvas is slightly smaller than the leather and lining. This is for ease of turning right side out. If you like having your seam on the outside, you don't need to worry about making your plastic canvas smaller.)

Okay, you are not supposed to pin leather because pins poke holes and perforate the leather, which weakens it. However. . .I did, and. . .oh well. They are fine and pinning them worked quite well. So there. You can start to imagine what the shoes will look like here.

Okay, if you like the seam on the outside (same as the baby booties), then you are done at this point. I am not a fan of outer seams, though, so I turned mine right side out. You are also supposed to hand sew leather, but. . .I used my machine. I have a Husqvarna Viking and, while it's not industrial or anything, it's awesome. If you have a Brother or Singer, you are going to break your machine. Sorry.

Here is an almost finished shoe.

I am actually super proud of how symmetrical they turned out. Almost a perfect mirror image!

Okay, so if you just want to make slippers, you are done. However, I wanted actual shoes, so I traced around the bottoms of both of the shoes and cut soles out of this "anti-skid mat" I had bought off eBay. It's only 1/8 of an inch thick, but it's pretty dense rubber.

All right. So at this point, I went outside because I was using cement glue and it stinks to high heaven. I should have used a face mask, but I just wanted to finish them, so I did this step as fast as possible. Follow the directions on the cement bottle for yours. My bottle said to paint the glue onto all surfaces and then wait 15 minutes before adhering them. 

I wanted to make heels, so I did. I attached them the same way.

After I waited about 24 hours, I cut off the excess rubber soles and then added a plaid skirt pin to both of them. I might take them off some day, but I kinda like this 90s look right now, so. . .

Not bad for my first shoes ever!

The End!