CAPTAIN AMERICA / BUCCANEER-STYLE BOOTS
This is not meant to be a definitive method to make this style of boots, but it has worked for me time and time again. It involves making a pleather/vinyl/leather upper boot section and gluing it to a base shoe. So the first thing you will need to do is find a pair of base shoes. They can be any style you want, but what you want is to find some that have a sole that you like that you wont have to alter, and its helpful if the shoe is a slip-on style that is easy to get into and has a smooth upper surface. Im using an old pair of disco loafers that have seen better days, but I like the style of the soles, and the surface is pretty smooth so there wont be a lot of offending bumps or bulges once the pleather upper is glued on. If your shoes have straps, buckles, etc., that will show through the pleather, cut them off carefully.
You will need to make a pattern for your boot uppers based on the shape of this shoe and the shape of your leg. Use scrap fabric to do this. My basic boot pattern is two pieces that are the same shape, a right side and a left side, with a seam up the back and up the center. If you hate center seams, sorry, this is not the tutorial for you. You want these to fit snugly but not super tight, so leave a little room in the ankle area, but try to keep the upper opening about the same size as the widest part of your calf. The pleather I use stretches a little, so you can make the boot top the same measurement as your calf so the boot top will fit snugly and stay up. If youre using a heavier fabric such as marine vinyl that is more rigid, you can add an extra half inch to that top opening measurement for comfort.
Here, I have a paper pattern of my Superman style boots, but instead of having the point in the front, Im going to cut the top level and add about an inch of height from where the top edge would be. The second pattern piece shown is for the cuff, which is cut in a curve to form a bell shape when the side edges are sewn together. This is the important part of making this style of boot: the shape of the curve is going to determine how wide the cuff is going to fan out. Experiment with this to make sure you are getting the cuff shape you want. My calves measure 15 inches, so for my boots, the top edge of one side of the boot pattern is 8 inches (half of my calf measurement, plus a half inch to accommodate for two quarter-inch seam allowances). The cuff pattern, folded in half, would be 7 inches (this is minus a quarter-inch for the front seam allowance since the only seam allowance you need for the cuff is in the back). The width of the cuff is up to you, mine is about 8 inches unhemmed. Cut 4 boot pieces (2 right, 2 left) and two cuff pieces.
You will need 2 zippers for the rear ankle opening, both at least 7 inches long. You can use longer zippers if you need more room for your foot to fit into the finished boot. The bottom of the zipper should be just below the top lip of the back of your base shoe when the boot top is attached. I used conventional zippers instead of invisible zippers for this because Wal-Mart didnt have invisible zippers in red, and I didnt want to wait till the next day to go to the fabric store, but either kind will work fine. Apply the zippers according to the instructions on the package (you can also refer to my Superman boot tutorial, where I show how to install an invisible zipper). Be sure to reinforce the stitching on the boots back seam above and below where the zippers are placed.
Stitch the front seam of the boot tops. For this kind of pleather, I usually go back and do an overcast stitch just to make sure the seam is strong enough. Go ahead and try the boot top on to make sure if it fits the way you want, and adjust if needed. Next, stitch down the seam allowance at the top of the rear boot seam to prepare for attaching the cuff.
For the boot cuffs, stitch the edges together, then go back and stitch down the seam allowances.
I should point out that if you are having trouble stitching on the surface of the pleather, use a lubricant such as Sewers Aid, which is silicone-based and will make the presser foot glide easily over the fabric. Just add a drop to the fabric where you will be stitching and spread it along the seamline, a little goes a long way. You can also apply it directly to the bottom of the presser foot and the needle.
Next, you will need to hem the bottom edge of the cuff. One way to do this without using pins and to get an even edge is to use double-sided craft tape, which you can find at most fabric stores. It comes in a width about 3/8-inch, but if you can only find the half-inch width, just cut off pieces of the tape and then cut thin strips. Apply the tape to the lower edge of the cuff, remove the backing paper, then carefully and evenly fold the edge onto itself by about a half inch. Stitch the hem.
To join the cuff to the boot, apply craft tape to the top edge of the cuff (dont take the paper off yet), insert the cuff into the top of the boot with the surface of both pieces facing out. Line up the back seam of the boot with the seam of the cuff, remove the paper and stick the pieces together, making sure to line up the center mark on the front of the cuff with the seam on the front of the boot.
