…I REALLY should be getting close… but it sure has taken time! I’m not complaining because I truly have enjoyed every step and process along the way. I’ve learned so much about making leather doll shoes and was still doing a little tweaking on them this weekend. It’s not that I want to go into the shoe business, but I TRULY do enjoy making them… I have always enjoyed little miniature things and now I can add tiny doll shoes to my list. This picture shows just “some” of my pattern pieces and shoes I tried to make… I should have kept all my scraps since the beginning… I would probably have a Walmart bag stuffed with throw-aways!
Here are a few of the shoes I was working on over the weekend; some still need soles, some need heels and they all need fasteners.
I was looking on Ebay this afternoon and saw this pretty little doll in a dress with white shoes. I noticed her shoe straps weren’t buckled… they weren’t even run through the buckle… just flopped on the floor. I zoomed in on the picture and wondered about it… why wouldn’t someone buckle their doll’s shoes? Was it too hard to buckle? Was it just too tiny to work with your fingers? Too much trouble?
This is a blue pair I started last night, but had to let the soles dry before moving on.
It’s strange seeing them huge on my computer screen… they are about 2″ long and you see every little piece of lint and the furry side of the leather and it doesn’t look as good as they do, in person, in the small size they are!
I left just the slightest bit of room for a pair of socks or thigh highs… :o)
After I had them nearly done, except for the strap, I began pondering about that buckle issue and finally settled on this! I think you’ll be pleased with it!
I ran one of the buckles I had through the strap… then I stitched a snap to a piece of thin Ultrasuede and glued that to the back side of the strap right over the buckle. I marked where the other side of the snap would go on the shoe and sewed it in place, gluing another tiny piece of Ultrasuede to the back side for stability. It works perfectly and is super easy… just slip on the shoe, lay the strap over the dolls foot and snap in place! Viola! See… I told you you’d like it!
I found this pair of shoes I had made a year or so ago and thought I’d show them to you side by side…
Then on my Ruby Red Fashion Friend, Sara’s feet…
…big difference, huh?
So, now I have “almost” 5 pair of shoes finished… plus I have the 4 pair I made for James…
Well, that was my weekend…and what I did. Hope you did something you liked too!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, wow, what gorgeous shoes you’ve come up with! I absolutely love the blue ones (and blue’s not even my favorite color!), but the metallic ones are really pretty, too! Your cobbling skills continue to grow, Jeanne!
Thank you so much for the encouragment, Charlotte!
I do also notice that, Jeanne, about people not buckling their doll shoes. I have that problem with Betsy’s shoes too, since they are so small and hard to get the strap into the buckle, especially when she is wearing tights of socks. I have been putting the shoes already buckled onto her feet, and in the process, ripped the strap on one that connects it to her shoe. It is glued down now, but still a struggle to get it on and off without having it come apart again. Your solution looks wonderful, and those blue shoes are too cute!
You certainly are getting better with each shoe you make, and I think you have reached the top! Is there going to be a pretty blue drress for Sara in the future?
Hi Linda,
Okay, so I was right…the shoes are too hard to buckle or fasten, and ladies are “probably” looking for an easier closure… I’m working on it.
Thanks so much Linda… Yes, Sara is next… I just had to do something with those blue shoes, but now I’m not so certain…
Blessings, Jeanne
These are truly amazing. Do you have to have a special sewing machine or just a special needle.
HI Paula,
The leather doll shoes are all made by hand… they aren’t done on a sewing machine… I do have some hand leather needles… but that’s all. Thanks for your kind compliments…
Blessings, Jeanne
The snaps are brilliant Jeanne! Maybe you should get a patent. I am ashamed to admit that those were probably my photos on eBay with the straps just flopping around. I told Jan just last week that I would NEVER order a pair of Mary Jane shoes again! I have ordered handmade shoes for Ruby Red and Little Darling from the ends of the earth, even the mass produced give me fits. I had minimal success with the smallest crochet hook that I use for tucking stray hair into braids. I am pretty sure the doll cobblers have little elves that come in the night and buckle those shoes!
