Guide to making replica Viking turnshoes. Page 1. to Viking turnshoes.pdf · Guide to making replica Viking turnshoes. Page 1. ... Guide to making replica Viking turnshoes. ... cutting

Guide to making replica Viking turnshoes. Page 1.

www.aidan-campbell.co.uk Miniatureartist,sculptorandtraditionalcraftsman

InordertomakeyourownpairofreplicaVikingperiodturnshoesitisofcoursenecessarytounderstandwhatwemeanbythetermturnshoe,andIsupposetoalesserextent the termVikingperiod.Put simply a turnshoeis any shoe that is sewn together insideout and then“turned” right way round to force the seams insidewheretheyarelesslikelytobewornorabraidedinuse.This traditionalwayofmakingshoesisradicallydif-ferentandsomewhatsimplerthanthemethodsusedinmodernshoeconstruction,anditisthissimplicitythatIwouldsuggestmakesmakingapairofturnshoesanattainablegoalforsomebodywithbasicsewingskillsbutnopreviousshoemakingexperience.

WithregardtothetermVikingperiod,itcanmeanmanythingstomanypeople.HereinEnglanditiscommonlytaken to mean from the first attack on Lindisfarne through to the Norman conquest - roughly speakingthe ninth, tenth and first half of the eleventh centuries. Elsewhere inEurope itcancoverfar longerfromtheearlyMigrationorVendelperiodsthroughtowhatweinEnglandwould consider theMiddleAgesorHighMedieval. It is important to choose a particular stylesuitable for the date you are portraying. So whetherbuying shoes or making your own you should notselectadesignjustbecauseyouhappentolikethelookand style, or because someone has written the word“Viking”onthelabel.Thechartbelow,althoughsomewhat simplified, provides approximate periods over whichthearchaeologicaldatasuggestssomestylesofshoewere commonly inuse. It doesnot cover everyfind, and makes no allowances for regional differences oroddexceptions togeneral trends, soplease treat itasnothingmorethanalooseoverview.Inotherwordsalsodoyourownresearchintowhatisorisn’tappro-priateforusewithinyourownre-enactmentsociety.

Whilst many re-enactors are happy to try sewing clothing, making shoes tends to be viewed as a dif-

ficult task only suited to experts. This isn’t a detailed guide on how to become an expert shoe maker; It’s

a set of notes about my own self taught methods which evolved to help me to make good looking and serviceable replica shoes using a minimal set of tools and basic skills which should be within the ability of

any re-enactor used to sewing their own costume.



In my opinion the hardest part of making a turnshoeisnottheactualconstructionbutadaptingapatterntofit your own foot. Much of the cutting and fitting of periodshoeswasdonearoundwoodenlasts,howeverifwearetosimplifyconstructiontoavoidsuchcomplexmethodsourpatternmakingmustbe thatmuchmoreaccurate. Period turnshoes would not have been asclose fitting or provide the same level of comfort as modern shoes, and having no cushioned sole or heelisgoingtotakesomegettingusedtoonmodernpavedsurfaces.Nevertheless,iftheywerecripplingtowear,orsolooseandsloppytheybecameatriphazardourVikingancestorswouldnothavewornthemandsoyouwill need to decide for yourself what degree of fit and comfortyouareexpectingorarewillingtotolerate.

Undoubtedlythebestwaytomakeapatternforcuttinganewpairofturnshoesistostartwithanexistingbutworn out pair of comfortable old turnshoes you canunpick and open out flat. If you have this option I rec-ommend making your first pair of shoes this way as a meansof learninga few techniques,orat leastuse itfor basic dimensions to ensure a good fit. However this does pre-suppose you already have a well fitting pair of oldturnshoesandmerelywanttoreplacethem.Ifyoudon’thaveapairofexistingshoestoworkfromyouaregoingtohavetodrawyourownpatternfromscratch.Thisinvolvesapplyingthemeasurementsofyourownfeettoagenericpattern.

