Shoe Biz: Dollar Store Flip Flops

 Last week I was on the W-Club forum where the subject of finding flat shoes for dolls came up once again. Well, you know me...I suggested the possibility of making your own. The push-back was well expected... "I wish I did have that skill." For all of you who are still convinced you cannot make shoes for your dolls.....this post is for you. It is entitled "Dollar Store Flip Flops" because, like the merchandise sold in these super discounted mass market stores, the flip flops and sandals here are put together inexpensively, quickly and most of all easily! Better yet....this tutorial is good for creating flat footwear for both the divas and the dude dolls! 

For this project you only need craft foam sheets (sold in a variety of colors and thicknesses), elastic bands, scissors and glue. For the sandals you will need a needle with a super large eye (tapestry needle) and a bit of ribbon, embroidery floss, or thin strip of leather. 

1. Trace around the doll's foot.

2. Design the sole of the shoe. Add length and shape above the toes.

3. The red indicates how I have reshaped the sole

4. Place the foot back onto your new sole. Make whatever adjustments needed to create the final sole.

5. Trace the sole onto the craft foam. Create 2 sets.

Place the doll's foot on one set of the foam soles. You might want to add a piece of double sided tape to hole in place while you work. Wrap the elastic around the foot, joining the edges together underneath. Here I have used a single row of elastic, but feel free to add a double row.

6. Sew the ends of the elastic together.

7. Generously slather on super strength glue on the underside of the insole. Add the second foam sole.

8. Press and hold the two layers while the glue sets. The bulk of the elastic will be absorbed into the foam.

9. And voila....my shoes. I used a contrasting color for the bottom layer. It is just that simple!

Let's do it again. This time for Pierre and this time we will do a criss-cross 

1. Start off by tracing around the foot of the doll, then creating the definitive shape of the sole by designing the toe.

2. Wrap the elastic around the doll's foot. I decided to do this in one piece instead of two for ease and to make sure the straps don't pull away from the shoe later on. 

3. Under the foot, the elastic looks like this.

4. Remove and place one set of the foam soles onto the doll's foot.

5. Wrap the elastic around the doll's foot and sole. Underneath will look like this.

6. Add a generous amount of super strong (gel) glue to the underside of the upper.

7. Add the second sole to the upper. Or you can glue the top layer to a bit of craft and cut away the excess.

8. Press well and hold

9. Here, I used clips to hold the bulkiest areas around the elastic until set. When you remove them, there will be pressure marks, but eventually they will go away as the foam regains its shape.

Pump Up the Volume

There are numerous variations you can make. For instance, for Imaan, I made platform flip flops. For my first layer (attached to the elastic bands), I used a thin layer of black. Then I used two layers of foam to create the platform soles.

The problem, of course is that there will always be irregularities between the two layers. I sanded the sides, added a bit of white paint, but ultimately it still needed something. So I drew a design around the sides for an urban touch.

Sassy Sandals

If we leave the Dollar Store and head a little ways uptown, we land in H&M where there is a tad bit more "design" to our basic footwear. Swap out the elastic and use ribbon, tiny strips of leather or embroidery floss for the straps. 

Again this starts out the same as the first steps featured at the top of this post. Prepare 2 sets of soles from the craft foam. 

This doesn't really require this many steps. I just thought I would handhold you through the procedure as I wrap the ribbon through the holes and around her foot.

1. Start out by making two sets of soles. The take one pair and mark the holes where the ribbon will be threaded through. The first set should be about 1/3 down from the top of the sole (enough to cross over the top of the doll's toes). And the second set is about 1/3 down from those.

2. Cut a minimum of 11" of ribbon. You can make this longer if you want the straps to wrap further up her legs.

3. Thread the ribbon through the eye of the needle. You can apply a small dab of white glue to the tips of the ribbon to keep them from fraying while you work.

