Making platform shoes for ball-jointed dolls
Making miniature shoes for my ball-jointed dolls is one of my favorite costume-making activities. I've been trying to incorporate even more intricate details into my designs. I feel that those details can elevate the doll to a new level. So today, I want to show you how I made these platform heels for my recent ball-jointed doll, Rafflesia. You can find a full video tutorial on my Patreon.
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Heel
For this particular design, I wanted to sculpt my own heel from polymer clay. This way, I could fit the shoes for the doll flawlessly. At first, I sculpted a rough structure that could be carved and perfected after baking the clay. The texture and color of the polymer clay made it look very realistic — almost like a mix between rubber and some kind of plastic. Carving and sanding the clay was quite easy with a good scalpel and a coarse sanding sponge.
Sewing the shoe
Since the heel was quite bulky and heavy-looking, I knew I wanted the shoe itself to resemble sandals. The contrast between the heavy sole and the lightweight strings of the sandal made the design more interesting. For the strings and the top part of the shoe, I selected a red fabric that was quite thin and delicately woven. To give the shoe some structure, I folded the fabric in half and used two layers. To attach the fabric part to the sole I used some super glue and then covered the seam with another thin fabric insert.
Decorating
When I had the structure of the shoe figured out, it was time for decorating! It's the best part of every costuming project. For these shoes, I picked tiny flowers that could be attached to the front of the shoe. Micro seed beads were perfect too. Using an invisible thread, I attached each flower to the fabric. The very thin needle for the seed beads is also a must. Since the heel is very chunky, you can add loads of decorations to it too.
I made a clasp of a few metal details used for jewelry making. Any hook and loop would work in this particular case. You just need to make sure the scale works for your doll.
These shoes are definitely my favorite ones I've ever made. I added white stockings for my doll, and the whole style looked very vintage in the end. If you want to make exactly the same shoes and want some instructions, make sure to watch my Patreon tutorial (it's available from the Apprentice level, which is $5/month).
Let me know if you've tried this technique of sculpting your own soles or heels for the shoes. Also, I'm happy to answer any questions you have in the comments below!
