Thursday, August 26, 2010

Miss Charlotte's Shoe Tutorial

Greetings readers! Today we are going to follow a lovely tutorial created by ORS member and ORS leader Charlotte. She made her own regency slippers recently, and did a bang-up-job of it, so I've decided to unapologetically plaigiarize her work over here on the ORS blog so we can share this wonderful, and entirely manageable project.

Finding appropriate flats for regency costume is always a challenge. I've been prone to using soft dance shoes, khussa shoes and flats I find commercially. Regency dance-slippers should be flat and comfortable, with some measure of softness, and it's hard to find that at a store--except perhaps a pair of ballet flats, however they take it a step further by reducing the sole to nothing, and being ultra flexible. But starting with a basic pattern, and using some really minor modifications, Charlotte shows us that it's easy to make your own customized pair of regency shoes where you can go as simple or as elaborate as you like.

She begins with a pattern:

"This is a good basic pattern to start with." Charlotte writes.
"My second alteration involved removing the tongue and squaring off the toe, to match the length of the sole."
"My first alteration involved squaring off the toe and widening it a bit. I also lenghtened the tab for the ribbon casing."
Charlotte chose to use a soft, synthetic leather; however your options are unlimited when it comes to this project. You can use extant shoes as inspiration.  Here are some links gathered by some RSA members:

Purple late regency - http://tinyurl.com/28udb7

Pink Kid Leather - http://tinyurl.com/2zx5ex

Leather - http://tinyurl.com/2gxgv6

1870-1810 Satin - http://tinyurl.com/3bsetz

Chartreuse Green Satin Half Boot 1818 - http://tinyurl.com/35rm95

Leather 1830s http://tinyurl.com/2ou3ue

Here is another collection.

On with the tutorial. ..

"Cut 2 lining and 2 facing for the sole and the top. Cut 4 lining of the tab. Use a 1/4 inch seam for all stitches."
"Right side together, sew the ends of the top of the shoe together, for each lining and facing piece."
"Right sides together, sew both tabs. Leave a space open for casing, as shown. Turn right side out."
"This particular lining was fraying pretty badly so I hand stitched the edges of the casing to keep this in check."
"Stitch a line above and below the casing to allow for a clear channel."
"On right side of lining, stitch the tab to the bottom at the back seam. Make sure the tab does not extend above the top of the lining, or it will show outside of the finished shoe."
"Right sides together, and matching the back seam, stitch around the upper edge"
"Clip the curve at throat of shoe."
"Turn lining to inside. Pin carefully so that the lining is secured to the inside and then edge stitch the upper opening to secure the lining."
"Another view of the edge stitching."
"Stitch the outer edge of the lining and facing of the upper part of the shoe."
"Add another stitch on the outside around the heel. I extended mine from about the middle of the shoe back around to the other side."
"Clip the curve of the toe."
"Trim purchased inserts to fit with a comfortable seam allowance."
"Stitch lining to facing, sandwiching the cushion between."
"Finished view of the soles stitched together."
"Right sides together, stitch sole to upper. Take care to match the toes and heels together and ease the sides to match. The heel is the tightest part to stitch, and I recommend a second seam there. I also recommend following the seam of the upper part of the shoe, to avoid showing that seam when turned right side out."
"Just a view of this as I stitch."
"Trim the toe."
"Turn right side out, check the seams and you're done!"
"A view of the ribbon in the casing."
The creator models her handiwork. Very nice!
They were so fun to make, she made two. :)
Thank you Miss Charlotte for this wonderful tutorial! Imagine what you can do? You can change your toe shape, add embellishments, long flowing ribbons, the options are limitless!  I hope this tutorial will inspire you to try for yourself.

16 comments:

Time Traveling in Costume said...

This is a wonderful tutorial. Thank you for sharing it.
Val

Robin's Egg Bleu said...

Oh, I am so glad I stumbled upon this fabulous blog! I don't do living history anymore, but this tutorial is perfect to adapt to make slippers for the historical dolls I make. Thanks so much!
Take Care,
Robin

Susan Armstrong said...

Very nice!!!
Need inexpensive leather, go to your local thrift stores. I found a nice soft black leather skirt, all skirts were $3. Salvation Army does a 1/2 appreciation day by me and I found another for $12..down to $6 which has enough for about 6 "pairs" of slippers. Colors are hard to find, but I keep looing.

Anonymous said...

If you're looking for unusual colors of leather, Tarrago (http://www.tarrago.us/tarrago-dyes) sells some very effective dyes for leather and synthetic leather.