4. Poke the needle up from the bottom of the sole and through to the top.

5. Pull though then poke down through the hole on the opposite side.

6. The top of your shoe will look like this--a loop that will cross over the top of the toes--at this point. Make sure each side of the ribbon remains equal in length. Remove

7. (For the right shoe:) take the ribbon from under the left side of the shoe and bring it up and over the foot. Thread the ribbon back into the needle and poke it into the lower right hole.

8-10 Go back to the top and take the right end of the ribbon cross it over and thread up the left lower hole poking upwards. The underside will look something like this. 

11-12. Wrap the straps around the doll's ankles and tie to one side.

13. The front of the sandal looks like this.

14. The back view.

15. Glue on the second set of soles using a strong (gel) glue.

16. Trim off the excess.

17. Using the coarse side of an emery board, sand the sides, particularly in the middle where the two layers meet.

18. You can also add a layer of paint around the sides.

19. Here's the front.

20. Here's the back view.

In reality, you can use any of the uppers we created in our other basic Shoe Biz posts for a fancier pair of sandals. What's nice is that you can custom make dolly's shoes to match her outfit. 

1. Cut a pair of insoles from bristol board and glue down to a bit of fabric. Glue stick works here.

2. Clip  using pinking shears or cut zigzags around the edges.

3. Bend everything over the edge and glue down.Using a needle with a large eye, thread the ribbon through the insole and wrap around the ankles as shown in the demo just above. 

4. Use a strong (gel) glue to glue the insole to the foam soles. 

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Shoe Biz: FLAT Out Stylish

As you have probably guessed, I've been in a creative slump. So me and the girls got together and agreed that I should do a new installment for "Shoe Biz." Our fashion forecast where we tried to envision what a fashionista might want to wear post-pandemic, missed one element.... footwear. Admittedly I still love to see high heels with high fashion. But after more than a year of walking around in house slippers all day, we imagine that when the divas begin socializing again, it will probably be in flats! In my house, we're all still in love with high heels. And nothing is going to change that.  But some of you have let me know that you have girls who are looking for fashion flats. So this post is for you. 

Though I have a couple pair of flat footed legs for my FR ladies, the majority of my divas are content with their heels. I do have, however, two SIS Barbies who were rebodied onto older Poppy Parker bodies with feet that swivel from tippy toes to flats, and they were thrilled to have footwear made just for them. If you haven't already viewed our Shoe Biz series devoted to creating your own dolly footwear, you might want to look there first. Throughout this post, you will find references to tutorials in that series.

The shoe making process here is no different from that which we employed making stilettos except...we don't have to go through the delicate step of making and attaching high heels to the soles. Your choice of material for soles is up to you. For this project I used cardboard (from the backing of a notepad), a piece of fuzzy shoe leather I bought from a local crafts store and my favorite...self drying clay. The latter affords the opportunity to get just the shape I want that perfectly fits the bottom of the upper shoe perfectly. It also allows me to cover up any little imperfections. Please note: the one thing I do not address are shoes with built up toes. First of all, it is an aesthetic that does not come easy for me and technically it is a bit complicated without a shoe form. I'm working on a workaround solution and as soon as I make it work, I'll feature it in a post dedicated to boots. In the meantime, lets get started!

SOLE-ful Strut

Creating the sole for the flat shoe is pretty straight forward. 

1. With the doll's foot flat against a sheet of paper, draw an outline all the around. 

2. All of the style is in the toes! Draw an extension off the top of the foot. The sole (and the shoe) should be a little longer and more stylized than the actual foot. 

Note: At first I added a little clay to this area to keep the shoe from becoming too flat. But I later found that adding an interfacing to the top of the shoe over the toes yields the same result and is simpler.

3. If the style you want is something rounded, that's how you should finish it off. If it's pointed or somewhat squared, that's how you draw it as well. 

4. Cover the insole with your material. Here, I've used leather which means simply tracing off the silhouette of the sole onto my final material. But if you are using a fabric, you'll want to allow for a margin around the entire sole, clip around the edges then turn under and glue.