Stitch with a quarter-inch seam allowance. Next, turn out the boot cuff, turn the seam allowance toward the boot, and then zig-zag stitch through the boot and the seam allowance as show in the photos.
I have made my boots snug enough at the top opening that they will stay up on my legs. If you like, you can add a velcro strap to the boot to fasten the tops tighter, and the cuff will cover it so it wont be seen. Or, you can just cut some waistband elastic and stitch it into bands that you can pull onto the boots when you wear them, and then fold the cuff over to hide them.
Your boot tops should be done at this point, and you are ready to glue them to your base shoes. I use Shoe Goo for this, it has never let me down. One tube will do a pair of boots and more, and I like to use a fresh tube every time because when the glue gets stale, it doesnt apply as wet as when the tube is new, and the fabric wont stick as well. Try to do this outside in the open air, or someplace with great ventilation, because the fumes can be pretty bad. Also, wear rubber gloves. You will need to rough up your base shoes to give the glue something to grip. The shoes Im using have man-made uppers, and the surface tends to flake off with age, so something like this really needs to be stripped down a bit. It helps to stuff the shoes with paper or plastic bags to maintain their shape as you glue the boot tops on.
Apply the glue first on the back of the shoe, spreading it into a thin film with a plastic knife.
Carefully place the boot top over the glued shoe back, making sure the rear seam is centered properly.
Next, apply glue to the toecap of the shoe, around the front edges and at least an inch onto the top for proper grip. Place the front of the boot cover onto the glued surface, being careful to keep the glue from getting on the surface of the boot top. To hold the edges in place, stick fabric pins through the pleather into the sole of the shoe it meets the edges of the shoe upper. You dont need a lot of them, just enough to keep the boot top in place while the glue dries. Glue the sides on one at a time, pulling the boot top taut to the soles, but not stretching the fabric too much.
The glue wont dry immediately, so you have about an hour to work with placing the boot top onto the glue. If you get some glue onto the surface of the pleather, wipe it off immediately with a damp cloth. When youre happy with how the boot top is glued on and have pins in place, allow the glue to dry overnight. Once the glue is dried, use an X-acto knife with a fresh blade to carefully trim the excess fabric away from the boot soles. Any excess glue can be pulled away.
Your boots are done!
This is not meant to be a definitive method to make this style of boots, but it has worked for me time and time again. It involves making a pleather/vinyl/leather upper boot section and gluing it to a base shoe. So the first thing you will need to do is find a pair of base shoes. They can be any style you want, but what you want is to find some that have a sole that you like that you wont have to alter, and its helpful if the shoe is a slip-on style that is easy to get into and has a smooth upper surface. Im using an old pair of disco loafers that have seen better days, but I like the style of the soles, and the surface is pretty smooth so there wont be a lot of offending bumps or bulges once the pleather upper is glued on. If your shoes have straps, buckles, etc., that will show through the pleather, cut them off carefully.
You will need to make a pattern for your boot uppers based on the shape of this shoe and the shape of your leg. Use scrap fabric to do this. My basic boot pattern is two pieces that are the same shape, a right side and a left side, with a seam up the back and up the center. If you hate center seams, sorry, this is not the tutorial for you. You want these to fit snugly but not super tight, so leave a little room in the ankle area, but try to keep the upper opening about the same size as the widest part of your calf. The pleather I use stretches a little, so you can make the boot top the same measurement as your calf so the boot top will fit snugly and stay up. If youre using a heavier fabric such as marine vinyl that is more rigid, you can add an extra half inch to that top opening measurement for comfort.
Here, I have a paper pattern of my Superman style boots, but instead of having the point in the front, Im going to cut the top level and add about an inch of height from where the top edge would be. The second pattern piece shown is for the cuff, which is cut in a curve to form a bell shape when the side edges are sewn together. This is the important part of making this style of boot: the shape of the curve is going to determine how wide the cuff is going to fan out. Experiment with this to make sure you are getting the cuff shape you want. My calves measure 15 inches, so for my boots, the top edge of one side of the boot pattern is 8 inches (half of my calf measurement, plus a half inch to accommodate for two quarter-inch seam allowances). The cuff pattern, folded in half, would be 7 inches (this is minus a quarter-inch for the front seam allowance since the only seam allowance you need for the cuff is in the back). The width of the cuff is up to you, mine is about 8 inches unhemmed. Cut 4 boot pieces (2 right, 2 left) and two cuff pieces.
