Mood:
brightNow Playing: XM 15 - The Village
...the red fabric I've been using for Leia clothes is completely used up. Decided, on a whim, to make her matching shoes. I easily found enough for one shoe. Really had to play with the bits and pieces to find enough for the other. Just barely did.
Making easy slip-ons is fun. I use the directions - loosely - from this site : http://www.snsdolls.com/pattarch/dollshoe/shoemain.htm . I play with the fabric, make a paper version of the basic shape, then cut out four 'uppers'. Two uppers for each shoe get sewn together on the inside, and at the back. It's usually pretty tiny, so I hand-sew the cut edges of the back down, and Fray-Check the outside raw edges.
After that, I trace the doll foot onto some fun foam, with a little extra for seam allowance. Cut two sets of 'em. Once the F-C is dry, I hand-sew the uppers to one set of fun foam soles, frequently fitting it to the doll, trying to get the gathers at the toe right. Then glue the other fun foam soles on, sandwiching the uppers between foam soles. I like to clamp 'em down while the glue dries with clothespins, but you can also find fun foam with adhesive on the back.
Right now, I'm waiting for the Fray-check to dry. I may add a bit of heel to these, just another half-sole layer of fun foam. I'll be sure to add a photo once these are done. You can see an early effort using the same procedure on Crissy - the navy blue shoes she wears on her page.
Oh, and while Hancock's was having its half-off sale, I saw something interesting - a cutting board cleaner. It looked like an abrasive disc with a handle. Supposedly it sands and evens out rotary cutting mats, but at $13., I gave it a pass. I only paid $10. for the Fiskars matt I use nearly every day !
But it did get me to thinking - is there something similar around here ? Not really, most of the stuff Beloved Hubby uses is pretty abrasive. I did find out though, that a simple, cheap gum eraser can lift out some of the imbedded fabric bits. And that some of the spots on my board aren't fabric - I've completely cut into and removed some of the board surface ! Guess 'self healing' can only go so far in the last four years. I may 'color in' those spots, so I can avoid 'em. They make the rotary blade skip.
Well, wish me luck on the shoes !