Prima Ballerina

When it has a heel, it's called a "pump." When it's flat it's called a "ballerine" or "ballerina." This shoe is a little more closed than than classic ballerine. With the added decoration, my shoe even looks a bit like a loafer. Granted, I was inspired by the color of the leather, which I call "Hermes" orange! 

1. If you don't have tracing paper, you can always use coffee filters! First tape the insole to the bottom of the doll's foot. Cut a horse shoe shape out of paper and slide it over the foot.

2. Join the two ends together at the center back of the foot and pin and mark with a pencil. Draw the style lines around the top of the foot. Trace around where the paper meets the sole of the shoe.

3. Clip around the edges.

4. Remove from the foot and clarify your lines to create the pattern. You might put the pattern this back on the foot to make sure it looks pretty much the way you want. Trace onto light cardboard stock and add seam allowance around the outer edge of the upper that will eventually fold over the insole.

5. Using your pattern, cut out the uppers in the material of choice. I like to trace the pattern on the wrong side of the material. 

6. Create "interfacing" out of lightweight card stock. This shape is the same as your uppers but without the seam allowance and it should fall a hair short of the edges. Because I've used a thick leather, I really don't need stiffening around the entire shoe. So I've cut the interfacing down to only cover the toes and glued it in place using rubber cement. But if, for example, you are using a thin leather or fabric, you will need a full interfacing that covers the entire upper. Use rubber cement to glue the interface to the upper.

7. Cut notches all along the edges of the uppers. Bend the toes around a sharpened pencil.

8. Here are my curved uppers and the covered insoles..

9. Once the insoles are covered, tape them to the doll's feet. 

10. Add rubber cement along the inside edges of the uppers as well as on the bottoms of the inner soles. When both surfaces have dried a bit, carefully assemble by curving the notched edges over the bottom of the soles and pressing them in place on the sole. Note: Since I am working in leather, I simply fold one edge over the other at the back of the foot and glue in place. If you are using fabric or a thinner leather, you can hand sew the center back seam by hand before you glue the upper to the sole.

I like to glue on a mid sole before attaching the final sole. It provides a nice smooth surface.

11. For these shoes, I decided to make leather soles. But if you make this from cardboard, the steps are exactly the same. My leather swatch is thick, so I needed a pair of very sharp scissors. Check your finished upper against the pattern you made for the sole. You may have to modify it a bit by making it slightly longer. For the heel, simply trace off the back end of the sole, cut out in leather or cardboard and glue to the sole.. Again, you want to check it against the form of the sole to ensure everything is well aligned around the side and back edges. 

12. Glue the heel to the sole, then sand the sides to smooth out any rough or uneven edges. 

13. You don't have to do this, but I added a little clear nail polish so that my edges would be more "finished." Or..you can always paint in the color of your choice. When finished, glue the sole to the upper using a strong gel glue. (I'm using E6000)

14. On the left is my finished shoe. On the right, I cut three tiny slivers of leather to form an "H" and tacked them onto the top of the shoe.

Take a Bow

Very 60's. Very Sunday. The classic ballerine in two pieces..... For this shoe I borrowed the pattern I used to make the 2-piece pump. It consists of a toe piece and a back quarter. In fact, many of the uppers we used to create out silhouettes styles can be adapted to flats!

1. Using a small piece of paper, wrap the top of the foot and shape the toe into the desired shape. Since this is a dress shoe, I've opted for a pointed toe.

2. Trace around the foot and we showed you above. 

3. Make your pattern by adding seam allowance to the edges that will fold under the sole.

4.Take another small piece of paper (or tape) and cover the sole of the foot.Trace the edges. Remove from the foot, Clarify the edges and create your pattern by adding seam allowance to the edge that will fold under the foot. Note: if you are using fabric, you will need to add seam allowance all around. That seam allowance on top of the shoe will either be turned under and glued or...you can create a lining. If you are using fabric, I recommend using iron-on interfacing on this piece for added structure.)