You will need 2 zippers for the rear ankle opening, both at least 7 inches long. You can use longer zippers if you need more room for your foot to fit into the finished boot. The bottom of the zipper should be just below the top lip of the back of your base shoe when the boot top is attached. I used conventional zippers instead of invisible zippers for this because Wal-Mart didnt have invisible zippers in red, and I didnt want to wait till the next day to go to the fabric store, but either kind will work fine. Apply the zippers according to the instructions on the package (you can also refer to my Superman boot tutorial, where I show how to install an invisible zipper). Be sure to reinforce the stitching on the boots back seam above and below where the zippers are placed.
Stitch the front seam of the boot tops. For this kind of pleather, I usually go back and do an overcast stitch just to make sure the seam is strong enough. Go ahead and try the boot top on to make sure if it fits the way you want, and adjust if needed. Next, stitch down the seam allowance at the top of the rear boot seam to prepare for attaching the cuff.
For the boot cuffs, stitch the edges together, then go back and stitch down the seam allowances.
I should point out that if you are having trouble stitching on the surface of the pleather, use a lubricant such as Sewers Aid, which is silicone-based and will make the presser foot glide easily over the fabric. Just add a drop to the fabric where you will be stitching and spread it along the seamline, a little goes a long way. You can also apply it directly to the bottom of the presser foot and the needle.
Next, you will need to hem the bottom edge of the cuff. One way to do this without using pins and to get an even edge is to use double-sided craft tape, which you can find at most fabric stores. It comes in a width about 3/8-inch, but if you can only find the half-inch width, just cut off pieces of the tape and then cut thin strips. Apply the tape to the lower edge of the cuff, remove the backing paper, then carefully and evenly fold the edge onto itself by about a half inch. Stitch the hem.
To join the cuff to the boot, apply craft tape to the top edge of the cuff (dont take the paper off yet), insert the cuff into the top of the boot with the surface of both pieces facing out. Line up the back seam of the boot with the seam of the cuff, remove the paper and stick the pieces together, making sure to line up the center mark on the front of the cuff with the seam on the front of the boot.
Stitch with a quarter-inch seam allowance. Next, turn out the boot cuff, turn the seam allowance toward the boot, and then zig-zag stitch through the boot and the seam allowance as show in the photos.
I have made my boots snug enough at the top opening that they will stay up on my legs. If you like, you can add a velcro strap to the boot to fasten the tops tighter, and the cuff will cover it so it wont be seen. Or, you can just cut some waistband elastic and stitch it into bands that you can pull onto the boots when you wear them, and then fold the cuff over to hide them.
Your boot tops should be done at this point, and you are ready to glue them to your base shoes. I use Shoe Goo for this, it has never let me down. One tube will do a pair of boots and more, and I like to use a fresh tube every time because when the glue gets stale, it doesnt apply as wet as when the tube is new, and the fabric wont stick as well. Try to do this outside in the open air, or someplace with great ventilation, because the fumes can be pretty bad. Also, wear rubber gloves. You will need to rough up your base shoes to give the glue something to grip. The shoes Im using have man-made uppers, and the surface tends to flake off with age, so something like this really needs to be stripped down a bit. It helps to stuff the shoes with paper or plastic bags to maintain their shape as you glue the boot tops on.
Apply the glue first on the back of the shoe, spreading it into a thin film with a plastic knife.
Carefully place the boot top over the glued shoe back, making sure the rear seam is centered properly.
Next, apply glue to the toecap of the shoe, around the front edges and at least an inch onto the top for proper grip. Place the front of the boot cover onto the glued surface, being careful to keep the glue from getting on the surface of the boot top. To hold the edges in place, stick fabric pins through the pleather into the sole of the shoe it meets the edges of the shoe upper. You dont need a lot of them, just enough to keep the boot top in place while the glue dries. Glue the sides on one at a time, pulling the boot top taut to the soles, but not stretching the fabric too much.
The glue wont dry immediately, so you have about an hour to work with placing the boot top onto the glue. If you get some glue onto the surface of the pleather, wipe it off immediately with a damp cloth. When youre happy with how the boot top is glued on and have pins in place, allow the glue to dry overnight. Once the glue is dried, use an X-acto knife with a fresh blade to carefully trim the excess fabric away from the boot soles. Any excess glue can be pulled away.
Your boots are done!
