Fun Small Shoe Quilts

I took time just before, as well as during, ArtPrize to play ... creating smaller shoe quilts with purses.

"Bleu Belle" Shoe - 18"x 18"

"Harlequin" Shoe - 18"x 18"

"Spice Girl" Shoe - 18"x 18"

"Black Lace Girl" Shoe (18"x 18")

Those four plus one more, the "Red Shoe" (forgot to photograph that one) can be seen ... and purchased for $400 each ... at Good Goods Gallery in Saugatuck, Michigan.

This last one was made as a gift for my interior decorator friend who has been supplying me with expired fabric books and yardage leftovers for years. The tapestry background and framing fabric for the above shoe quilts came from her as well as the backing fabric for each of them.

"Congo Pump for Ebbie" (24"x 18")

This shoe is African themed because Ebbie and her husband had lived there and the room where it is displayed has the flavor of that continent.

I'm in the process of working on yet another smaller shoe quilt. It's a commission that resulted from the person seeing "Imelda's Dream II" at ArtPrize and the one I created for Ebbie. You'll have to wait to see and read more about that one after it's been gifted at Christmas.

Pay It Forward Art Gift

This PIF art gift is in its new home in Italy.

"Hot Stuff" - 16"x16" (2008)

Linda Teodo who's a big fan of my shoe quilt, "Imelda's Dream" is the recipient. When I created this small quilt for the Smoky Mountain Quilt guild's "hot stuff" challenge this spring I used the same patterns for the shoes and boxes in that huge quilt. While I was making this one thoughts of Linda kept popping into my mind ... I knew it was destined for her. To read about its contruction, go here.

Red Shoes

I love red shoes. I've always loved red shoes. These are the shoes in my dream.

"Hot Stuff" - 16"x16" (2008)

These are the shoes in my reality.
I cannot believe how comfortable they are for pretty and dainty looking shoes. Usually I have to go for sturdy looking ones to find comfort. Not so for these silk faille beauties with a 1" high wedge heel from Italy.

The shoe quilt looked like this at the beginning of construction in my ortwork collage technique ... before the additions of paint, roving, threads, rhinestones and quilting.
I used real tissue paper that was already a gold metallic. Two coatings of Liquitex Matt Medium Varnish were brushed on to make it tear and moisture proof.Shiva Oil Paint Sticks shaded the box to give it definition ... especially, the corner on the black box.
To create the effect of a pink Venetian glass shelf, I laid down thin layers of roving over threads ... both kept in straight lines. I was going for the effect of glass (any kind of glass) that would not completely obscure the background fabric, as well as to give the box something to sit on. I'm pleased it turned out to be one of my favorite kinds of glass.

The rhinestones (and silver studs) are the kind made for clothing and are heat set. I used my little quilting triangle iron with a pressing cloth to adhere them. I couldn't resist adding them to the shoes and bags displayed in the background, too.

The red pair is so comfortable that I bought them in beige, too. Now, to keep those toenails painted and manicured through the summer season to show off my pretty shoes.

"Bling" the Last Shoe

"Bling" is the fanciest shoe in my "Imelda's Dream" quilt. It is made from an antique piece of hand-beaded and sequined lace that was in my lace collection. I hesitated to cut that wonderful lace apart. However, it was unseen and unappreciated hidden away in a drawer.This quilt, "Imelda's Dream" is currently exhibited at MB Gallery in Chicago, Illinios.All photos are clickable for you to view a larger version in a separate window. Click the back arrow icon of your server to get back to this post.

"Kiss My Foot" Shoe - Constructing the Quilt

Every wardrobe needs a basic black shoe. This one is made from black silk shantung. The tulle is trimmed away so the texture of the silk is revealed. I couldn't resist the little kick of adding lips puckered for a kiss at the heel ... only to really be seen when she's walking away. The red Christian Louboutin shoe that had inspired me had a rosette under the heel that left an imprint behind. He called them his "follow me" shoes.
In a previous posting I explained how each block was constructed and quilted. To put the quilt together, a row of blocks was sewn together by butting the raw edges of two blocks and attaching one to the other with a wide zig-zag stitch. A narrow 1/2" flattened tube of fabric (seam pressed open on the under side) was machine appliqued on the back side to cover the zig-zag stitched seam. Then the sashing that represents the colored light framing the display was appliqued on the front of the quilt to hide the zig-zag seam as well as the two applique seams. A silver cord was couched at the edge of the sashings to give a highlight to the neon. After all the vertical rows of blocks were assembled, I sewed the sections together in the same way ... 1/2" sashing tube on the back, the neon light sashing on the front, and the silver cording couched to the edges.
This way of constructing completed (quilted) sections for a large quilt works well for me. I cannot imagine trying to free-motion quilt on a home sewing machine a piece that is this large (70"x70"). I had a difficult time getting the last two sections together. I even stated rather loudly at the time as I wrestled that bulk through the machine, "This is my LAST really big wall quilt!!!" Well, we'll see if I truly meant that down the road.