Youwillneedtostandbarefoot(orwearperiodsocks/hose if thesearepartofyournormalkit)uponsomenewspaperoroldwallpaperandgetsomebodytodrawaroundyourownfeet.Whenyouhavedonethisyouwillneedtodrawastraightlinefromthemiddleoftheheelthroughthegapbetweenyourbigtoeandtheadja-centtoesoastoformthecentrelineofthesole.Thislinedictatesthepositionofthepointofthetoeofthesole,andifdesiredthepointofthetriangularheelriser.Smoothouttheshapeofyourfoottocreatetheshapeofthesoletakingcaretoaddalittlelengthatthetoewhichisoftenthetightestpartoftheshoe.Ifyouliketoaddmoderncushionedinsolestoyourturnshoesaddanother2-3mmoutsideoftheshapeyouhavedrawn.Ifaheelriserisrequired,takecaretomakethisatleastaswideastheheelotherwisethebackseemswilldigintoyourfeetasyouwalk.

Nexttakealonglengthofribbonorstringandtieaknotatroughlyit’smidpoint.Thiswillbeusedtomeasurethe dimensions of your foot at various places, thesedimensions are needed for marking out the shape oftheupper.Marktwolinesatrightanglestothecentrelineofthesole.Onelineshouldbeatthewidestpointofthefoot,usuallytheballofthefoot.Theotherlineshouldbeatthehighestpointonthearchofthefoot.Lay your string across one of these lines with the knot at the centre point where the lines cross. Hold thisstringinplacewithmaskingtapeorotherlowtacktapeat the edges of the sole leaving the free ends of thestringextendingpastthewidthofthesole.Standbackon the paper pattern and string and then lift the freeendsofthestringuptomeetontopatthemidpointofyourfoot.Markonthestringwheretheymeet,thenlaythe string back flat along the line on the paper sole and transferthesedistancestothepaperpatterntodenotethecircumferenceofthefootateachpoint.Itisimpor-tanttheknotremainsstucktothecentrallinetoensurewegetthecorrectdistancetoeithersideofthefoot.Ifwedon’t,althoughtheupperwillbebigenough,itmaytwist theshoeoutofshape.Allof this iscomplex todescribebutverystraightforwardtodo,soIhopeyouhavefollowedmyattempttodescribetheprocess.



Now comes the complicated bit as we must reducethelengthofthesecrosslinesbythewidthofthesole.Measure thewidthof thesolefromit’scentre line toit’sedge,thenmeasurebackinthesamedistancefromtheendof thecross lineandmark thispoint.Havingdonethisforeachendofbothcrosslineswewillhavedefined the critical dimensions of the upper

This takes a bit, and perhaps if this is your first attempt, a lot of trial and error to get a smooth curve of thecorrectlength,especiallyifyouaretryingtomatchtheshapeofacutoutattheheeltotaketheheelriser.Iwillstrongly recommend that although you should markthepointyouexpecttheclosingseamintheuppertobe, you actually cut the upper a little longer, both toallow for a seam allowance and also to allow minoradjustmentslateron.Similarlytheshapeandheightofthetopedgeoftheupperdoesnotneedtobemarkedexactlyatthisstage.Oncedonethisshouldgiveyouapatternforbothpartsofyourshoe.

Whendrawingtheshapeoftheupperitisimportantthatthelengthofit’souteredgeisexactlythesamelengthas the outer edge of the sole, otherwise they won’t fit together.Todothistakeyourpieceofstring,tapetheknottothepointofthetoeofthesolethencarefullylayitaroundtheoutlineofthesoleyouhavedrawn.Markthestringwhereitreachesthepointyouwouldliketheseam in theupper tobe (usuallyon the insideof thefootataboutthearch).Marktheotherendthatpassesallaroundthesolewhereittoomeetsthisdesiredseemline.Ifthesolehasatriangularheelriser,thenmarkonthestringthepointswheretheheelriserstartsandendsandalsothepositionofit’spointedtip.

Withoutun-fasteningthestringfromthetoeendofthesole,graduallyopenout the string to tryproduce theshapeoftheouteredgeoftheupperusingoneofthepatterns at the end of this guide for help. The modified endsofthetwocrosslinesmarkedonthesolewillgiveyouthewidthoftheupperatthesekeypoints.Usethemarks on the string to adjust the length/shape of theouteredgeoftheuppertocorrectlypositionthingslikethecutoutfortheheelriserorthejoinintheuppers.Oncehappywiththeshapeofthestringsketchinthislinetomarkitontothepaperpattern.