5. The insoles have been covered with fabric. The toe upper has a card stock interfacing and after being curved over a pencil point, the edges are turned under and glued to the bottom of the insole. Same thing for the back quarter. 

6. Add glue on the sole using a super strong gel glue. Or, if you are using air dried clay, glue a second card stock sole over the existing one, then add a small ball of clay and form into the sole and heel.

7. You will really need to play with the proportion of the bow. You don't want it too big and floppy. Here, I took a tiny bit of the fabric, folded it in thirds and with needle and thread, drew it in at the center and stitched it in place. 

8. Because this is fabric, it can be sewn directly onto the top of the shoe. 

For this shoe, I used air dried clay to create my sole. 

Slide Right In

Slides...these are simple flats without the back quarters. Note: dolly will need a spot of double stick tape to keep these on her feet!

1. Here, I only needed the toe and the inner sole. This is the same toe pattern, but I've cut it so that it covers more of the foot than my 2-piece ballerine. I used a card stock interface over the toes. The edges are notched then glued under the inner sole using rubber cement. I covered this with an "inter sole."

2. I decided to make my soles using air dried clay. I put a small roll of clay on the bottom of the shoe. and shaped it in place.

3. Use a dowel as a "rolling pen" to smooth out the bottom

4. Form a tiny ball and add to the back of the sole. Shape into a heel. 

5. The completed shoe is here. But just a tad bit boring...

6. Using a hole punch, I created these three tiny disks. They are glued together then glued to the shoe.

But here, is the basic slide, created in brown suede. A good shoe for pants!

Spectator Sport

Again, you can always borrow the patterns we drafted for the sneakers and modify like what I've done below. 

Spectators, oxfords.....this is a modification version of a pattern I made for sneakers. 

This is a modification of a pattern of another shoe I made. It is in two pieces, the back quarter overlapping the front, each pattern with its own interfacing. I have used card stock for the interfacing and leather for the outer shoe.

1. The toe and the heel with interfacing glued in.

2. Notches are cut on the curved edges which will be tucked under the insole.

3. What is fun about starting out with a simple shoe is what you can do to customize the look. Using tiny scraps of leather, I have created a simple pattern on both the front and back pieces.

4. Curve the toe around a pencil point to shape.

5. Rubber cement the edges of the uppers and the bottom of the insoles.

6-7. Once the glue has dried on both surfaces, fold the edges over and press in place. Start out with the toe, then overlap with the back. I made the shoelaces by cutting a sliver of leather. Punch a hole in the side, then thread a needle with a large hole with the leather laces and slide them through.

I used craft leather for the soles.

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Shoe Biz: SNEAKING Around With Her

Between an unrelenting heat wave and a few challenges making sneakers for my high heel gals, it took me bit longer to bring this post to you than originally anticipated! I also didn't think there would be that much of a demand outside of my Barbies. But to my surprise, some of my Fashion Royalty girls confided how they needed a break from their stilettos and wouldn't mind the comfort of sneakers! Awhile ago, Integrity Toys created a doll body that allows the collector to swap out the high heeled lower limb for one sporting a flat foot.  Admittedly, I had not thought to put this feature to use before my tutorial on men's sneakers. 

Putting together sneakers for the girls  is identical to my last the tutorial on sneakers for the guys. But since most of us have dolls with high heeled feet, I was forced to think of something that works for those who permanently pose on their toes. I thought it would be as simple as my tutorial on espadrilles. But the sneaker is a little more complicated due, in part to its chunky set of proportions. I started out using the actual size of the doll's foot for the base of the pattern. But when I finished, the shoe on my FR doll's foot, looked more like a stump. So I gave that pair to a Fashionista Barbie (pictured above) and went back to the drawing board. The proportions of my final shoe are much bigger than those of the dolls' feet, however, they perfectly capture the massive "spirit" of the full scale footwear.

