Embroidered Shoes

As I am currently specialising in items I should have blogged ages ago I thought I would blog something even later than last months recipe - last years finished shoes. I have since gone to a wonderful workshop where I was taught to make the most fabulous kitten heeled mules using a proper last, tools and components. These shoes were originally created as my 3D item for City and Guilds and I followed the methods described in Sharon Raymond's Book Crafting Handmade shoes. The last I used was my own foot and I drew up the patterns from drawing round them (with help from M) and the design work of the project. The emphasis was on the embroidery not necessarily the actual construction of the shoe. Although they were fit for purpose (wear them to G & Mr. T's wedding) the soling material I used made them a little inflexible and they would be even more lovely made in the style of the mules mentioned previously. Unfortunately they would no longer be fit for purpose as they had to be grass "sink proof". The following photo shows me speaking from experience at my own wedding:

M helping me put my shoes on after sinking - changed to beaded flip-flops soon after

As it turned out I wore the shoes to G's wedding but spent most of the time bare foot (my favourite footwear choice despite my obsession with shoes), when it was time to go home though I stuffed my, by now, filthy feet into them. Not the best move, but luckily I had some of the leftover lining fabric to reline them for this years show. Though the shoes were great I think the dress (home sewn from fabric dyed with leftover project dyes) was more popular with the men for its cleavage enhancing properties.
(The photographic evidence is on the web somewhere but you're not going to get any pointers from me - and thats the last time I ever lend PJones a camera)

(G got this from your site and cropped - if not okay will clear it off)