Boot making Tutorial Part 1: Making a mock- up.
O.k lets talk about shoes. Sometimes in cosplay we can either buy our shoes or make them. Most of the time making is the only option since some shoe designs are very unique. And sometimes when we have a simple shoe design like a regular boot then we can buy it or for cratsmanship contest purposes make them.
White Mage Yuna for example nine times out of 10 your gonna have to make boot covers or better yet boots. Also notice the "Flat fell seams in the front.
I like making most of my accerosies since I like to recycle. Plus it saves you tons of money. This tutorial is based mostly on using what you have if it's available or going to a thirft store and buying it. O.k lets get started. First we need to make a mock up. Mock up is mainly a model of what the final product will look like and what you expect when you work on the real thing. So first lets focus on this.
First I'm gonna show 2 versions of boots you can do. The first one I'm gonna use is the soles of the shoe to make a "bootcover boot".
Supplies:
1. A pair of old tennis shoes.
2. Broadcloth or muslin
3. Stablizer or Heavywight Interfacing
4. Sewing pins
5. Sewing machine
6. Simplicity pattern #4942 ( piece number 16 bootcover)
7. Masking tape
8. Scciors
Here is a pair of old shoes I got at "Payless". I'm usings a cotton canavas sneaker.
Remove the laces.
Taking a knife or a zacto knife poke into the side of the shoe and carefull carve around the shoe. You are removing the top part of the shoe so becareful not to cut into the sole.
Now we have a sole. If you are worrid about fraying just apply some "Fray check on the edges.
Taking you pattern piece cut it out on your mock up material. In this tutorial I'm using broadcloth and a heavy weight stabilizer. I stiched the stabilizer on both pieces separately.
Pin right sides together and stich the front side only. The back and botton sides are gonna be needed to cover the boot.
Press the seams to the side and then open.
Starting at the tip of the sole fold the edges of the bootcover and cover the entire sole save for the back. Stick pins into the sole so that it will keep the cover in place. I also used masking tape to hold the cover since this is a mock - up.
Fold
pin and tape the edges.
Leave the back open since this bootcover will be bigger than your shoe.
You will have about 2 inches of of seams in the back.
I did a "Mock French seam" and then rolled the back again and pin based it.
Here is a pic of the inside of the boot.
This is a nicer pic of the boot. Next to it is another boot that I made using a whole shoe. Next tutorial I'll show you how to take an old shoe and make it into a boot instead of the soles. See you next time.
White Mage Yuna for example nine times out of 10 your gonna have to make boot covers or better yet boots. Also notice the "Flat fell seams in the front.
I like making most of my accerosies since I like to recycle. Plus it saves you tons of money. This tutorial is based mostly on using what you have if it's available or going to a thirft store and buying it. O.k lets get started. First we need to make a mock up. Mock up is mainly a model of what the final product will look like and what you expect when you work on the real thing. So first lets focus on this.
First I'm gonna show 2 versions of boots you can do. The first one I'm gonna use is the soles of the shoe to make a "bootcover boot".
Supplies:
1. A pair of old tennis shoes.
2. Broadcloth or muslin
3. Stablizer or Heavywight Interfacing
4. Sewing pins
5. Sewing machine
6. Simplicity pattern #4942 ( piece number 16 bootcover)
7. Masking tape
8. Scciors
Here is a pair of old shoes I got at "Payless". I'm usings a cotton canavas sneaker.
Remove the laces.
Taking a knife or a zacto knife poke into the side of the shoe and carefull carve around the shoe. You are removing the top part of the shoe so becareful not to cut into the sole.
Now we have a sole. If you are worrid about fraying just apply some "Fray check on the edges.
Taking you pattern piece cut it out on your mock up material. In this tutorial I'm using broadcloth and a heavy weight stabilizer. I stiched the stabilizer on both pieces separately.
Pin right sides together and stich the front side only. The back and botton sides are gonna be needed to cover the boot.
Press the seams to the side and then open.
Starting at the tip of the sole fold the edges of the bootcover and cover the entire sole save for the back. Stick pins into the sole so that it will keep the cover in place. I also used masking tape to hold the cover since this is a mock - up.
Fold
pin and tape the edges.
Leave the back open since this bootcover will be bigger than your shoe.
You will have about 2 inches of of seams in the back.
I did a "Mock French seam" and then rolled the back again and pin based it.
Here is a pic of the inside of the boot.
This is a nicer pic of the boot. Next to it is another boot that I made using a whole shoe. Next tutorial I'll show you how to take an old shoe and make it into a boot instead of the soles. See you next time.