This was actually a pair I had made a while back, but completely forgot about! Standard construction with straps and decoration, but this pair was actually made flat. I may end up adding a heel lift if the lucky person to get them wishes so.

Another fun pair, and my apologies for the poor picture quality. These were a bit of an experiment, though you can’t really tell from the fuzzy pic. In this case, I overlapped the vamp on top of the quarters and stitched through the quarters with a tunnel stitch so that the stitching does not show. You can still see a bit of tugging, but I like the look of the overlapped quarters. Additionally, I cut the insole about 1/8″ smaller than the last all the way around in an attempt to draw the welt underneath the shoe a bit more. It worked to a certain extent, but I think I’ll need to go at least to 1/4″ before I see some real undercutting of the welt.

I’ve been pondering this particular project in my brain for some time, and I finally got around to sourcing the right raw materials. This is a pair based off of the painting of Elizabeth I currently located in Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, dated to around 1599. Let me give you the original as well as the finished product and then tell you a little bit about the construction.

The most difficult thing about this pair, believe it or not, was actually finding the proper decorative elements.
Continue reading 1590s Shoes – Elizabeth I from Hardwick Hall →

A new pair of 14th century buckle shoes with a punchwork design of discs and diamonds. These are turn-welted with a pasted-in wool sock. A whipped-in stiffener and brass buckle complete the piece. Looking back, I think that these shoes would look better with a more pointed toe, but perhaps that is the medievalist in me jumping out =) In truth, there is evidence for a variety of shoe types in the 14th century, both round and pointed, but I must admit some partiality to the gothic points.