Ok, so let's get started. Again, assembly of the sneakers for the girls is identical to those for our guy dolls. In case you missed it, here's a copy of those (below).  At the bottom of this post, you will find the patterns I created for this project. Again, it is on 1/4 graph paper. You only need make a few adjustments so that it fits your doll's feet. 

1. These steps are good for any of the patterns featured in this post. The sole should be a little bigger than the doll's foot. For best results, trace each pattern piece off onto the wrong side of your material, then carefully cut. Though I have drawn the cuts which fall over the shoe sole, you can cut in a straight line then cut the notches afterwards.

2. For each shoe: There is the back quarter (cut from black fabric), the heel (cut from white leather), an insole (white) cut from card stock, the outer sole (black) from a sheet of craft foam, and a white rubber band. glue on the leather bits to the toe and the heel while the pattern pieces are still flat. 

3. Place the insole on the doll's foot. Begin with the "vamp" (the toe) and after cutting in the notches, glue the bottom edge around insole. Line up the center back of your back quarter so that it lines up with the back of the heel. If necessary, you can add a few stitches to secure the upper to the insole.

4. Add a layer of strong glue to the bottom of the shoe.

5. Firmly press on the outer sole to the rest of the shoe.

6. Use a dowel or a pencil as a rolling pin over the bottom of the shoe

7. Put a layer of rubber cement around the outer edge of the outer sole.

8. Cut the rubber band in half and fit it around the shoe to get the exact fit. Cut away the excess. Next, put a layer of rubber cement around the inside of the rubber band. Allow the glue on both edges to dry. The surfaces will be tacky.

9. Very carefully, line up the middle of the rubber band to the center front of the shoe.

10. Carefully line up the rubber so that it is flush against the top and bottom of the shoe as you wrap it completely around.

11. The back of the band should meet flush together. If the edges won't stay down, you can use a tiny bit of tape to hold the two sides together.

12. With everything in place, feel free to customized. Use a pencil to lightly draw a line around the center of this band. This will serve as a guide. Place the shoe on the table.Take a fine tipped permanent marker and very carefully draw in the line.

For the classic white sneaker, I used linen which emulates the scale of the canvas found on a full sized sneaker. The toe as well as the back of the heel was cut from tiny pieces of leather. The shoe laces are tiny slivers of leather which are easier to thread through the holes than regular string. I did not use eyelets. Instead, I poked holes using the needle of a compass. A white rubber band is used for the lower border of the shoe.

Denim is also another good substitute for the canvass used in a traditional sneaker.

For the high heeled foot, it's a little more complicated. What I've done was to create a wedgie sole out of clay (polymer or epoxy), then build the Converse style sneaker around it. On the exterior, the shoe appears to be flat. This trompe l'oeil effect tends to elongate the leg. This style of sneaker is the only one that works with the high heeled foot. As with the men's footwear, you can use almost any material from cotton to leather. In the United States, everyone tends to wear "athletic" style shoes, while in France, fashionistas tend to opt for a more "girly" version cut from florals, prints and even lace! 

So for my first pair, I chose a tiny floral print, accented with a hot pink suede toe and white satin ribbon shoelaces.

1. If you choose a cotton as I have, you will need to line your shoe. I cut my pattern out twice per foot, once in my fabric, and another in the lining material. Stitch along the center back seam.

2. Iron the back seam flat. Place the right side of the shoe upper to the right side of the lining then stitch along the sides and across the top.

3. Turn right side out. Make a stitch along the bottom edge of the shoe upper. Cut notches. And if you choose to add top stitching to the shoe, now is the time to do that.

4. Cut out the vamp. Since my fabric is not heavy, I added iron-on interfacing to the underside. Set aside. 

If you are cutting this shoe out of leather or a sturdy cotton, you can skip these first four steps and simply turn down and glue in place the edges of the side back. For the upper/toe, use a anti-fray product along the edges around the tongue. Continue on with step 5.

