Exciting espadrilles
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014
This week I’ve extended my dressmaking repertoire into making shoes – espadrilles to be exact. I love the carefree look and feel of espadrilles and it’s great that they come in so many colours – there’s a pair for every outfit you make. So when I saw this espadrilles kit from Prym (£8.90) I just knew I had to give them a go.
The kit contains the pattern and soles but no instructions – for these you have to visit the Prym website and print them off. There are two pieces to the pattern – the heel piece and the toe piece and to make them up you need an outer fabric (strong linen/canvas style fabric is ideal) – I chose a spotty linen type, a lining fabric – I used soft cotton – and some interfacing which gets sandwiched between the lining and outer to offer stability.
They are easy to put together – the only technique you need is hand blanket stitch. Pushing the needle through the sole can be tough, so use a sharp leather needle and a thimble to help. You’ll also need to use extra strong polyester thread to ensure it doesn’t all unravel.
I did have a problem with mine, well two in fact. Firstly, although I cut the correct size pattern pieces out, they were too small for the size of the sole (which was a size five – my usual size). Luckily I had some material left over so cut again using the size six pattern pieces. These fitted the size five soles fine. My second problem came when I tried them on after I’d finished – they were too big and I couldn’t walk in them without them slipping off. I toyed with the idea of putting a little bit of elastic inside at the heel, but couldn’t get it to look right. So in the end I sewed two lengths of ribbon to each shoe and I tie these around the ankles, to keep them on. They are fine for standing around in but not really for walking. I don’t mind – they still look great and I just make sure I only wear them when I’m not going far.
When I make them again (and I definitely will as they are lovely) I will buy the sole in a smaller size. This will, I’m sure, solve the problem of fit. If you want to give them a go it could be worth measuring your feet against the soles before you buy to make sure yours area a snug fit. Happy making.
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