Ladies' Column

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 103, 27 February 1892, Page 2

Ladies' Column

4 _ By Huia. I keep his house, I wash, wring, brew, bake, scour, dress meat, make the beds, and do all myself. — Shakespeare. All who havo had anything to do with children, will kuow thafc what a serious item shoes become when baby first begins to kick and crawl, so I thought I would trj and tell you how to make them for about half tho cost of the bought one's. They will look as nice and last much longer. The shoes can be made of red leather, Morocco, velvet, cross-grained silk, or satin, and the toes can be embroidered, beaded, or plain, which ever you prefer. Besides the material chosen for the uppers, you will need a little thick leather for the soles, a fine saddler's needlo, a fine awl ; some thread ; a little coloured flannel for lining, and some narrow ribbon. Take to pieces an old " shop " sho© for a pattern. If you want to make them a little larger than tho pattern allow for the difference more in length than in width, but always allow a little afc the heel. Ifc is best to cut the uppers all in one, but the straps are mada separate, as by doing so the seam in the strap at the back is avoided. Place the old sole on the thick leather, and mark it round. It is best to cut it with a sharp penknife. Any ornament on the toe should be done before lining the upper. Bind the instep edge of the uppers with narrow ribbon. To fasten the uppers to the sole, fold the uppers so as to find the middle of the toe and begin your stitching there. Make holes with the awl through sole and upper, about a quarter of an inch, or rather less, from the edges from two pieces of leather, the sole and the upper, and about the same distance apart. Make these holes one at a time as you want tham and wherever the sole curves rather more set the stitches a little closer together. You must stitcb from the middle of the toe with two threads away on both sides at once, about three stitches on one side and then the same on the other ; draw your thread tight and firm, and just at the sides ofthe toe let the upper be slightly full for three or four stitches. Once round the toe you will find it yery easy till about one and a half inches from fche heel seam. Here it is besfc to let the lining go loose and stitch the upper to the solo till you get to the middle of the heel. The heel seam is rather difficult to manage neatly. Get the upper even, cut off the superfluous leather, turn the inside out, and stitch I through the two edges ; add two rows of l stitching to show on the right side for the i sake of neatness, and also to keep tbe | seam flat ; cut a piece of thick cardboard to stiffen the heel and insert it between fche loose lining and the leather heel ; glue ifc to fche latter and leaye it till quite dry. A lining for the sole is cut out and glued in ; the ribbon binding neatly fastened off and the strap sown firmly to the heel for about an inch, and fche shoe is done. I think many will find it much more satisfactory make them than to be always buying, and witb so many cheap sales as there are at present going on, remnants very suitable for this purpose can easUy be found.