5. Wrap your doll's feet in plastic to protect them.

6. Take a small ball of clay and press it to the bottom of the doll's foot. You want to shape a wedge that fills in the area between the doll's heel and the surface of the table. Create a little bit of a platform by adding a little more clay under the foot itself  as well as just above the toes.

7. Cut out and place the insole at the bottom of this clay platform. Then massage the clay so that it fills in within the confines of the sole. Cut away the clay that extends further than the sides of the foot. But don't worry about this structure not looking so "perfect." It will be hidden. If you have used polymer clay, carefully remove the sole off the foot and back in the oven according to instructions. If you have used epoxy clay, carefully remove from the foot and allow to air dry.

8. Put a layer of rubber cement along the underside of the notched edge of the upper/toe as well as over the underside of the sole.

9. When both surfaces are dry and tacky, carefully fold the notched edge of the upper onto the bottom of the sole.

10. If you are using a lined cotton back quarter, be sure to cut notches along the bottom seam allowance. If you are using leather or some other non-woven material, turn the top and side edges under and glue in place. Flatten the center back seam. 

11. If you are going to add on any decorations, this is the point you should add them. For the "Chanel" sneaker, I added an inverted V shape to the back. (Before adding the sole, I added a black leather toe to the rest of the upper.)

12.Put a layer of rubber cement along the underside of the shoe back quarter as well as a layer of rubber cement over the rest of the shoe bottom. When both are dry, carefully match up both center backs and wrap around the rest of the shoe.

13. Punch the holes on both edges of the upper. thread in your shoe laces. Tip: If you use string, dip each edge in craft glue and let dry. This will make it easier to thread it through the holes!

Now, let's go back to our flat foot and do something really easy and fun! Let's create an "athletic" shoe. 

While doing the research, I found myself fascinated by all of the tiny bits and pieces that cover this style of sports footwear. Working with such tiny scraps is a tad bit time intensive, but when I finished, it was well worth the effort. Unfortunately, this style of shoe only works with flat feet.

1. For this shoe, I chose a tiny scrap of leather. The pattern requires a seam down the front because it is shaped around the heel of the foot in the back. Begin by stitching down the center front seam.

2. Turn to the wrong side. Flatten the center seam. (If you are using leather, run a line of rubber cement down each underside of the seam and press. Turn the top edge down and glue. (If you work in cotton, you might need interfacing to give the shoe more structure over the top of the foot.

3. Cut notches along the bottom edge. Stitch along the back edge of the shoe.

4. Add rubber cement to the bottom edge of the upper as well as the bottom of  the sole. Let dry until tacky to touch.

5. Slip the upper over the dolls foot. (You can wrap the doll's toe with a bit of cotton and tape so that when you stretch the upper over the foot, the toe remains rounded and not flat.

6. Put the sole onto the doll's foot, tacky side up.

7. Fold the top edge over the sole. Your basic shoe will look like this. 

8. Now comes the fun part. Take all those tiny strips of leather and lets decorate our shoe. I started by putting a tiny tab onto the center front near the top of the shoe. 

9. With other strips, I make curved shapes, gluing them together where they cross.

10. Add other bits as you want. Draw the "laces" on the front tab. 

11. Add industrial strength glue to the bottom of the shoe. Then add a sole. I cut this out of a sheet of craft foam. 

12. Using a dowel or a pencil, roll it over the bottom of the sole to ensure all areas are fully glued together.

13. When set, add a layer of rubber cement along the bottom side edge of the shoe as well as the underside of a rubber band. Let dry until both surfaces are tacky.

14. Carefully press the rubber band to the sides of the shoe.

15. Off all the sneakers I made, this was the most fun! I started thinking of other color combinations when a little voice inside my head said, "Stop and post this tutorial!!!" 

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