Ildhafn Arts and Sciences Challenge 2024-2025
Category
Verbatim and Discendo Discimus
Make two identical items, Share a skill you know with someone else
Entrant
Sir Inigo Missaglia (Derek), the teacher
Rose Taillor (Sigi), the pupil
Entry
Ruby Red Slippers
Research and Justification
One fine Sunday I intruded on Sir Inigo and Baroness Cicilia’s peaceful afternoon, and distracted Sir Inigo from his helm construction. Perhaps in a vain attempt to silence me, he started teaching me to make a pair of medieval shoes. I have therefore taken the liberty of entering this challenge on his behalf. He’s always keen to share his knowledge and I have benefitted many times over from his teaching.
We tried to find his book Shoes and Pattens to no avail, so he defaulted to personal experience. He showed me all the shoe patterns he had made, and we collectively sighed over the sheer adorableness of seeing his children’s feet grow over the years. He deposited pictorial reference books in my lap as he traced my foot and transferred the shape to a pattern. After a quick lesson on saddle stitching, he handed over the needles and leather, and finally managed to get some of his own work done.
Process
The stitching went very slowly, even with an awl and pliers; blood sacrifices were made, and I broke around ten needles by the end of it.
I saddle stitched around the soles, then butt stitched the sides together. This first shoe I started sewing with something that DEFINITELY wasn’t a saddle stitch, before realising my mistake and everything going far smoother when I wasn’t trying to force 4 threads through one hole!
I ended up needing to go back and resew one of the sides of the shoe to decrease the opening at the top, as I had miscalculated the trimming needed on the side.
I could NOT turn these things, given the difference between the sole and upper leather thickness. Back to Sir Inigo’s I went, and he graciously wrestled with them for an afternoon.
Once dry, I mattress stitched the top edge
The finished shoes!
I am considering if I want to add a fastening to them; I plan to wear them to our upcoming Labour Weekend and see how they feel before making any other decisions.
References
Shoes and Pattens: Finds from Medieval Excavations in London (2) (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London). Francis Grew, Margrethe de Neergaard, and Susan Mitford. Boydell Press 2004.
A Beginners Guide to Turn Shoes Ver 2.pdf (regia.org)
Guide to Viking turnshoes.pdf (aidan-campbell.co.uk)