15th Century Turn Shoes
As part of my 1480's Florentine Gown I realized I needed shoes, as if I was going to hand sew an entire ensemble then I probably shouldn't wear my Target sandals with them. I had never really worked with leather before, so I was a little intimidated to get going. Fortunately a wonderful friend gave me some great advice to try machine-made turn shoes for my first project.
Attempt 1: Machine-sewn turn shoes made with existing leather scraps.
I was inspired by paintings such as Carlo Crivelli's ; St Catherine of Alexandria (1476) as well as several of the Ghirlandaio paintings (especially those of the Tornabuoni Chapel) which seemed to show a low/non-existent heel, flat sole, and looked well fitted to the skin but without any real decoration. This seemed like a potential attainable shoe even for a beginner.
Pattern was made by drawing around my foot on muslin scraps with a pencil, draping, lots of swearing, and 3 mock-ups. My method was a combination of techniques seen in Morgan Donner' Sewing Party and Reproducing a Late 14th Century Shoe (which while slightly early still shares a lot with the 15th century ones I am making). Once I had a pattern I cut it apart, laid it on some red leather I have had for ages with no idea what to do with it, added seam allowance, and cut everything out. I then stitched it together primarily with my sewing machine and did the finishing work on the side seam by hand. I then trimmed the seams, soaked the shoes in water, turned them right side out, and put them on my feet to dry.
I was incredibly happy with the result and have already worn them once. I am also happy that I did not try to hand sew my first attempt, as after wearing them walking around I realized I needed a little extra space in the toes, so my next, nicer pair will be better fitted. Very fun project!
Works Cited/Consulted:
Birbari, Elizabeth. Dress In Italian Painting 1460-1500. London: John Murray Ltd., 1975.
Frick, Carole Collier. Dressing Renaissance Florence. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.
Herald, Jaqueline. Renaissance Dress in Italy 1400-1500. London: Bell & Hyman, 1981.
Tortora, Phyllis, Keith Eubank. Survey of Historic Costume. 4th ed. New York: Fairchild Publications, Inc., 2005.