Medieval and Tudor shoes were nearly all made from leather, they varied in shape and style just as they do now. There were also longer term changes over the centuries from the rather shapeless soles of the earlier centuries to the narrow waisted soles and pointed toes of the 14th and 15th centuries.

If you want to have a go at making some authentic medieval shoes you will need to get hold of some leather, thick for the soles and some softer leather for the uppers. Alternatively you could make a pair of medieval style shoes which could be worn as slippers or for dressing up from felted material or fleece fabric. These would be much easier to make.

The pattern

You will probably need to change the pattern size so that it fits your feet, the easiest way to do this is by using a photocopier or a scanner. The sole of the shoe will need to be about 15mm longer than the length of your foot. The pattern given is for the right foot so when you’ve cut out that one out you will need to turn the pattern over for your left foot.

Sewing your shoe together

Methods of sewing shoes together varied in medieval times but one of the most common was to sew the shoe inside out and then turn it (to soften the sole leather enough to turn the shoe it was often soaked in water).

If you are making your shoes from fabric sew by hand or machine to attach the sole to the uppers, start at the toe with the right sides of the fabric next to each other. Then turn your shoes the right way out and stitch the side seam by hand with the two edges overlapping creating a flat seam. Trim away any spare fabric.

If you are using leather to make your shoes start by marking the positions of the holes on both the top side of the sole and the uppers. The holes should be 7.5mm apart. Using an awl make holes straight through the leather where you have marked it on the uppers but on the sole make the holes by entering the awl on your marks and exiting it through the side of the sole. This means that your stitches will not be seen on the bottom of your shoe and cannot wear away with use. Thread two needles with strong waxed thread and starting at the toe sew the uppers to the sole using the two threads in tandem but working in opposite directions; this means that the stitches can be pulled tight by pulling on both threads at once.

Turn your shoe the right way out and either overlap the side seam edges and sew a flat seam and trim, or trim away any excess leather, butt the two edges together and sew.

Thread a lace through the two holes and try your new shoes on.