In the series of miniature tutorials, today we are going to do some research on how to make miniature shoes for crafts in the DIY style and how to make doll shoes.
Table of Contents
If you are looking for any other miniature tutorials and I haven’t written about that yet, please feel free to ask. On my FAQ page, you can find an oversight of the tutorials that I already talked about. There’s too much to sum them all up again here ;-).
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What Kind Of Miniature Shoes Are We Talking About Here?
I always try to base my blog posts on what exactly people are looking for on Google and try to answer their questions.
So the further I dive into my article, the more ideas can come up that I need to talk about.
For now, I have seen people asking:
how to make miniature/tiny shoes?
how to make miniature ballet shoes?
how to make miniature fairy/tiny elf shoes?
how to make miniature glass shoes for Barbie dolls?
how to make miniature paper shoes?
how to make tiny doll shoes?
Now, I am not saying that these questions are all of what people are looking for, but let’s try to include them anyway. I can imagine though, that for example (when I’m brainstorming), people also wonder how to make mini shoes with clay or fabrics.
So I will be doing my best to find out!
How To Make Doll Shoes: Mini Glitter Sneakers Shoes.
Thé best way to explain how to make miniature shoes would be by showing videos.
Now, as you can imagine, I could not be making everything that is to be made in the miniature world out there myself ànd make videos of it. (although in the future I will be focussing more on that on my own Youtube channel, I hope so 😉 ).
Anyway, today I will be mostly showing you the existing YouTube videos out there, focussing on mini shoes.
Here is a pretty neat one. In the video below, the person is making tiny glitter sneakers. There seems to be no further information, but it seems to me that the materials she is using are:
glue (she doesn’t mention what kind of glue, but I would advise using “fast grab Tacky glue“)
a needle and embroidery thread
This video is by DIY Miniature Craft on Youtube
A walkthrough:
Measure the EVA foam to the size of a doll’s feet
Glue two of these pieces together
Attach glitter EVA foam to construct a small shoe
Attach a small and long piece on the back of the shoe, as you can see on a real sneaker.
Do the same at the bottom and around the shoe
make holes in the foam in the right places, so that you can insert little “shoelaces”.
And done!
How To Make Miniature Glass Shoes For Barbie Dolls.
Wow, nice, have a look at these shiny little glass shoes below!
Beware: This is a much longer and harder tutorial and you need a lot more materials!
You need:
polymer clay and resin
scissors
a crafting knife
paper and toothpicks
a file
glitter
aluminum tape
reusable plastic bags
nail art parts
This video is by Eve Miniatures on Youtube
A walkthrough:
Look for the size of a mini shoe online, print it out, and cut out the form of the shoe
Prepare thin polymer clay and make it flat (you could use a pasta machine, for example, or just a bottle)
this way you can cut out the bottom of your shoes with a crafting knife
Using the paper and toothpicks, as shown in the video above, you can create a curve for the bottom of the shoes. Bake these at a temperature of 120 degrees for about 35 minutes maximum.
clean up the shoes with some sandpaper or a file, remove the toothpicks, and trim them with a craft knife until they are pointy. You now have a heel
make a mold from “blue mix”. I don’t know where to find that, so I would think using regular clay is enough. Fill up the molds with clear resin and let them dry out.
add glitter and aluminum tape
put clear resin on the piece of plastic three times and bake it three times. When done, cut out the circles that you need in the right size. Cut the circles in half. Use resin to attach these resin plates to the shoes.
do the same for the front part, trim the shoe heels and attach them as well
decorate the shoes with nail art parts
apply some more resin, and bake it for the last time
And done, look how shiny and cute!
How To Make (Glitter) Dolls ShoesFrom Paper And Cardboard
This one is easier with the use of less (expensive) materials, let’s dive straight into things!
