Simply Shoes - Topic Overview and Resources

Hi Everyone! Let's talk about shoes!  Not just any shoes, but those tiny intricate adorable doll scale shoes! As with most things at this scale, there are challenges to overcome to master the art of making doll shoes. However, I do feel confident that with a bit of practice this will be easy to accomplish. We will use the Liberty Jane shoe patterns for the demos throughout this course, as well as a few other tips, suggestions, and demos from some of the other shoe designers featured on Pixie Faire. The basic shoe construction is the same for most patterns. We will focus on those elements and by the end of this course, you should have the confidence to any type of shoe pattern that you'd like! So let's dive into this topic and learn the art of making doll shoes.  I promise this will be a fun month!

In the videos posted below, I share with you an overview of the month-long topic and then a hands-on tutorial for using iron on and hand applied pre-made embroidered designs. I hope this will encourage and inspire you to try something new!

Pattern Overview:

• Liberty Jane JANES Shoes - 18" Dolls (Shape 1 sole)
• Liberty Jane JANES Shoes - 13-14.5" Dolls (Shape 2 Sole)
• Liberty Jane JANES Shoes - Journey Girls Dolls (no pre-cut sole)
• Liberty Jane JANES Shoes - Maplelea/Karito Kids Dolls(no pre-cut sole)
• Liberty Jane No Sew JANES Shoes - 18" Dolls (Shape 1 sole)
• Liberty Jane No Sew JANES Shoes - 14.5" WW Dolls (Shape 3 sole)
• Liberty Jane No Sew JANES Shoes - 13-14.5" Dolls (Shape 2 sole)
• Liberty Jane No Sew JANES Shoes - Journey Girls Dolls (no pre-cut sole)
• Liberty Jane Open Toe JANES Shoes - 18" Dolls (Shape 1 sole)
• Liberty Jane Open Toe JANES Shoes - 14.5" WW Dolls (Shape 3 sole)

Resource and Supply list:

• Pre-cut Shoe Soles (all sizes)
• 2mm Foam Sheets - Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnns, Amazon
• 6mm Foam Sheets - Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnns, Amazon
• Cork Sheets - Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnns, Amazon
• 1/4" wide Steam a Seam - Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnns, Amazon
• Heat n' Bond - Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnns, Amazon
• Cotton Fabrics - These are the easiest types of fabrics to find! Places like Jo Anns, Hobby Lobby, even Wal-mart usually have a variety of quilting cotton or fat quarters available. Check out online stores for packaged sets from brands like Moda Fabrics too!
• Middy Braid Trim - Amazon
• Braided Natural Trim - Amazon
• 1/4" ribbon
• 1/4" elastic
• CordingAmazon
• Narrow Lacing
• EyeletsAmazon
• 1/4" Buckles - crscraft.com online doll supply store
• 2" Cluny TrimAmazon
• 2" Embroidered TrimSimplicity.com
• Marine VinylFabric.com
• Sparkle VinylFabric.com
• Pellon Fusible Interfacing
• Hot Glue GunAmazon

YouTube Tutorial Videos - The first one I made for the No-Sew Janes shoe pattern, it is demonstrated on the 18" size shoe but the instructions are the same for any of the pattern sizes. 

The second one is made by Chris Saunders of Love U Bunches for the Plain Jane Shoe pattern. This is not an LJ brand pattern, but it's one of our best sellers at Pixie Faire. I thought this would be a great resource to many of you if you haven't seen this video yet!

Other Fun Shoe Resources:

• Print out these cute shoe size shopping bags. If you're  tech savvy you could edit the image to say a different shop name or logo ;) if you don't want an LJ branded bag.

• Looking for a shoebox pattern/tutorial? You can find one included with the Genniewren Braided Sandals Pattern.

Week One task:

• Watch the videos :) Then it's time to go look through what items you. might already have on hand, and them, of course, go shop for some new supplies! Look through the patterns and choose one to start with, then familiarize your self with the instructions to prepare for making the shoes. Watch the videos here too! There's so much to learn and watching others go through the process is a great way to learn!

Next Tuesday  - Week 2: Janes / Open-toe Janes fabric sewn shoe demonstration...