Egon
Sr Member
Hey all,
Over the last few years, I have SLOWLY been building a Hoth variant of Han Solo. Always one of my favorite looks, and plenty of fantastic versions from dozens of Han costumers.
One big hold out for me to finishing this was the boots. I have seen a few versions (both one offs and commercially available) but I like to build as much as I can for each project because I like to be difficult. Hah!
So I set about figuring out how to make my own boots, setting the bar low and not wanting them to be for winter wear, but friendly for cons and generally walking about.
Now it looks like between Han, Leia, Luke, and the troopers there were several versions made, and Luke and Han had various versions as well. So I stuck to a "best of all worlds" approach - so these are not accurate to any one pair, but this thread should provide enough info if folks want to tackle their own and modify based on preference!
Long story short, I have been self soothing during Covid by watching cobbler videos. This got the idea in my head that I should tackle these boots.
Having done plenty of holsters, belts, wallets, etc, I felt pretty comfortable doing these in leather. I also upgraded by sewing machine last year to an industrial machine that *can* tackle garment leather without a walking foot (though I have one for my Janome HD3000) however, I tried to make these with as few tools as possible.
Now that that is out of the way, here is how I went about it!
First, I tried to find a muck luck or moccasin pattern that would make a good base. Plenty of folks have modified slippers/shoes etc, but I wanted these to feel hand hewn.
I came across this pattern on Etsy : Moccasins Pattern Shoe Templates Leather DIY Pdf | Etsy
There are a few variations of the loafers in that pattern, but I chose the version without laces to use as the base.
Next I gathered materials.
-Base Sole : 8oz veg tanned leather
-Sole : rubber sole sheeting from amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083KLM6YZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
-Suede : 3/4oz suede from eBay in both grey and white 3-4 oz. Suede Garment Leather Hides for Native SCA LARP Cosplay Crafts Bags Etc | eBay
-Barge cement
-3/4 inch white velcro
-1/4 chicago screws
Tools
-rawhide mallet
-chip brushes for the barge cement
-cardstock to print the patterns
-masking tape
-waxed thread
-blunt needles
-black leather dye (for the leather sole)
-awl (for marking holes)
-leather hole punch
-stitch groover
-sewing machine for attaching the velcro to the straps
First, I printed the pattern for the loafers 1 size up. I sized up to accommodate heavier socks and insoles
The pattern needs to be slightly modified to work for this!
Remove the tabs from the sidewalls that connect to the vamp, and stitch the heel with the seam allowance on the inside, not the outside. I also angled the vamp to create a point instead of the curved tab shown.
Next, you can follow the tutorial from the amazing Etsy shop to assemble the base of the boots. Follow along with his video until you have the sidewalls and vamp assembled and sewn to your sole.
Unfortunately, I don't have too many photos of this, but the video tutorial from the etsy listing is super informative and thorough. My only modification was cutting the rubber sole piece and barging it to the finished shoe.
Once the base shoe is constructed comes the part where you will have to improvise - the shaft and tongue. This will be different for everyone!
I started by taking the two pattern pieces for the rear of the shoe, and taping them together along their holes. This way I end up with the correct size of the finished shoe. This will allow me to align the shaft of the boot to the the two heel pieces making sure they are the correct size. From there, I traced the pieces onto paper, and extended the shaft up and across considering the circumference of my calf.
You can see if left a sizable "seam allowance" on the shaft to allow plenty of room to barge cement this onto the shoe. This is very important!
From here, I traced and cut this pattern out of the grey suede, and added the white accents. I did this by tracing the shaft, and creating an ~1 inch strip following the curve. These were then barged into place.
Once this was complete, these pieces were barged into place.
Now it is time to add the tongue. This part is very easy! Trace the vamp piece of the paper pattern onto the leather, and extend it up to the height of the shaft. This then gets barged onto the tongue.
Again, you can see I left plenty of "seam allowance" to barge this onto the tongue.
From here, I cut 6 1 inch straps of white suede for the closures. I added 5 inch strips of 3/4 inch velcro to the ends, and used a simple chicago screw to pin them to the rear of the boot, and like that you are done!
