HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST PERIOD SHOE

EVER

-OR HOW TO MAKE AN IRISH SHOE-

Photo: National Museum of Ireland, Dublin

Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha

Clothiers XXI
brian@historical-leather.com

AS XL
2006 Thomas Thurman (ska Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha). All Rights Reserved.

HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST PERIOD SHOE EVER

-OR HOW TO MAKE AN IRISH SHOE-

Preamble

First things first-- No cracks about the Irish being barefoot... :D

This is how to make one of the easiest period shoes. Please take note this is not directions on how to create a comfortable
shoe for modern feet. We take our modern footwear for granted and it even leeches into our re-enactment lives. Honestly, how many
of you have seen someone in a beautiful dress with tennis shoes poking out the bottom?

Throughout most of period, shoes were made of thin leather (a specially prepared alum tawed goat from Cordoba, Spain to
be exact) that were expected to last only a couple of months. The thickness of leather that went over your foot also went under your
foot. Also it is widely speculated, medieval feet were tougher than our modern feet (kind of the way a country kid walking barefoot on
gravel has tougher feet than a white collar exec...).

So why would you want period shoes? They sound uncomfortable, time-intensive, and weak in comparison to modern
Birkenstocks. Guess what? Im not going to lie. Its all mostly true. However to me, they are no more uncomfortable than a pair of
Converse Chuck Taylors (and with some inserts may actually be MORE comfy...). Real re-enactment takes time however these shoes
can be made in a night or two while watching TV. As to weakness, most likely you will be wearing these only a couple of weekends a
month and well go over at the end how to care for your newly-made shoes so they will last for years with a modicum of care.

So this shoe pattern was chosen for a couple of reasons.


1) Its period.


2) Its EASY to make.


3) Its pointy. That sounds really silly, but most folks think medieval shoes are always pointy. And a lot were for
hundreds of years during period. So while these shoes may not be appropriate to your time period, theyll probably look like it.


4) It is the perfect place to start getting into shoe making.

History Expanded

Originally this paper had two verifiable sources of information, Eunice Wilsons book, A History of Shoe Fashions and Olaf
Goubitzs Stepping Through Time. What little info Mr. Goubitz gave was from Ms. Wilsons book (and the dating Early Christian
Period was incorrectly attributed to this artifact-- however without his final pattern drawing I would have never figured out how to
construct this).

I also stated that the shoe had been destroyed using uncredited information from someone who stated that they had talked to the
Museum. But I like to believe Im a thorough sort of fellow, so I asked the Museum for as much info as they could give me-- however
I received the response the MONDAY following the SATURDAY I gave this class. So now I have a new rule for researching:
If you know where the item you are researching came from, just follow up with the museum it was/is housed in
*in a timely fashion*.
Below is the e-mail. If you have the previous version of this document, you will notice that Ms. Wilson pretty much took the information copy from the Museum wholesale so her paraphrased paragraph was removed to make room for the museums response. To those
who received version one of this paper you have my apologies for the incorrect information.
Dear Mr. Thurman,
Your query regarding the above was recently referred to me. I have checked our files relating to the object and have
come across the following description which may be of interest to you:
Reg. No. 1913:3
Townland: Kilcummin (found in a bog)
Parish: Tisaran
Barony: Garrycastle
County: Offaly
Boot: Of tanned leather in remarkable preservation. By an extraordinary technical feat it has been made out of a
single piece of leather. It has a long toecap from which a triangular tongue 14cm long reaches up on the wearers
instep. The heel part is high at the back 12cm, and slopes sharply down to the instep region so that there is a deep

Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha

brian@historical-leather.com

Clothiers XXI

AS XL

2006 Thomas Thurman (ska Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha). All Rights Reserved.

HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST PERIOD SHOE EVER

-OR HOW TO MAKE AN IRISH SHOE-

V-opening between this edge and that of the instep tongue. At the top of the back of the heel is a loop of leather 4cm
long, each half of which is continuous with the leather on each side of the heel seam and which must have been left
in the cutting out. There is really only a single seam in the boot. It runs from the point of the toe longitudinally down
the centre of the sole and up the back of the heel. The meeting edges of the leather have been turned inwards and
sewn together through a double welt. There were two fastening straps. One was high up and passed through two
holes in the back of upper and then through two in the instep tongue between which two it passed over a tongue cut
in the tongue itself. One end of the thong which is 6mm wide is broken. The other is pulled through a hole in itself to
make a little cylindrical roll on the thong which prevents it passing through the slit in the boot. Beyond this there is
an expanded rectangular length with a central longitudinal slit.
END
The shoe, which probably dates to the 14th/15th centuries, is currently on display in the Medieval Section of the National Museum of Ireland (Archaeology and History) which is based in Kildare Street. To my knowledge, the species
has not yet been determined.
Regarding images, I unfortunately did not receive the jpg which you attached. We have, however, got a black and
white negative of the shoe in our Photographic Collections should you wish to order a copy. Please quote L 83 if you
plan to request a copy.Should you seek clarification on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Isabella Mulhall

Photo: National Museum of Ireland, Dublin

Isabella Mulhall.
Assistant Keeper,
Irish Antiquities Division,
National Museum of Ireland,
Kildare Street,
Dublin 2.

Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha

brian@historical-leather.com

Clothiers XXI

AS XL

2006 Thomas Thurman (ska Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha). All Rights Reserved.

HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST PERIOD SHOE EVER

-OR HOW TO MAKE AN IRISH SHOE-

Instructions
1) Trace your foot with a pencil held at 90.
(fig. 1)

(fig. 1)
B

2) Without moving the foot from the tracing, measure the

circumference of the ball of the foot (Measure B) and
around the foot where the ankle meets the foot (Measure
C). Put tick marks on the tracing of the foot where you
took the measurements on the big toe side only.
(fig. 2)

Tick Mark Here

C
Tick Mark Here

(fig. 2)
A

3) Draw a straight line with straight edge from the heel

through the second toe adding on 1-3 for pointedness.
Add a 1/4 inch in back at the heel for the pull strap. This
is Line A. (fig. 3)

(fig. 3)

4) Draw two perpendicular lines at the tick marks. Line B is

Measure B (fig. 4) and Line C is Measure C (fig. 5). Make
sure to center the lines on Line A.

(fig. 4)
(fig. 5)

Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha

brian@historical-leather.com

Clothiers XXI

AS XL

2006 Thomas Thurman (ska Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha). All Rights Reserved.

HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST PERIOD SHOE EVER

-OR HOW TO MAKE AN IRISH SHOE-

5) Draw a straight line centered on A that is equal to Measure

C where Line A ends beyond the heel. This is D.

(fig. 6)

(fig. 6)

For the rest of the steps only complete on the big toe side of
the pattern--

A
Z

6) Draw straight lines from D to C, C to B, and make a nice

arc from B to A (toe). These are X,Y, and Z respectively.
(fig. 7)

Y
C

(fig. 7)

A
Z

7) Using a straight edge, draw a line parallel to A running

from the ball of the foot. This is E.
(fig. 8)

E
C

(fig. 8)

A
Z

8) Draw a straight line from the point of the heel

to a 1/4 past from where C and E intersect.
(fig. 9)

E
C

(fig. 9)

Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha

brian@historical-leather.com

Clothiers XXI

AS XL

2006 Thomas Thurman (ska Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha). All Rights Reserved.

HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST PERIOD SHOE EVER

-OR HOW TO MAKE AN IRISH SHOE-

9) Where E and D meet come up a 1/2 inch or so and create another

arc to D,A. (fig. 10)

A
Z

E
C

(fig. 10)

10) Freehand an arc to round off the corner of D,X. (fig. 11)

A
Z

E
C

(fig. 11)

11) Place slit marks where indicated 1/4 long and 1/4 apart (if
paired up). (fig. 12)

A
Z

E
C

(fig. 12)

12) Fold your pattern along A. (fig. 13) Cut final pattern out. (fig. 14)
A
Z

E
C

(fig. 13)

Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha

brian@historical-leather.com

(fig. 14)

Clothiers XXI

AS XL

2006 Thomas Thurman (ska Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha). All Rights Reserved.

HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST PERIOD SHOE EVER

-OR HOW TO MAKE AN IRISH SHOE-

13) Place on leather and cut out.

14) Fold the leather in half.
15) STARTING AT A,Z (the toe) using an edge to edge butt stitch
(shown and described below in Sewing Leather) sew the seam
to D,E. Dont go from heel to toe! (fig. 15)
16) Soak the leather and turn inside out. When they are damp
and not soaked, put them on and wear until dry, then oil (see
Caring For Your Shoes).
17) Thread the thonging through.

