SHOEMAKING WITH SOW STUDIO

Our newest ‘Get Inspired’ project is here! We collaborated with the lovely @sowsstudio - a London based embroidery studio who take on bespoke projects across art, homeware, fashion and events 🌟

Kate from our team took the lead with this project! She used the embroidered fabric to create some flat Mary Jane shoes with a slightly squared toe.

To begin the project, Kate built up a flat last using Milliput to get the toe shape ✨

She then traced the Mary Jane pattern onto the embroidered fabric and the lining before stitching these together. 

Once the upper and the lining were stitched together, Kate added in a toe puff stiffener at the front of the shoe and a counter stiffener at the heel. The stiffeners are used to hold the shape of the shoe. 

Kate also added a black leather tab to the strap of the Mary Jane for a little extra detail and to tie in with the black resin soling. For this shoe, Kate used a 2mm thick black resin sole and built up a slight heel tip. 

I love the addition of little details like this, I think it totally elevates the look of the shoe! Another way to change the look of a Mary Jane is to change the shape of the buckle or use a statement buckle! You can get really creative here, but just make sure the buckle fits on the strap of your Mary Jane. 

I am absolutely OBSESSED with how these turned out 😍

Watch the making process below: 

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE A PAIR OF SHOES LIKE THESE?

If you are feeling inspired to make a pair for yourself, here’s a list of the all of components that we used 😉:

1. Mary Jane shoemaking pattern
2. Toe puff stiffeners
3. Counter stiffeners
4. 2mm black resin soling
5. Buckles
6. Leather / fabric of your choice

You may find it easier to purchase a component kit rather than the separate components.

learn shoemaking for yourself

I created a FREE 40-minute online course called 'Introduction to Shoemaking' to show how easy home shoemaking can be and to give you a little taste of what I Can Make Shoes is all about. It also includes a full step-by-step tutorial 😉

SIGN UP HERE for instant access.