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"I Do" Shoe - Making the Block

One pair of shoes had to be displayed in the box. Isn't there always a customer who helps herself and doesn't put them back? Also, I felt this large quilt (70"x70") required a visually disruptive element.
This pair of shoes began as a single shoe just like all the others. It was cut apart to look like a pair snuggled in tissue (actually china silk). The shoe fabric is an old machine-made lace dresser scarf ... making perfect footwear for a bride.
Each block began with the same background and "shelf" fabrics. They and the shoebox were placed in the same positions within each block. I used glue stick as well as temporary spray adhesive to keep them in place. Roving was thinly spead on the shelf to ceate a darker forground.In the finished quilt each shoe is showcased in its own lighted display cube. Oil stick pastels were used to give the initial effect of colored light on the background fabric. The shoe and "tissue" were adhered in place with temporary spray adhesive. A piece of tulle colored the same as the "light" for the cube was adhered with the temporary spray adhesive over the whole block. The shoe and box top are trapunto. A thin batting was placed under that area on the wrong side of the block. I then machine quilted around and within the shoe as well as the lines of the box top. The excess batting outside of the shoe and top of the box was trimmed away.
A heavier cotton batting and backing were layered with the trupunto quilted top. The background, foreground, box and outline of the shoe and lable were free-motion machine quilted.
More pastels were blended and rubbed into the background through the tulle. After each application, the pastels get set with heat. There were many applications ... even after all the blocks were sewn together ... a lot of rubbing and ironing with the tiny triangle iron right on the design wall. The rubbing cloths end up with interesting marks and areas of color. Those will be heat set for future projects.
The block is trimmed to size. Soon I'll post about the construction of the whole quilt.

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"Deco Dancing" Shoe

This shoe should have been part of an exciting celebration on New Year's Eve. The patterns for the different parts of the shoe are fussy cut from one fabric ... even the pom pom on top.

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"Turning Leaf" Shoe

All the fabrics I used for this shoe are designed by Jane Sassaman.
Jane's polka dotted fabrics are a big favorite of mine. The shoe is one piece of the blue/green one. I fussy-cut leaves that are from a couple of different fabrics. They were dissected to fit the curves and fill the spaces of the shoe.

The labels for the boxes are free-motion embroidery. I wrote out the words on tracing paper just the way I wanted them to appear. I then sprayed a temporary adhesive to the "right" side of the paper.
I adhered the paper to the wrong side of a heavy satin fabric with the "wrong" side of the writing face up. A heavy thread was wound on the bobbin and a fine one was threaded on top through the needle. I free-motion stitched over the written words.
The stitching perforates the paper making it easy to tear away when the embroidery is complete.

I devised this method through much experimenting. Any style of writing can easily be reproduced. The ease of stitching with the heavy thread in the bobbin as apposed to its being the top thread makes very legible letters.

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"Vamp" Shoe

A friend had given me a "skin colored" fabric with a variety of hand-painted faces ... both men's and women's. I believe it was intended for making dolls. This vamp's face didn't get placed on the vamp of the shoe. It just wouldn't have shown up on that upper front part, although there certainly would've been space for it on a real shoe.
Pictured above is the newly constructed shoe and box. Below is the quilted square.
The fabric for the box is a striped commercial fabric that I had painted. I don't recall if I had intentionally applied the paint that way, or if I had used the fabric to clean up excess paint from something else. At any rate, I love my "paint rags".

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Making the Shoes

This little 4"x6" book is the inspiration for the shoes featured in "Imelda's Dream" as well as a number of small wall quilts. The sticky notes mark the ones that were favorites.
This is the Christian Louboutin shoe that especially intriqued me. Its silhouette is the ideal for a pump in my opinion. There is a classic elegance to this one. The curve of the heel is so graceful and sensuous. This pump looks like it would hug the foot so it would feel like it belonged there. Oh, I wish I could wear this one. Well, maybe not. I would never spend the money to buy it. Louboutin shoes are mega $$$$$.
So, instead I had a fun time dreaming up variations of my own. Many of them have already been posted. Making these shoes was like eating peanuts. As each one was created it got pinned to my design wall. I hadn't a clue how they were going to be used at that time.
To make a pattern I scaled up the picture from 5"s to 8"s. I did this by tracing the picture in the book and then drawing a grid over it. I then drew an enlarged grid on another piece of paper and drew the shoe within it, duplicating the smaller drawing in relation to the grid.
The drawn pattern was refined and transferred to the paper side of freezer paper. I cut this last drawing apart into the structual elements of the shoe. This gave me the option to play with the pieces to create a great variety of shoes from just this one pattern. Some have a different fabric for each separate piece while others have several paper pattern pieces combined to make one part of the shoe.
The pattern pieces were ironed to the front side of fabric. Then I cut out the pieces leaving an 1/8" edge on the sides where "allow"(ance) is written. Phooey, I see that I got the upper foot (vamp) pattern piece upside down in the photo. The fabric pieces were put together while the freezer paper pattern was still attached. Tiny dots of glue were applied to the "allow" edge. It was easy to align the matching piece. I waited to remove the freezer paper until after the glue dried. A new pattern needs to be cut when the wax wears off the freezer paper ... after about six shoes. That was when I decided to flip the drawing to reverse the direction of the shoe.
I drew a box on freezer paper that a pair of shoes in the size I made would fit inside. It was cut apart on the lines and constructed in the same technique that was used to make the shoes.