(fig. 15)

Sewing Leather
1) Prep your thread by cutting 4 or 5 equal strands of cotton or
linen thread. Run beeswax or code (see I. Marc Carlsons
website listed in the Bibliography for directions on making
this) over the thread. Using your palm, wind the strands
around each other until they are one thread.
2) Put one needle on either side of the thread by running the
thread through the eye and then piercing the strands of the
thread with the needle lock it in place.
3) For the Edge to Edge Butt Stitch you are joining two sides of
leather together by butting the edge against one another and
sewing through the top of the leather out through the wall of
the first side and then through the wall of the second side and
out the top. Detailed instructions are below:
a) With the flesh (rough) side up and the two sides somewhat
together, with your awl poke a hole through the top of the
leather and angle it so the awl comes out the sidewall of
the leather instead of the grain (smooth) side. Do this on
both sides of the cut. (see fig. 1)
b) For the first stitch only, run one needle in through the top
and out through the sidewall of side A and then in through
the sidewall of side B. Even out your thread. (see fig. 2)
c) Again, with your awl, poke a hole through the top of the
leather and angle it so the awl comes out the sidewall of
the leather. Do this on both sides of the cut.
d) Take one needle and run it through the new holes but dont
pull tightly. Then take the second needle and run it the
opposite way through the holes making sure you dont
pierce the thread already there. Grabbing the thread and
not the needles, pull as tightly as you can. (see fig. 3)
e) Repeat c&d until you are done.
f) When your thread breaks all you have to do is pull out
enough stitches to be able to tie them off above the seam.
Then remove the needle from one end of the one strand
of thread and place on the other strand as in step 1. Then
resume stitching 3 holes further back than where the break
occurred, once you are well past the knot, clip the knot off.
The stitches will not come out. (see fig. 4)
g) When you reach the end of your seam, back stitch 3 to 5
holes and then just clip the threads. Dont tie them off.

Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha

brian@historical-leather.com

(fig. 1)

(fig. 2)

(fig. 3)

(fig. 4)

Clothiers XXI

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2006 Thomas Thurman (ska Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha). All Rights Reserved.

HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST PERIOD SHOE EVER

-OR HOW TO MAKE AN IRISH SHOE-

Caring For Your Shoes

There are just a few simple rules for caring for your new shoes that I would recommend:
1) Never wear shoes that are soaked. They will stretch out of shape. Take them off as quickly as possible if they become this way
and let them dry out till damp.* Then put them on and wear until they are dry. Lightly rub down with oil.
2) Ive mentioned rubbing them down with oil several times without defining the oil. Tallow was the most common oil. But Ive
also heard of lard, neats foot oil and even olive oil being used in period.
3) If your shoes are too tight* spritz them with water and wear them for a while. They will conform to your feet then oil.
4) Avoid saltwater as if it were the plague, especially if you used linen thread on your shoes. Otherwise you will have to re-stitch
them in about two weeks.
5) If they get dirty, wipe them off with a damp cloth and oil them down.
6) Dont fight in your shoes.

*If you are diabetic, Ive heard it may not be good for you to do this. Wal-Mart sells shoe stretchers made of pine wood in their
Shoe Dept. for about $2.00. You should get that for these. Or just stuff with newspaper to your approximate foot shape.

A Word on These Instructions

I have not released my copyright to the words and illustrations within that are mine. You are however free to make unaltered
physical paper or electronic (CD, DVD, disk) copies of this document provided that it given freely for no charge (including materials
cost).
I also reserve the exclusive right to post this on the internet. Link to me all you want but please do not post it.
http://www.historical-leather.com/downloads/ese.pdf
I have also been approached already with improvements to the instructions-- such as using non-period materials for stitching
(artificial sinew is not period folks... and sinew wasnt used to my knowledge either-- I believe that is Native North American but I
honestly dont know...), easier ways of doing the seam, and others. While I appreciate the thought, please remember that Im trying to
get people in as absolutely authentic shoes as possible. Some concessions have to made but if the materials and knowledge to build
these shoes are in your grasp please do so. You learn something about our medieval forefathers (I mean this pattern IS an amazing
engineering feat really and they were masters in their art) and others appreciate the time and energy you put into educating yourself
and others by following in medieval footsteps. Conversely, if you have new information about the construction of these shoes that is
period, let me have it.

Bibliography
Carlson, I. Marc Footwear of the Middle Ages. 25 Jan. 2006.
<http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SHOEHOME.HTM>.
Goubitz, Olaf, Carol van Driel-Murray and Willy Goenman-van Waareinge. Stepping Through Time: Archaeological Footwear from
Prehistoric Times until 1800. Zwolle:Stichting Promotie Archeologie, 2001.
Mulhall, Isabella, Boot from Kilcummin, Co. Offaly (NMI 1913:3) E-mail to the author. 06 February 2006.
Wilson, Eunice. A History of Shoe Fashions. London:Pitman Publishing. 1969.

Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha

brian@historical-leather.com

Clothiers XXI

AS XL

2006 Thomas Thurman (ska Brian MacTmas U Fhoghladha). All Rights Reserved.