Over the last few years, I have SLOWLY been building a Hoth variant of Han Solo. Always one of my favorite looks, and plenty of fantastic versions from dozens of Han costumers.
One big hold out for me to finishing this was the boots. I have seen a few versions (both one offs and commercially available) but I like to build as much as I can for each project because I like to be difficult. Hah!
So I set about figuring out how to make my own boots, setting the bar low and not wanting them to be for winter wear, but friendly for cons and generally walking about.
Now it looks like between Han, Leia, Luke, and the troopers there were several versions made, and Luke and Han had various versions as well. So I stuck to a "best of all worlds" approach - so these are not accurate to any one pair, but this thread should provide enough info if folks want to tackle their own and modify based on preference!
Long story short, I have been self soothing during Covid by watching cobbler videos. This got the idea in my head that I should tackle these boots.
Having done plenty of holsters, belts, wallets, etc, I felt pretty comfortable doing these in leather. I also upgraded by sewing machine last year to an industrial machine that *can* tackle garment leather without a walking foot (though I have one for my Janome HD3000) however, I tried to make these with as few tools as possible.
Now that that is out of the way, here is how I went about it!
First, I tried to find a muck luck or moccasin pattern that would make a good base. Plenty of folks have modified slippers/shoes etc, but I wanted these to feel hand hewn.
I came across this pattern on Etsy : Moccasins Pattern Shoe Templates Leather DIY Pdf | Etsy
There are a few variations of the loafers in that pattern, but I chose the version without laces to use as the base.
Next I gathered materials.
-Base Sole : 8oz veg tanned leather
-Sole : rubber sole sheeting from amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083KLM6YZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
-Suede : 3/4oz suede from eBay in both grey and white 3-4 oz. Suede Garment Leather Hides for Native SCA LARP Cosplay Crafts Bags Etc | eBay
-Barge cement
-3/4 inch white velcro
-1/4 chicago screws
Tools
-rawhide mallet
-chip brushes for the barge cement
-cardstock to print the patterns
-masking tape
-waxed thread
-blunt needles
-black leather dye (for the leather sole)
-awl (for marking holes)
-leather hole punch
-stitch groover
-sewing machine for attaching the velcro to the straps
First, I printed the pattern for the loafers 1 size up. I sized up to accommodate heavier socks and insoles
The pattern needs to be slightly modified to work for this!
Remove the tabs from the sidewalls that connect to the vamp, and stitch the heel with the seam allowance on the inside, not the outside. I also angled the vamp to create a point instead of the curved tab shown.
Next, you can follow the tutorial from the amazing Etsy shop to assemble the base of the boots. Follow along with his video until you have the sidewalls and vamp assembled and sewn to your sole.
Unfortunately, I don't have too many photos of this, but the video tutorial from the etsy listing is super informative and thorough. My only modification was cutting the rubber sole piece and barging it to the finished shoe.
Once the base shoe is constructed comes the part where you will have to improvise - the shaft and tongue. This will be different for everyone!
I started by taking the two pattern pieces for the rear of the shoe, and taping them together along their holes. This way I end up with the correct size of the finished shoe. This will allow me to align the shaft of the boot to the the two heel pieces making sure they are the correct size. From there, I traced the pieces onto paper, and extended the shaft up and across considering the circumference of my calf.
You can see if left a sizable "seam allowance" on the shaft to allow plenty of room to barge cement this onto the shoe. This is very important!
From here, I traced and cut this pattern out of the grey suede, and added the white accents. I did this by tracing the shaft, and creating an ~1 inch strip following the curve. These were then barged into place.
Once this was complete, these pieces were barged into place.
Now it is time to add the tongue. This part is very easy! Trace the vamp piece of the paper pattern onto the leather, and extend it up to the height of the shaft. This then gets barged onto the tongue.
Again, you can see I left plenty of "seam allowance" to barge this onto the tongue.
From here, I cut 6 1 inch straps of white suede for the closures. I added 5 inch strips of 3/4 inch velcro to the ends, and used a simple chicago screw to pin them to the rear of the boot, and like that you are done!
I repaired my own moccasin and used darning thread (worked like a charm). What type of material did you use for the project?