Stay tuned for more construction techniques for this quilt, as well as the shoes that haven't been featured in a posting yet.

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"Ebony & Ivory" Shoe

Another black and white graphic ... with a red sole. Mmmm, where would one wear this shoe?
The key board is contructed with silk satin fabric. The ribbon is a dimensional bow. Musical note sequins decorate the box lid.

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"Dicey" Shoe

Who wouldn't feel a bit dicey wearing these heels. Viva Las Vegas!I love black and white graphics with red thrown in.

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"Winged Foot" Shoe

Anyone could "dance like a butterfly" in these shoes.
The three printed fabrics are metalic. To carry through the glitz, I added glitter glue colors to the butterflies. Star sequins decorate the box lid.

To see the quilt in which this block belongs go to "Imelda's Dream".

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The "Bearfoot" Shoe

The theme for this shoe is based on a personal experience I had with a black bear a few summers ago.

The Bear Facts

There was great excitement when we saw a black bear 25 feet from our cabin early one morning. Also, it was thrilling to discover a cub's paw prints in the mud on another morning. But it was downright bone chilling to chase a bear out of our cabin.

That unforgettable day my husband had gone horseback riding while I stayed at our cabin to leisurely do some stitching and reading. I had been quilting out by the river all morning until it clouded over and turned chilly. So, I went into the bedroom to read, while waiting for Lee to return.

About 1:00, I thought I heard him on the porch, and he was obviously having a problem with the screendoor. I finished my paragraph and got up to help him. As I came into the livng room, the bear, walking upright, came through the door! We were 6 feet apart, and eye to eye. Without hesitation, I raised both arms and yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE? GET OUT!" He turned and stumbled out of the door. Just then two young women drove across the bridge, and saw the bear on the porch with the screen door wide open. They drove up honking the horn to scare the bear up the mountain.

Lee arrived 20 minutes later. He wanted to take me out for lunch and BIG glass of wine to calm me down, but I was okay about it all. However, I didn't sleep too well the next couple of nights imagining alternate scenarios. What if I'd walked in on that hungry bear tearing up the kitchen? What if I were still in the bedroom when he entered? What if ...? I became well-known in Estes Park, and am now called the "Bear Lady". (Lee says if I had just stepped out of the shower, I'd be famous as the "Bare Bear Lady.")

Thankfully, I've not had another personal encounter since, even though bears have been spotted in the area every summer since then. Needless to say, I no longer keep a fruit bowl on the table just inside the door. That screen door gets latched when we're inside and the door gets pulled shut when we're not.

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"Pretty In Pink" Shoe

This is the kind of shoe my mother-in-law, Dottie, would've liked. She would even have worn it at the age of 89.
The flowers are cut from a trim and then clustered under tulle. A metallic cord is couched along the sole. The front edge of the box's top is shaded with an orange oil stick pastel.

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My Shoes

I too like funky, fun, and pretty shoes but can no longer wear those with much height in the heels.
I did wear a pair of fun new beaded wedge shoes to lunch and a gallery last spring and my back was out for a week. Aargh! They really were comfortable all the while, but by bedtime I could hardly walk.
So, I got these for summer fun.
I also have "art" shoes. These were purchased this way. I have to tie the long laces around my ankle to keep them on.
These were a favorite pair of white leather shoes that became grungy, so I painted them with fabric paints and inks. There's a coating of mink wax on top. This was done several years ago and the paint has never cracked. It hasn't worn off the rubber sole either.
Guess I'll have to dream on with Imelda and just continue going bare/sock footed and don only flat shoes. These are what I wear most often in the winter weather.



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"Patchwork" Shoe

NO, I didn't piece all those little squares in the shoe. That part is whole cloth.

Tiny sequins decorate the top of the box. Each sequin was dipped into glue. I used curved tweezers to grasp and place them. There are five tiny stitches through the fabric and tulle around each one to keep them from migrating too far if the glue lets loose.

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"Rock'n Roll" Shoes

I live with the "World's Greatest Elvis Fan". So of course I had to make a rock'n roll shoe featuring the King.
My husband tried to talk me out of the one I made for "Imelda's Dream" quilt. He was disappointed that I wouldn't let him have it until he opened his birthday present of this large one made especially for him.

Click on the blue highlighted type to get to my previous postings about Elvis quilts that I've made.

Go to "Elvis Is Coming" to see Lee's Elvismobile and read about an exhibit of "some" of his collection in our local museum that celebrated Elvis's 70th birthday. That was the second museum exhibition featuring Lee's collection. The first was the Historical Museum in Holland, Michigan when it ran a series of exhibitions featuring folk art. Lee makes or embellishes a lot of Elvis stuff. It all has his "tongue in cheek" sense of humor. I'm not a big Elvis fan, but I love my husband's "zaniness" about the whole thing. He calls me his Elvis enabler

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