Madetraditionallythepatterndoesnotneedtobeveryaccurate as the leather can be trimmed to shape to fit the wooden last. In simplifying the construction toavoidusingwooden lasts,accuratepatternmaking isvitalandsotheouteredgeoftheuppermustbeexactlythesamelengthas theouteredgeof thesole.Beforecuttingyourleatherthinkaboutwhereyoudoanddonotneedtoleaveaseamallowance.Ifyouaresewinga thick sole with an edge/flesh stitch (see later) you won’tneedaseamallowanceonthesole.Howeveritismostprobablethatyouwillneedtoallowapprox.halfacentimetreoutsideoftheoutlineoftheuppertoallowtheshoetobesewntogetherandturned.Asmentioned,the height of the shoe up the side of the foot is notsomething that needs to be cut exactly at this stage.MostVikingshoeswerecuttoabouttheheightoftheanklebutastheexactheightandshapecanbetrimmedaftertheshoeissewnandturneditismerelyadvisabletoleaveenoughheighttoprovideplentyofleather.

Each style of shoe has it’s own idiosyncrasies whencuttingapattern.Ihavefor this introductionfocuseduponperhapsthemosttypical;Asimplesliponslipperconstructedfromaseparatesoleanduppermadewithasideseamandcharacteristicheelriser.TheseshoesarewidespreadgeographicallyandcoverthemainperiodofVikingoccupationinEngland.Subtlevariationsmayincludetheshapeofthethroatandtheymayormaynotbefastenedwithadrawstringabouttheankle.Ifyoucanmakeapairof theseshoesthenyoushouldhavelearntenoughtocopewithotherdifferentstyles

Accept that you will not get a perfect fit with the first pairofshoesyoumake.Notealsothatwithwearyourshoeswillstretch,sowhatmaystartouta little tightmaysoonendupalittletooloose.Asyouwearyourfirst pair of shoes, jot down where you need to add or removeafractionofacentimetreofleather.Gobackandamendyourpaperpatternpriortomakingasecondpairofshoes. Dateandkeepallyouroldpaperpat-terns, along with all the notes about how each fitted. Theywillformausefulreferenceeachtimeyouneedorwishtomakenewpairofshoesenablingeachpairto be modified to get a better and better fit.

Havingdrawnourpatternweneedtothinkabouttheleather we are going to use to make the shoe. Mosttypesofleatheravailableinthemodernworldwillbeunsuitable.Mainlybecausemostmodern leathers areextensivelydressedtoproduceaverysmooth,polished,shinysurfacewhichmayalsobedyedanevencolour.Having dealt with many genuine Viking turnshoeswhenworkingasanarchaeologicalconservator Icanstate with a fair degree of confidence that we need to beusingleatherwithaslightlymoreirregularsurfacetexture,grainpatternandgrowthmarks.Ihavetwodif-ferentfriendsbothofwhommakeafulltimelivingoutofmakingreproductionshoesforre-enactors,bothofwhomclaimthattheycan’tsellshoesmadefromthese“character”leathersastheircustomersdismissthemaslooking“cheap”.Consequentlydon’tassume that theshoesyouaretryingtomakeshouldbelikethoseforsaleatre-enactmentfairs.Thesepeoplemakewhattheircustomerswillbuyand strugglewith theeducationalaspectsofpersuadingpeopletobuywhat’sauthentic.

Wealsoneedtothinkaboutthemethodoftanningusedto create the leather. Modern nickle/chrome tannedleathers won’t soften when soaked, making it difficult to turnthickshoes.Traditionalveg-tannedcattleskinwillsofteninwatermakingiteasiertoworkwith.Cordwain(sheep/goatskin)showedabriefspellofpopularityinEnglandaroundthetwelfth/thirteenthcenturyandwasmore popular in Scandinavia, but nevertheless mostturnshoesweremadefromcattlehide.Asfaraswecantell,andallowingforafairbitofvariation,uppersweretypicallythin,lessthan2mmthickwhilstthesoleswerealittlethickerataround3-4mm.Giventhesurfaceswetend to walk on in the modern world, most re-enac-torsprefermoresubstantialshoeswiththickeruppersand a sole about 4-6mm thick.Turning a shoe madefrom thick leather is difficult, making good veg-tanned leatheressential.Veg-tanned leatherwillnormallybeavailableinun-dyedandun-waxedconditionwhichishow we want it. The final colour and appearance of the leather will darken and change a lot once we “stuff”and waterproof the finished shoe so don’t feel you need tobuydarkbrownleathertomakedarkbrownshoes.



