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SHOEMAKING FOR CLOTH
DOLLS First, you must go the extra mile and make a shoe last. This is a rigid form on which to build your doll's shoes. Cloth feet are soft and that makes them less than ideal for serving as the form for your shoes. Also, the shoe last will have the exact form of the finished shoe. That is, it will have a pointed toe if the shoe is to have a pointed toe. It will have a flat sole. It will have a nice rounded heel. Even if your doll's feet are not as nice as you would like them to be, you can make shoes that will disguise that fact, if you start with a shapely pair of shoe lasts. Start with some plastic clay, e.g.. Fimo, Sculpey or Cernit. Knead it to soften it, and shape a matched pair of feet for your doll. Take measurements to make sure they are the same length, width, and circumference. Shape the lasts all the way up past the ankles. (For boots, go up as far as the boots will go, then add a little more.) Now bake this on a tray in a toaster oven that you do NOT use for food. Make a foil tent to protect the clay from the top elements in the toaster oven. When cool, compare the clay lasts to the doll's feet. Use a sharp craft knife to carve away any bumps, and add fresh clay to fill in any recesses. Rebake if necessary.
Now, use a second color of clay (This so is so you can easily remove the additions to use the basic last to make another shape of shoe later on.) to make these additions to your lasts: Add some length to the toe and shape it round, square or pointed. Add clay to the bottom sides to make a flat sole. Add clay to the heel to make a nice gradual curve. (Look at your own shoes to get the general shape.)
Now bake to cure the fresh clay. When cool, use fine sandpaper to smooth the surfaces and to refine the shape. Compare the right foot to the left foot to make sure they are close in shape and size. Make changes until you are satisfied. Don't be too exacting, though, as it is very difficult to make perfect mirror images, and no-one (including you) will notice if they are just a little bit off. Use ordinary paper and a pencil to outline the soles and make a pattern.
Cut just inside the pencil line and fit the paper soles onto the lasts. Trim away the excess until the paper sole fits exactly to the sole of the last. Now cut several of these for each foot. Keep them handy. You will need them later. Use a glue stick to gently tack one pair of soles to the lasts. You will build the shoes onto this piece of paper. Cut another piece of paper in the shape of a half circle for the heel reinforcement.
Cut another in the shape which conforms to the shape of the toe (round, square or pointed).
Try these pieces onto the last, and make corrections until they are the right size and shape to cover the area and extend under the sole for at least 1/8 inch. (more if your doll is larger than Barbie.) Then cut several sets out of paper and keep them handy for use later on. Clip around the curves and corners to reduce the bulk on the underside of the shoe. Now make a pattern for your shoe's upper. Start with a large rectangle cut on the bias and cut a slit down the center, lengthwise from the back, going about 3/4 of the way through. Place this on the last and pin it together in the back.
Use pins to secure the fabric to the paper sole. Draw the shape you want around the top with a disappearing marker. This line defines the vamp of the shoe. Also draw a line around the bottom to show where the upper meets the sole and where the two sides meet in the back. Now remove the pins and lay the fabric out flat. Leaving an allowance of 1/4 inch all around, cut out the shape that you have made. This is now the pattern for your shoes. Use one pattern for both shoes. Simply flip it over for the second shoe. Cut out two shoes in cloth (on the bias) or leather, plus two linings (on the straight grain) from a thin, stiff cloth, such as organdy. With right sides together, sew the linings to the uppers along the top of the vamp.
Trim the excess, clip the curves, and open the seam. With right sides together, sew the back seam. Trim the excess and clip the curve.
Fit the shoe upper onto the last. Line up the back seam of the shoe uppers with the center back of the shoe lasts. Use a piece of masking tape or pins to hold it in place. Use additional pieces of tape to position the shoe upper correctly on the shoe last. Make sure at this point that both shoes are positioned the same, then raise the outer shoe fabric out of the way again. Using a paintbrush to apply white glue to the paper sole, glue the lining to the sole, clipping all curves and corners to reduce bulk and make a smooth line all around the shoe.
When this glue is dry (you can speed it up with the aid of a blow dryer), you are ready to add the toe and heel reinforcements. Using a thin coat of white glue, glue the toe and heel reinforcements in place. Remember to use a thin coat here (so it won't soak through the lining and glue the whole shoe to the shoe last). Now you are ready to glue the cloth or leather upper. If using cloth, you should avoid glue except on the sole of the shoe. If using leather, you can apply glue to the toe and heel reinforcements before laying the leather upper down to glue it to the sole. As always, clip all corners and curves, and smooth out the fabric as much as possible for a really professional look. At this point it is a good idea to roll the edge of the shoe against a clean hard surface to help smooth out any wrinkles. You can also do this against a hot iron (for cloth only) to get it really smooth. Make heels out of polymer clay, carving and sanding them to get the shape you want. Then paint them with acrylics or cover them with fabric which is cut on the bias. Trim away excess fabric and make sure to smooth everything out for a really good look. Glue heel in place on the shoe. Then, using one of the paper soles as a starting point, draw a new pattern which will go on the outside of the sole, and run down the inside of the heel. Make the outer sole out of a leather glove or thicker paper.
Glue this in place and then add one more little piece of leather to the bottom of the heel. Make sure the glue has ample time to dry. It will take some time to dry between the heel and the sole. Don't rush it! Now remove the shoes from the lasts, by pulling down on the heel. You may need to insert a pallet knife or some flexible piece of plastic to separate the paper inner sole from the shoe last. If the inner sole tears
or the glue is visible on it, you can always cut another
pair out of fabric and glue them inside. This gives the shoe
a nice realistic look, so you will be proud to remove them
and show them off. |