M'lady said...

I've been inspired to try to make my own slippers.
If your talking dancing...would a 'suede' sole be appropriate?
And could it be adapted for use 'outside'? What kind of sole would be appropriate?

Charlotte said...

Lady D, I think suede would definitely be appropriate, for both dancing and outdoor. I've recently purchased some sueded leather and spoke with the seller about how I wanted to use it, and he made sure to mention that the sueded part should be for the exterior of the sole, in order to provide friction while walking. That is something that the imitation leather was lacking in... things can be quite slipery without that friction.
I hope you share pictures!
~Charlotte

Anonymous said...

Where can I find some of those cardboard (that's what they look like) inserts? Thanks!

robbyjaksan said...

We are a free specialist co-op for all the equipment and programming related issues.We are an outsider organization giving specialized help in programming, PCs, PCs, printers and so forth.
||HP Printer Support Toll Free Phone Number
||hp printer tech support phone number
||hp printer customer service number
||Samsung Printer Support Toll Free Phone Number
||samsung printer tech support phone number
||samsung printer customer service number
||Brother Printer Support Toll Free Phone Number
||brother printer tech support phone number
||brother printer customer service number
||Lexmark Printer Support Toll Free Phone Number
||lexmark printer tech support phone number
||lexmark printer customer service number
||Dell Printer Support Toll Free Phone Number
||dell printer tech support phone number
||dell printer customer service number
||Epson Printer Support Toll Free Phone Number
||epson printer tech support phone number
||epson printer customer service number
||canon Printer Support Toll Free Phone Number
||canon printer tech support phone number
||Canon printer customer service number

golden teacher mushrooms said...

For the best results, I recommend using at least 6 grams of dried golden teacher mushrooms. It's important to use a reliable vendor with high-quality products for optimal effects. Golden Teacher mushroom is an excellent medicinal mushroom. Learn more about golden teacher mushrooms. It's a complex blend of different bioactive compounds that have a wide range of effects on the human body, including immune system modulation and anti-cancer activity.

westcoastweeds said...

The west coast weed industry is starting to grow rapidly, especially in California due to the fact that cannabis has been legalized. Learn more about westcoastweeds. One of the benefits of west coast weed is that it has a relaxing effect. So if you get stressed out, smoke some weed and relax.

Admin said...

Local SEO can be very helpful because it boosts your search results for local keywords. Learn more local SEO expert in Bangladesh. Google ranks businesses based on the quality of their website, social media accounts, online reviews, and more. If your business doesn't have a good online presence, it'll be difficult to rank for local searches.

El Jefe said...

El Jefe strain is named after the Spanish term for “The Boss”. This marijuana plant is a cross between an AK-47 and Kosher Kush, which means it has a strong resistance to mold. It smells like strawberry with sweet Learn more El Jefe Strain. This strain is a great choice for PTSD, especially when you get hit with an anxiety attack. The euphoric effects help calm your nervous system and reduce stress while the energetic buzz keeps you going throughout the day.

dIGI nESI said...

Have you been searching for certified native essay writers within your budget. Students can now avail assessment help from SourceEssay Write That Essay.

Kiierr laser cap review said...

you’ll have to be consistent with your home treatments. Read Kiierr Laser Cap Reviews
According to dermatologist Dr. Anna Chacon,

YouTube To Mp3 said...

YouTubers can also make money by selling advertising space on their channels or by monetizing other content they create such as music and movies. Moreover, YouTube offers many tools that you can use to improve your video marketing campaign: ad blockers, autoplay capabilities, location targeting, and more. Read about youtube mp3 and youtube mp4 reviews.

Kemai chemical (Europe) GmbH said...

https://kemaichemgmbh.com/product/buy-acetic-acid-environmental-grade-plus/
https://kemaichemgmbh.com/product/ammonium-sulfamate-acs/
https://kemaichemgmbh.com/product/buy-nitroethane-99-buy-nitroethane-79-24-3-online/
https://kemaichemgmbh.com/product/lithium-nitride-99-4-metals-basis/
https://kemaichemgmbh.com/product/allithiamine-sterilized/
https://kemaichemgmbh.com/product/nitromethane-suppliers-online-nitroethane-for-sale/
https://kemaichemgmbh.com/product/buy-online-silver-nitrate-99-9-sale-online-for-silver-nitrate-99-9/
https://kemaichemgmbh.com/product/bromoethane/