Differentpeoplehavedifferentmethodsoftransferringtheirpaperpatterntotheleather.Iliketolaymypaperpatternontothehideandtracearounditwithaleatherworkers over-stitchwheel.This leaves a rowof tiny,evenlyspacedpinpricksinthesurfaceoftheleather.Usingacuttingmatoroldwoodenboardandaheavyduty craft knife with a new blade fitted I can then cut the sole out exactly along this row of dots.With theupperthisrowofdotswillformeachstitchholeandassuchIwillcutabouthalfacentimetreoutsideof thisdottedlinesoastocreatemyseamallowance.Markingtheexactlinetobestitchedandallowingextraleatheroutsideofthisfortheseam,ismoreaccuratethanaddingaseamallowancetothepaperpatternandguessingjusthowfarinsidethistopiercethestitchholes.Havingcutouttheupper,Iwillusetheawltoopenupeachstitchholearoundit’sedge.

With later Viking/Medieval period turnshoes it iscommon to see more advanced techniques involvingadditional strips of leather inserted into the seams.Much of this can be very interesting to those with adesire to undertake an in depth study of period shoemaking. However, for the benefit of those who simply want a first pair of shoes I do not intend covering rands, turn welted construction the use of wooden lasts therendering of tallow, the making of code to proof theleather and thread or any other of the more accurateyetcomplexperiodtechniquesthenoviceshoemakerisunlikelytoconsider.Afullindepthstudyofperiodshoe making would entail much more that I myselfhaveyettoattempt.

Itmaybestatingtheobvioustosomepeoplebutwhendealing with novice shoe makers attempting their first pair of shoes, many people get themselves into a lotof difficulty through muddling up left and right. Like modernshoesVikingshoesweremadedifferentlyforeachfoot,soa rightshoe isclearlydifferent toa leftshoe. Ifyour feetareprettymuch thesamesize thenit may be acceptable to make a pattern for one foot,cutthisout,thensimplyturnthistheotherwayuptotraceandcutamirrorimagefortheotherfoot.Ifyouknowyourfeetaredifferentyoumaywanttomaketwodifferentpatterns.Whateveryoudoclearlylabelboththepaperpatternsandthecutleathertodistinguishleftfrom right. When taking into consideration the extracomplicationofsewingtheshoes insideout itcanbevery easy to get muddled and end up sewing a leftuppertorightsoleorendupwithonepartoftheshoethewrongwayaroundonceturned.

Withrespecttosewingleatherithastwosidesreferredto as flesh and grain. The grain side is the less rough outersidewhichshowsthecreasing,growthmarksandpattern from hair removal, the flesh side is the inside of the animal with the rougher suede finish. The finished shoeshouldhavethegrainsideofthesoleandupperoutermost. This generally means sewing them withsuede or flesh sides outermost before turning.

Thoughtherearelotsofvariationsonexactlyhowtheuppercanbeattachedtothesolethefollowingdiagramcoversthethreemostcommonmethodsfoundinperiodshoes. Perhaps the most common is the edge/flesh stitch,heretheawlmakesanangledholeintheedgeofa thick sole and comes out the flesh side of the leather. A more complex and difficult to sew variation on this isthetunnelstitchwhereacurvedawlisusedtopiercea very thick sole, the entry hole in the flesh side comes back out the same flesh surface it went in, trapping the threadinthebodyoftheleather.Perhapsthesimplestmeans of sewing a shoe is the flesh/grain stitch. This onlyworkswiththinsolesbuttreatstheleatherasyouwouldwovenfabric;thatisyouputthetwooutersidestogether and sew straight through them, turning theseaminsidewhencomplete.