Stay warm everyone! Thinking about you Joy and hoping you are ok.
Debbie
HI Debbie,
I tried to go back and find that picture I had seen with the straps laying to the side, but couldn’t find it… Oh well, it seems like buckles need a new of working… especially on small dolls… it can be very tedious.
“doll cobblers have little elves that come in the night and buckle those shoes”…. I LOVED that! :o)
Thanks Debbie,
Blessings, Jeanne
It’s so true about how hard it is to buckle shoes for dolls! I use tweezers which help guide the strap in and then I can pull it through. But I love the snap solution, Jeanne, and love those blue shoes! Do you think you will sell some of your shoe separately like you did with your flip flops?
HI Terri, I know what you mean about using a pair of tweezers with the tiny buckles and straps. The shoe people should send tweezers with each pair of shoes sold! :o)
I probably will sell some of my doll shoes separately… I’m still trying to make them the best I can… but you’ll see who “might” be getting the blue pair…
Thanks Terri,
Blessings, Jeanne
Love Jeanne’s snap idea. Now, I’ve seen magnetic closures on similar shoes, but not snaps. If it works, wonderful for those of us who have fits trying to put on shoes. 🙂 Love all of the shoes, especially the blue ones. 🙂
Thanks Debbie on the weather. Thought yesterday would have some clearing, but no, rained all day with varying degrees from light to hail. Crazy. We’ve been lucky here without flooding, but in the central valley, a whole small town is now underwater from a broken levee. Yesterday, they had no way to repair it. They even thought of trying to drop sandbags from a helicopter. It will take a lot to repair it. And, we expect more rain and even higher winds today and into tomorrow. I suspect more trees will fall and power outages will occur. Nature is paying us back after all of the drought complaints.
Stay safe everyone.
HI Joy,
I’m trying to figure out how to make the magnetic closure the way I do on my purses to fit the tiny straps on the shoes…
When you need rain, it never comes and when you don’t need it, it comes in buckets! I hope it stops sooner than later!
Stay safe yourself!
Blessings, Jeanne
There’s not a pair of shoes I don’t like! Even the yellow ones. I’ve seen Velcro under the buckles which looks like real buckles but so much easier. What buckles I still have, I pried off the hole pin, that makes feeding the strap thru a little better.
HI Dorothy,
Thanks for your kind words about the shoes I’ve made… and I’m trying to work on a solution for the shoes!
I’ve cut that pin off too on a few pair of shoes…
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
The little shoes are adorable and you are doing a great job on them. There are some shoemakers for the Connie Lowe dolls who are using magnets to secure the strap. I bought a pair and they are so amazing. I believe the maker must have done them on a sewing machine because the stitches are so tiny and close together. You need a special machine to do them if you are stitching them while on the last because it has to have a high shank. They are wetting and stretching the leather over the last to form the shoe. Then I believe they stitch them on the machine while the leather is still on the last. Have you seen Anniedollsoutfit on Etsy? She sells some little shoe patterns, and her descriptions have a url to her Youtube videos on how to hand make them. I have watched several and she does a great job. Her video shows all the materials needed to make the shoes and she goes thru the entire process.
HI Marsha,
I looked for some Connie Lowe shoes today with the magnetic closure like you mentioned, but didn’t see any… I’d like to see that machine too! and yes, I have watched Annie’s video’s many times… trying to gain information each time I do. She has some cute doll shoes… I have watched probably 50-75 videos on making doll shoes… it fascinates me… not sure why, but I just love watching the steps…
Thanks Marsha… and you’ll see a little surprise in tomorrow’s blog post… (actually “today’s” post now!) I need to get to bed…
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne go to Connie Lowe’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/928043350615790
In search put Anna Browne and you will see a lot of her creations. She uses a tiny magnet inside the shoe covered with thin leather and a tiny magnet on the shoe strap covered in thin leather. Also search Evdokia Osadchaya – Nikulina and you will see some amazing shoes she makes selling for big bucks! She uses the magnets and claims they are her invention! I don’t know about that, but I really admire her talent. They will distress some of the shoes because the doll is supposed to be from the depression era.
