Some of you might know that I have picked up a new, exciting direction for my crafty side. Thanks to Joyce at the Sewing Guild meeting I picked up a cute little book by Mary Wales Loomis called "Make Your Own Shoes"I love this book, in only 86 pages she makes this look so do-able!
The first step is to make a shoe last which is like a dress for for your foot. She shows you two ways to make your lasts. I didn't like either way so I decided to do it the sewers way and make "duct tape doubles" of my feet.
Now, I have never made a DTD so this is entirely new territory for me. One thing that I had to keep in mind was the heel height. The thing about shoe lasts is that you pretty much have to pick a heel height and stick with it. I may regret this later, but I chose "Fundamentals of Finance," and "Good Eats" by Alton Brown for about 3". 
One thing that I observed in my first DTD experience, if nothing is going numb you aren't doing it right.
Oh, and pee before you get started. You can get around on duct tape feet but not very well.
I tried 3 different kinds of tape and learned that if you are taping a highly contoured place like your ankles you really need to find some 1" wide tape to hug the curves. I started with the 2" tape and had to clip the curves in several places. The 1" tape which is black worked much better. It is made by "Gorilla" which makes the Gorilla Glue. This tape is much stiffer, heavier and you have to be careful with it because it will stick to everything, permanently!
With some help from my husband that I will never live down I escaped from my duct tape boots. We managed to cut a slit down the back without out leaving a perforated line on my leg. Then in order to slip them off my feet I put a piece of tape across the bottom of my foot and left a strip about 6" long for a handle off the front of my toes.
The next step is to actually make the models of your feet by pouring plaster of paris in the duct tape forms and let it dry. I will get to that later this weekend.
Then the fun starts and you actually get to start creating shoes! Stay tuned for further information...
I will be watching progress with interest and am looking forward to seeing your new shoes.
ReplyDeleteWow, what an undertaking! What do you have in mind for your first shoe?
ReplyDeleteI most definitely will be watching your progress, this looks amazing! I don't think that I would ever try to make my own shoes. How great!
ReplyDeleteUh oh. I always say that the only thing I don't make are my shoes. I cannot wait to see your progress on this! I'd love to give it a whirl.
ReplyDeletewhy don't you stuff with poly fill?
ReplyDeleteYou don't stuff with fiberfill because there will be a lot of pulling and forming of leather to the foot form, for which you need a rigid, strong structure.
ReplyDelete