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Costume Footwear Series: Overview

Shoemaking is not something I thought I'd really get into but I've been doing my research and making some prototypes. This is in part because my feet are very small so finding thrift shoes in the style I want is difficult. So, I've been learning and remembering different ways of making costumed footwear and I'm making a little series about it. So here we go. 
Fabric shoes with EVA soles and toe covers

Now a common method that's tried and true in costuming is modifying an old shoe or using a shoe as a base. Shoe/Boot covers are fairly common. However, I'm not going over that method. (I like Simply Spandex's Tutorial on boot covers, so you have a resource.) 

This series is going to focus on making a shoe from scratch. And I'm stopping short of leatherworking and actual cobbling. Which is another thing you could do. (Here's a Shoemaking Course). 

I wanted to focus more on crafty methods for making shoes including:  

  •  Yarn-craft shoes (knitting or crochet)
  •  Sewing a fabric Shoe
  •  EVA Foam Shoe
  •  3D Print a Shoe
Ultimately, it will likely be a mix of all these methods when get down to making shoes. Here are the pros and cons of these methods: 

Yarn Shoes


The nice thing about yarn shoes is that they're a beginner friendly pattern for the most part. They don't take too long to make. The material can be made for warm or cold weather. It's also not terribly expensive. 
The problem is that without extra material, these are pretty much an indoor only shoe. They can lack structure and proper support. Now you can make yarn shoes outdoor friendly and more supportive by using a base such as an old flip-flop, an EVA foam core, a 3D printed rubber sole, or a rope sole. 

Fabric Shoes

Fabric shoes are great for making your own base shoe that you can add onto or as the final shoe itself. You can make it appropriate for warm or cold weather based on your fabric choice. And you are spoiled for styles. I will say that patterns can be a bit more on the intermediate or advanced-beginner level. Fabric choice can also determine how sturdy the shoe is or how form fitting. Again, you're not going to get a lot of foot support and it's likely not going to work well as an outdoor shoe. But similar to the yarn shoe, you can modify your fabric shoe by attaching it to a pre-made sole and added inserts for insoles. 

EVA Foam Shoes

EVA is a great way to add stability and form to your footwear. It is legitimately a base or core material for shoe soles. It's likely you could form the shoe with heat setting and glue. Now I think getting the right shape depends on your foam crafting skill. I find it difficult but in theory it shouldn't be too hard. On the other hand, it's not a comfortable shoe and may not be as structurally sound. It works best as a shoe cover or as a shoe base like the picture above. 

3D Printed Shoe

So this has become a bit of a phenomenon. There are lots of designs available for you to 3D print a shoe. The most common material to use is TPU (a sort of rubber) because it is firm but flexible making it a structurally sound and supportive shoe. Now the draw backs are that you need to have certain capabilities with your printer for it to work with TPU and it can be tricky to print with this material. But you can pretty much print anything from sneakers, loafers, heels, and sandals. You still may want to line the interior of the shoe for more comfort. 

My plans are to write about a few shoe projects I plan on making: 

  • Zori - (3D Print/EVA/Fabric)
  • Ballet Flats (yarn/3D print)
  • Ankle Boot (Fabric/3D print)

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