Intermsofthreadforsewingyourshoeswehaveafewchoices. Some of the earliest shoes were sewn withwoollen thread which quickly rots and the shoes fallapart.Mostshoesweresewnwithwaxedlinenthreadwhichwillstillrotandfallapart.Somewerelacedwiththin leatherorsinewthong.Studyofsurvivingshoesfromtheperiodshowsthatrepairswerearegularneces-sity.Ifyouvalueauthenticityandwantthefullexperi-enceof caring foryour shoes thenusewoolor linenthreadandtakecaretowaxitwell.If/whenthenoveltyofmendingshoesstarts towearoffyoumaywant toconsidermodernalternatives.Nylonthreadwillnotrot,butasitismuchstrongeryoudoneedtotakecarenotto rip the leather when tightening each stitch as yousew the upper to the sole. Most commercial produc-ers of replica turnshoesuse synthetic sinewwhich isbaseduponwaxednylon.IcertainlyfoundthatwhenIswitchedtousingthisthatmuchmoreofmytimewasfreedupfortasksotherthanmendingmyshoes.

When we come to sew our shoes together the first few stitchesarealwaysgoingtobeproblematicasweneedabout five hands to hold everything in place. This is where nailing and shaping the shoe around a properwooden lastmaymake the jobeasier.However, lastsreallyaren’tanecessity sodon’tworryaboutgettingthe tension right immediately, just get the threadthrough all the holes for the for the first three or four stitches,thentightentheseuptopulltheshoetogether.By the time the first dozen stitches are done the sole and upper should hold together sufficiently to make all theremainingstitcheseasier.

With respect to using the awl to pierce the holes forsewing, I stated earlier that I start by using an over-stichwheeltomarkthepositionsalloftheholesaroundtheoutercircumferenceoftheupperaspartofcuttingthepatternoutoftheleather.HavingcutouttheupperIthenusetheawltoopenupeachstitchhole.HoweverIdonotpre-markorpiercethecorrespondingstitchholesinthesoleatthetimeIcutitout.Whateveryourbestintentionsifyoutrytopierceallthestitchholesinboththeupperandsoleatthestart,onceyoucometotrysewthe shoe together you will find that as the leather moves andstretchesaroundthecurvesoftheshoe,thetwosetsofstitchholeswon’tlineup.

ConsequentlyIwillonlypiercethenextstitchholeinthesoleoncethepreviousstitchhasactuallybeensewnandtightened.Idothisbypassingtheawlthroughthepre-madeholeintheuppertoensureperfectalignment.Similarlyitiswisetostartsewingtheuppertothesoleatthepointwherethereisthetightestradiusorpointasthis is where it is most difficult to adjust the shape and fit if you find your measurements aren’t quite accurate. Thisusuallymeansstartingatthepointofthetriangularheelriserandworkingforwardstowardsthetoeoftheshoe.Iftheshoehasnoheelriserthanitisbesttostartattheslightlypointedtoeandworkbacktothemoreroundedheel.

Thoughexamplesofawiderangeoftypesofstitchcanbefoundinperiodshoesonetypedominatesintermsofattachinguppertothesoleandthatissaddlestitch.Thisbasicallyentailsputtinganeedleoneachendofyourthreadandusingeachendtosewtwosimultaneousyetopposedrunningstitchesthroughthesamesetofholes,onesewnfromeachsideoftheleather.Thisprovidesa firm fastening to hold the shoe together when turned, andifonestitchrotstheotherwillstillhold,atleastforalittlewhilelonger.However,whilstItalkabout“sewing”thisisn’tactu-allyanaccuratedescription.Unlessyouhappentohaveimmense strength and dexterity in your fingers, sewing thick leather is impossible. What we actually mustdoisuseasharpawltopierceholesintheleatherforeachstitch,theneedlesthenactasnothingmorethana guide to help lace the threads through these holes.Traditionallyboarsbristleswereattachedtotheendsofthe thread which were flexible and allowed the thread tobelacedthroughtheholes.Ifavourcurvedneedles,asevenwithapre-madeholeyoumaystillneedagoodgriponanotherwisesmoothneedletopullthethreadthroughtheleather.



