These patterns are modeled from original Bleuette shoes, and have been fitted to the Bleuette wooden body (8″). These patterns will also fit the paper mache body if you add a back seam allowance of 1/8″.

Click here for Bleuette Shoe Patterns

For accuracy this is an Adobe Acrobat file. If you do not have an Acrobat reader, you can get a free copy here. To get the sizing correctly, print the patterns at 100%. The length of the sole for thin socks should be exactly 1 1/2 inches long.

Instructions

When starting please read all instructions first, then study the photos and read the instructions at each stage as a tutorial.

1. Pull your doll body and patterns that you want to make.

2. Trace your pattern onto the  wrong side of the leather, in ink, and cut off the ink marks to keep it the right size. Use clothing leather for the upper shoe parts, (lambskin glove leather works wonderful).

Leather is sold in oz’s for weight, and in feet for a skin. Dress/clothing leather is 1-2 oz. If you buy by the skin, you have to buy the whole skin unless you get a “craft scrap bag”. You can get these at Hobby Lobby or Michaels craft stores. Old leather skirts and pants are great, but gloves, purses, coats also work well.

3. For the insoles cut one set of the pattern in cardboard for the insole, and cut another pattern set from your outer sole leather, color them and let dry.

4. Glue the trim onto the cut out shoe piece, then sew it onto the leather on your sewing machine. Use a longer stitch like #3 on a Bernina. Use good general purpose thread, like Guttermans. If the thread is not the correct weight it will skip  and not stitch correctly.

Use a 70/10 Schmetz universal needle for clothing weight leather. For thicker leather use a Schmetz 80/12 Leather, or Jeans needle. You can also use a twin needle sized to fit your needs, such as 70/10 Schmetz.

5. Set your eyelets. First, punch a hole the size of the eyelet you are using. Then insert the eyelet with the factory rounded edge to the front, and hammer the ends over. Use the hammer side on the wrong side of the leather. Eyelets can be found in the scrap book section of craft stores, along with the eyelet setting tool.

6. Sew gathering threads around the toe area of the shoe piece, use the longest stitch you have, (#5 on the Bernina) then sew up the back seam.

7. Fit it onto body, pulling the gathering threads to fit the foot. There will be a space in the center. Fill this space using the same leather as the top, as shown in the photo.

8. For the outer sole, if you are going to tool them or just bevel the edge, follow the photos. If you do not want to tool leather, you can use the leather as it is, cut out and colored, or use cardboard covered with leather, fabric, felt, paper, contact paper, or paint. You can paint and finish the cardboard with regular hobby paint. If using material, pull it over the edge or glue some trim around the edge. You can get the cardboard from a cereal box or the like.

9. Glue on the outer sole, use clothespins to clamp it down and hold it onto the shoe. Let dry awhile then remove the pins and puff up the upper toe part by putting it back onto the foot.

Wipe off any glue that may have oozed out, using a downward motion so you do not get it on the top of the shoe. Use a tacky glue, and let any ooze-out on your shoe upper leather dry to the “crust” stage, and it will come right off.

10. To make soles that are tooled you will need the following tools: an edge beveler and a creaser. The creaser is adjustable, the beveler comes in sizes like 1,2,3. etc. You need a 1 or 2, the others are for larger pieces. The creaser has a knob on it so you can make it wider or narrower.

You can get a alphabet stamp set or a stamp that has a flower, star or any of the stamping tools that you may like. These are all sold at Tandy Leather. The hobby craft stores, such as Michaels or Hobby Lobby also have the items you need in the leather section. These are the same products from Tandy.

Edge Beveler	Adjustable Creaser

11. If you want a custom letter on your soles and do not want the expense of getting one made up, use a stamp set and stamp pad. Use a ink pad that says it can be used on leather. Not all ink pads will stay on leather.

Source ideas:

You can get small trims at the fabric store or any place that sells doll trims.

If you do not want leather scissors use any “knife edge” scissor you can find.

Use cereal box’s for cardboard.

Use felt tip colored markers for dyeing edges or shoe polish. If you want a nice sheen on the outer soles use shoe polish, apply the color let stand for awhile, 1/2 hour, then buff it with a cotton rag to a shine.

Use a white Tacky type glue that will glue to cardboard as well as many other materials. If you use fabric for your shoe upper use Tacky Fabric glue. You can get leather glue at the craft stores if you want to use it, but it is just a watered down version of Tacky. You can use leather glue on fabric, paper, or leather of any kind. You can also use contact cement, but I find it is hard to get off if it oozed out.

Another source for shoe making is Gildebrief.