Boots or shoes or slippers? Make a Last!

I went the extra mile and made a Shoe Last for this task. This is useful, because I can make shoes to fit most 18 – 20 – 22 inch dolls using this last. I made the Last in the shape of a foot with a slightly raised heel, to take away the flatness and to allow a heel to go on the sole. I made the foot generic so it could be ‘left’ or ‘right’.

Boots, shoes, slippers, scuffs etc, can be made on this. I made the Last from polymer clay, as it seemed less likely to crumble because it is handled a lot – and sometimes dropped!

After setting it, I wrapped the Last in masking tape for (my) security! Remember if you make a Last, to have a base to stand it on, which helps when working on footwear. I just used a round piece with a dowel-sized hole and a shortened piece of dowel that the Last sits on, but footwear can be constructed on a Last without a stand. It would just be more fiddly.
• The base is approximately 10cms round, but any wood can be used to put the dowel in.
• The foot length of the last is roughly 8cms.
• From the base of the heel to the shin is 7cms.
• From the widest part of the ankle around the top of the foot is 9cms
• Around the widest part of the foot is 7.5cms.
• If making clay heels, measure the distance between the heel and the sole. On my Last the measurement is 1cm.

Making a Last for shoes or boots is not difficult and makes shoemaking so much more satisfying!