Tarja Simpanen - Techniques for Making Doll Shoes

This book collects and organizesinformation on various techniques for making doll shoes that I have discovered,experimented with and developed further in the past 15 years or so. Much of theinformation is available on my Fashion Doll Shoes blog, but it may be difficult to quickly find specific information withoutsearching through several years worth of blog posts. Furthermore, the blogposts describe the experimentation stages, so the techniques described theremay not be optimal. The techniques described in this book are the best methodsI have discovered and developed to date.

The techniques presented in this book varyfrom easy and quick, such as the basic sole structure, to difficult and timeconsuming, such as resin casting. The tools and materials needed for thetechniques are mostly easy to find in stores selling craft supplies, except forthe different casting materials, which are usually found in stores sellingscale modeling supplies. You do not need many specialist tools, although toolsspecific to making miniatures will probably be easier to use.

In this book, small scale refers mainly to1/6 scale dolls, such as Tiny Kitty by Tonner Doll Company, Fashion Royalty byIntegrity Dolls, and Silkstone Barbie by Mattel. Making shoes for playlineBarbies and others with similar sized (or smaller) feet is not covered, becausetheir feet are too small for the kinds of shoes described here.

Large scale refers to all larger dolls, startingfrom the 12" Agnes Dreary by Tonner Doll Company. Large scale also includesMonster High dolls by Mattel because their feet are similar in size to 14"-16"fashion dolls despite the Monster High dolls standing only 11" tall.

Chapters 14 present some tools andmaterials, chapters 56 explain different casting methods and how to make footlasts of a doll's feet, chapters 79 introduce different ways of making solesand heels for shoes, chapters 1011 describe making uppers for different kindsof shoes, and chapter 12 lists some references. The references include a , which youmay want to check before reading the book.

There are a lot of pictures of finishedshoes to show what can be done and to give you some ideas to use as a startingpoint for your own designs. Due to the large number of photos, I had to limit thebook's scope. This means that the book covers only the making of shoes, notboots. However, the instructions for soles and heels apply equally to boots; itis only the uppers that differ.

Note that the techniques described in thisbook and the shoes made using these techniques are meant for adult collectors (ages14 years and over). You can use some of these techniques for making shoes for achild's doll, but always make sure to use non-toxic materials and to avoidsmall, easily detached parts.

Finally, here are the usual caveats,because however thorough you try to be, there is always the possibility thatsomething gets left out.

I have tried to include all the necessaryinformation to the best of my abilities, but cannot guarantee that everything isincluded. Always read the instructions thoroughly and make sure you understandthe required steps before trying the process yourself.

I cannot guarantee the compatibility of thevarious materials mentioned in this book or their suitability for the intendedpurpose. Always read and follow all instructions that come with the materials.If unsure, first test how the materials react to each other or to the materialof which your doll is made.

If you have any questions, comments orother feedback, you can contact the author by email: fennotrans@gmail.com

The postal address of the author is: TarjaSimpanen, PL 130, 60101 Seinjoki, Finland