Footwear of the Middle Ages. MBCS: Shoes. Most medieval shoes were "turn shoes", sewn together inside out and then turned rightside out, to keep the stitching protected from wear. The sole is sewn to the upper with an edge/flesh seam: the stitch passes straight through the upper, then into the edge of the sole and out through the flesh (rough) side (fig 1). The edges of the uppers can be butted together and sewn with an edge/flesh seam, or simply overlapped and stitched straight through. Like almost all shoes of the period, this pattern has an upper of one main piece with the seam on the inside of the foot; small inserts are added to close any gaps.
The toe is pointed, and there can be an embroidered stripe running from the toe to the throat. Most surviving medieval shoes are made from very thin leather. When sewing the upper and sole together, start at the toe and sew the outside, then start again at the toe and sew the inside. If this all sounds much too complicated, you can use the same pattern with thinner leather.
A Simple Medieval Shoe. Materials (per pair): Sole: vegetable tanned leather, 2.5-3 mm thick. Upper & heel stiffener: vegetable tanned leather, 2.5 mm thick. Thread: raw linen or equivalent. Nylon is not recommended. Thonging: 5-6mm leather lace, 45 cm length. Tools: Shears or blade for leather cutting Stitch marker Awl (diamond section blade) Saddler's needles (ie. blunt) and wax. Skill Level: Fairly easy. Shoe (756) with single piece wrap-around upper from Parliament St., York. Notes: This pattern is for a type of early medieval (l0th to 13th cent.) shoe that is distributed widely in North Western Europe, examples are known from York, England as well as Hedeby/Haithabu in Germany and Svendborg in Sweden. A triangular internal heel stiffener is present on some shoes of this type, but may be omitted. Instructions: 1. 2. 3. Lasting seam (exploded view). 4. Continue on 'long' side from toe towards the heel. 5. Binding stitch for holding down heel stiffener. 6. 'Butted' side seam (exploded). 7. 8. 9.
Making Mediaeval Shoes. Shoes in the late mediaeval period were constructed in a somewhat different manner to their modern day equivalent. The following is a construction guide for anyone who wishes to make a pair of authentic turnsoles. What you will need: Sole Leather – 4-7mm thick vegetable tannedUpper leather – 1.5 – 3mm thick vegetable tannedA square of canvas about 40 – 50cm each sideTwo saddlers needles (heavy duty blunt needles)Linen threadAn awl – diamond section, very sharp.A Stanley/Craft knifeA tape measureA pencilScissorsLeather thongingBeeswax Stage 1 – Making the pattern There are many different methods used to create the pattern, authentically a last should be used.
What follows though is an easy method of creating a mediaeval looking shoe. Firstly draw around your foot on a piece of paper and extend the big toe into a point (it’s also worth narrowing the middle slightly) to give your shoe that mediaeval look. Fig 1 Fig 2 Now for the tricky part. Fig 3. Fig 4 This is a mediaeval shoe pattern. Fig 5 Oz. Tandy Leather Factory - Leathercraft and Leather Craft Supplies.