Sunday, February 13, 2011

Leopard print Monster High shoes

Here is yet another pair of shoes for Monster High dolls. These are made of fabric and cardboard with little pieces of wood as heels.

I started by treating the fabric with sealer as it was cotton and not very thin. Sealer prevents the fabric from fraying, so there is no need to treat the edges in any other way. When the sealer had dried, I cut the main pieces, most of which are shown in the picture below. I also covered the heels with the treated fabric.


Next, I glued several layers of cardboard under the insoles to form the correct shape. This time, all the pieces (fabric and cardboard) were the same size as I planned to paint the parts of the edges that would remain visible. Then I glued the pieces with the ankle straps in place.


Then I cut the toe part uppers and glued them in place. I wanted something different, so I made the toe part closed this time.


I glued little pieces of leather on the bottom of the heels and cut off the excess fabric on top.


Then I glued the heels in place.


The closing mechanism for the ankle strap is simple. A bead on the other side...


...and a rubber band loop at the end of the strap.


Then I painted the parts of the sides where cardboard edges were visible and glued pieces of leather as outer soles.

13 comments:

Vanessa said...

These are super cute!

Amanda said...

I love it! Can you do a video on a monster high shoe? I would really appreciate it. I am trying to make one now.

Tarja said...

As you can see, the last blog post was a few months ago as I haven't been up to making anything lately. So, probably no videos any time soon.

WickedPixie said...

Thank you so very much for sharing your Monster High shoe making knowledge! My daughter is very excited about making her own custom doll and I am excited about helping her with this project - I just had NO IDEA how to even start a custom shoe! I know ours will be nowhere near as fantastic as yours, but I am so grateful that you shared this! :-)Traci

Shelley said...

It's so nice, and I like it very much, I wish I can make a pair this kind shoes too.

Blackkitty said...

Hi,
I read your blog before and today I remembered it again. I wish I could remember to check it more often, but I don't know how to subscribe t blogs other than by email.
Anyway, I have a question - how do you seal the fabric? I never seem to find a product for this purpose in stores (and I live in a capital). My fabrics fray before I put the scissors down and it's very frustrating. I'd love to be able to make more clothes and shoes for my dolls. I understand that you use PVA to glue leather, how does it hold? I only use it for paper because it seems weak to me.
Thank you for this wonderful blog. I hope to follow your instructions and make decent shoes some day.

Tarja said...

I use FolkArt sealer for treating fabrics I use for the shoes. In addition to preventing fraying, it also prevents staining. And PVA glue is not weak. It is used in making wooden furniture, so it certainly can hold tiny scraps of leather.

Blackkitty said...

Is it one of these?
http://www.plaidonline.com/folkart-finishes-clearcote-aerosol-acrylic-sealer-/789/item.htm
http://www.plaidonline.com/folkart-finishes-aerosol-lacquer-matte-11-oz/52/773/product.htm
I would never have thought of using a general purpose spray varnish to seal fabric. I'll definitely try, maybe even for some clothes. Thank you for the quick reply. Keep up the good work!

Tarja said...

I don't think aerosol would work. What I'm using is this: http://www.plaidonline.com/folkart-finishes-outdoor-sealer-gloss-2-oz/51/895/product.htm
and matte and satin versions of it.

Blackkitty said...

We have just 3 types of brush-on varnish: acrylic, the stinky kind for furniture and nail polish. I will experiment with all of these. Thanks for the advice!

BlackKitty said...

Hi again, I completed my first pair of shoes from leather and wrote a blog post about them:
http://multicrafteral.blogspot.com/2013/04/first-complete-shoes-for-monster-high.html
I mentioned you there, too. I hope you don't mind. Thank you for your help!

katherinemary said...

I bought your book which I love but cant find liquid sealer by Plaid even with a google search. would this be like mod podge glue? or are you literally using some kind of varnish?

Mod Podge comes in gloss and matte. I think it can be painted on or sprayed on.

Tarja said...

You should find it by searching Plaid FolkArt sealer. The ones I have used say they're for outdoor use. I don't know if/how Mod Podge would work as I haven't used it.