Finally, my first real pair of fabric covered leather shoes. Although there is a great deal of both pictorial and extant evidence for fabric-covered shoes, I have never had the chance to examine such a pair up close. The most time-intensive part of this was certainly the embroidery, which the shoemaker would normally have handed off to someone else prior to making up the shoes.
I hosted a workshop for six of folks to make some shoes, and I should say that it was an unqualified success! Everyone came out with some really wonderful pieces, and I would have been pleased to wear any of them. Unfortunately, I did not manage to get finished pictures (which I really need to be better at doing!), but here is a set of six pairs in progress like a little chorus line.
The key thing about hosting a workshop, indeed, whenever you are using up valuable material like leather, is being as efficient as possible. Continue reading November Shoemaking Workshop→
A really snappy pair of 1600s heels with a stacked leather sole. We’ve incorporated a thistle design into the upper, and the the edges have been bound with white, which makes a stunning statement when peeking out from under a dress or while dancing. The leather stacked heel was well in vogue towards the end of the 16th century, as was the leather-covered timber heel.
I was delighted to get this commission to make a pair of strapped black-on-black shoes with a heel lift and stiffener. Black on black makes for such a clean finish to the opening, subdued, but certainly noticeable. I strongly recommend binding for all, not just because it helps reinforce the opening, but because of the way it finishes the shoe.