The snaps are a great idea for shoes you still want to have a buckle. I love the black patent maryjanes that are a part of Samantha’s wardrobe. The snaps are so much nicer than the velcro although I don’t mind the ones like Kit’s with buckles and velcro.
The blue shoes are super cute and the gold look like you are getting a pair ready for next Christmas.
Thanks Laura,
I’m glad you are liking the shoes… yes, the gold ones may have to wait till the holidays… or maybe someone needs a gold pair right now! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
The snaps are a great idea but aren’t they hard to sew on? But you do have a better relationship with snap sewing than I do I’m always looking for an alternative.
I have the most trouble with the shoes for my little dolls, especially Tiny Betsy. I tried fastening her shoes before I put them on. Her shoes often hook with a small bead through a slit. Sometimes it works and sometimes her Mary Janes end up becoming pumps because the bead breaks off so I cut off the strap. Thankfully I don’t have arthritis or I’d never get my dolls shoes hooked. I love the idea of the snaps because so many doll collectors are older and do have problems with their hands and it would definitely make it easier for them. I have some doll shoes with Velcro and some that you just pull through the buckles but some have the hole pin that Dorothy says she pries off. Great idea. Sometimes I think the manufacturers of doll clothes get a little too detailed with their fasteners.
Well this is “put on the new roof” week. Fortunately it looks to be a cool one. It was 54 degrees this morning and I don’t think it’s going up much. Right now the guys are putting the shingle bundles up on the roof. David bought a machine called a carry deck so no one would have to go up the ladder with a bundle of shingles on their back. It lifts the shingles up to the roof. He’s also going to need it when they start the home building, so it is a good investment. But right now it’s like having a herd of elephants walking across my roof and the noise when they unload the shingles and drop them on the roof makes me jump. But it will be nice the next time we have a wind not to find pieces of my roof lying all over my yard. The present roof is 32 years old, so it did last for the years it was guaranteed.
Congrats on the new roof! 32 years of service is amazing. 🙂
HI Barbara…
The snaps aren’t hard to sew on… my leather is pretty soft… and with a sharp needle, I haven’t had any trouble…
Yep, it sounds like you need a closure solution to your doll shoes too… I see it wasn’t just one or 2 people having troubles with snaps and buckles…it’s universal.
It was an exciting day for us too, when the new roof started… I hope all goes well and that you like it… no trading it in for something else once they start! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
You should have been an engineer…you can figure out anything. That snap /strap is so clever. Cutest shoes and it cracks me up that you get such a kick out of making them! Love the blue and the gold are stunning and with the right outfit( as the current one) any of them are awesome.
I think I may have seen a tulip leaf..but didn’t go investigate.
Come on Spring!!🫣We need you!
HI Kathie,
Me, and engineer? Yeah right! A few people at church call my hubby MacGyver because he seems to be able to fix, repair, make, figure out most anything… Maybe I’m just a Mrs. MacGyver! But thanks for your kind words…
I hope your tulip leaf gets taller until it buds out! Protect it with a bucket if wind or rain comes!
We DO need Spring!
Blessings, Jeanne
WOW Jeanne! My first thought was those shoes are cute and adorable! My second thought was there is quite a bit of difference between the shoes from a year ago and now. Also, I’m a bit confused by how you explained how you did the closure/snap, etc. AND my initial thought (before I read your explanation) was to ask how hard it is to get the needle through the leather to sew the snaps on, but if I understand correctly, you’re sewing the snaps to pieces of ultrasuede, and then glueing that to the leather. Is that correct?