There is no standardised method of finishing off stitches, eitherattheendofaseam,orsimplytheendofalengthofthread.Myfavouredmethodistosimplypassoneofthe twoendsof the threadback through thepreviousstitchhole,knotthetwolooseendstogetherwithtwoorthreesecureknotsandtrimoffanysurplusthread.Ifyouneed tocontinuesewingthen itcanbeadvisableto start thenext pieceof thread twoor three stitchesback from where you knotted off the last piece. Byoverlappingthesewingthiswayyoufurtherreinforcethepotentiallyweakestpartoftheseams

Whenyouhavesewnmostofthewayaroundthesoletoattachtheupperyoucantrimtheexcessleatheroffthe ends of the upper and sew closed the side seam.Thestitchingforthisshouldstartatthetopedgeoftheupperandworkdowntowards thesole.Working thiswayyoudonotgetanunsightlyoruncomfortableknotat the topof theupperseam.Furthermoreitmakesiteasiertoattachedthecloseduppertothesole

Turning a shoe inside out, or more precisely turningan inside out shoe the right way round can be difficult. Ifyou’veonlyusedthinleatherthismaynotbequitesoproblematicbutwithadecentthicknessofsoleyouwill definitely need to soften the shoe first. If placed in lukewarmwater,veg-tannedleatherwillbubblegentlyasitsoaksupthewaterandsoftens.Itmaytakeafewminutesforittostopbubblingbutitcantakemorethananhour for thewet shoe to fully soften.This shouldmaketurningtheshoealittleeasier,thoughallowforthe use of much foul language the first time you attempt thisaswithoutpracticeyouwillquiteliterallyswearitis“#*@$#%*!”impossible.

Forcing the sodden shoe the right way around maystretchtheleather,soitisimportanttomould/shapethewetshoetoshapeasitdries.Traditionallythiswouldbedonebyforcingthewoodenlastbackintotheturnedshoe.Ifyoucantolerateit,thebestwayistowearthewetshoesandsquelchaboutthehouseorgardenfortheafternoonallowingtheshoe tomould to theshapeofyourfootasitdries.Ifnot,putaplasticbaginsideeachshoeandpackthemwithscrunchedupnewspaper.Astheydrytheywillbecomemoreandmorerigidwhichissomething we will deal with by “stuffing” the leather.

Allmannerofthingscanbeusedtostufftheleathertoboth waterproof it and soften it to return it’s flexibility. These range from simple cooking oil, to tallow, lardorbeeswax.Justkeepapplyingtheseuntiltheleatherwillsoakupnomoreandyouarehappycalltheshoesfinished. Don’t be surprised if over a couple of days youcangetanewpairofshoestodrinkallofasmallbottleofvegetableoilastheleatherwillholdalotofstuffing. It is this oiling and waxing of the leather that willalso turn thepale leather the rich red/brownhueweassociatewithtraditionalleather.Ageneralpartofday to day care of your shoes will be the occasionalre-applicationofanothercoatofoilorwax,justasyouwouldperiodicallypolishanypairofleathershoes.



Once the shoe is turned the rightway roundandhasbeen oiled or waxed to make it flexible again there may be a few finishing touches to deal with; You may wish to add toggles or cuts slits to apply a draw string oryoumaywanttocarefullytrimtheleatheraroundtheopening of the shoe to provide a more comfortable fit at the ankle. One point I will mention is the finishing of the opening. Many period shoes have stitch holesaroundthetopedgeshowingtheexistenceofsomesortof whipping.Though it is very rare for the thread tosurvive,somehavearguedthiswasjustawhipstitchtoreinforcetheleatherandstopitfromstretching,othershaveargueditheldaleatherthongorcordtostrengthenit.AcoupleofexamplesfromYorkshowadecorative/strengthening top band of fine leather held on with these whipstitches.Itisalsoconceivablethatareinforcingcordcouldbestitchedinsidesuchatopband.

Making yourself some decent shoes will take a littletime,but as the leatherandothermaterialsused inasinglepairofshoesshouldcostonlyaround£10-£15atthetimeofwriting,handstitchingyourownwillalmostcertainlybealotcheaperthaneventhemostreasonablypriced,budgetpairofmachinemadereplicas.Whatismore,ifproperlymadefromadecentqualityofleather,andiftheyarewellcaredfor,notonlywilltheylookbetter, they will almost certainly last longer than thecheapbudgetpairsofturnshoesthatmanyre-enactorsbuyandwearoutonaregularbasisthinkingthemtobeaneconomicdeal.



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Guide to making replica Viking turnshoes. Page 1. to Viking turnshoes.pdf · Guide to making replica Viking turnshoes. Page 1. ... Guide to making replica Viking turnshoes. ... cutting