What you need:
scissors
cardboard
a wire that you use to close bags (metal wire)
some toilet paper
glue
paint
glitter
This video is by Sapatos p/Barbie on Youtube
A walkthrough:
Draw the size of the shoes with the help of cardboard and a doll, and cut out 2 pairs of soles of the feet.
glue a piece of wire between 2 soles and do that for 2 shoes
bend it so that it’s shaped for the dolls’ soles
attach 5 little pieces of cardboard, all glued together
let it dry and cut off the edges: you now have the front of the shoe ready
make the heels and fronts as instructed in the video
you need to glue a lot of paper layers to finish the shoe!
paint inside and below and add a lot of glitters
retouch/finish/paint
mix water and glue and cover the shoe with that mix, let it dry
And done!
How To Make Miniature shoes: Long Boots
A quite short video this time on how to make miniature boots for a doll.
What you need:
foam board
PVC leather
all-round glue (for leather, etc)
a needle
embroidery floss
This video is by Skymagenta Craft on Youtube
A walkthrough:
cut out a shoe base using foam board
cut out 2 pieces of PVC leather size 6,5cm x 7cm and glue them together
in the middle of that piece: draw a 0,7 cm wide piece, and glue this to the shoe base and add everything as instructed in the video
cut both sides along the legs of the doll
glue a piece of black foam as a shoe base
make holes for the shoe laces
use embroidery floss as shoe laces
And done!
How to make Miniature Leather Shoes.
Making cute little leather miniature shoes, there is no walkthrough, so it’s a bit hard to follow and to know what to do exactly, but I will give it a try.
Now, I think that the next thing she uses is a piece of white polymer clay, or painted white. Or is it a kind of foam? I’m not quite sure. Anyway, glue the cut out pieces of the soles on it, and trim/file the rest with a craft knife.
Apply all the pieces of the template
make holes with a pin at the places where the shoe laces will be
Insert thin pieces of paper into the holes and make them look like shoe laces
Follow the same procedure for the shoe box
And done!
How To Make Miniature Ballet Shoes.
Another small tutorial, this time on how to make DIY tiny ballet shoes. What you need:
paper
a pencil
hot glue
scissors
nail polish (the color you like)
a ribbon
This video is by Simplekidscrafts on Youtube
A walkthrough:
Draw the foot of the doll on a piece of paper
extend the corner of the tip a little bit longer than the foot and trace that onto a piece of baking paper and place the paper face down.
put hot glue around the trace of the foot ( as seen in the video to see what I mean)
remove the glue after it cooled down and glue the tips at an angle. Set that aside
cut thin strips of baking paper and place them in front of the doll’s feet and wrap it around the ankle. Make sure it can’t get loose.
Place the dried mold of the glue on the doll’s foot and add glue on the bottom of the foot
Wait until the glue dries while holding it.
When dried, trim the unwanted pieces and clean them up
use several layers of nail polish on the shoe or acrylic paint
you can glue a little piece of ribbon at the back of the shoe
measure a piece of ribbon three times the length of the doll’s leg and cut it in half. Glue these at an angle at the side of the shoe
tie the ribbon around the leg
And done!
How To Make Miniature Shoes With Papercraft?
I did make my own miniature shoes once, as I am quite handy with papercraft, even if I say so myself haha!
In the video below, just follow the instructions to craft these paper shoes in a very easy way for your Barbie doll!
And finally, here are some reviews on handmade miniature shoe sellers who offer great additions to your miniature shoe collectibles. There are some fine artists out there!
Miniature Shoe Collectibles Store Number 1: WendysMiniShop
This store sells or creates
All kinds of miniature handmade items
Some more info about this shop.
Is selling miniature things on a scale of 1:12 like:
tiny shoes
dollhouse furniture
mini handbags
little signs, etc..
Overall rank
The price :
Variable prices for the mini shoes, from $12,00 for little slippers, to $20,00 for brown leather shoes.
I have no personal experience making miniature shoes, apart from creating one pair with papercraft, but I do hope that I could give you some ideas on how to make them DIY, with the help of these videos.
If you have any questions or would you just like to chat some more with me then please leave a comment below or join me on my social media channels or Facebook group.
4 thoughts on “How To Make Miniature Shoes For Crafts – 7 Different Ways!”
Wow, what an eye-opener, to be able to make miniature shoes. My granddaughter would love it if we could makes shoes for her dolls, something that she is always asking about when dressing them. These video tutorials look great and a very good starting point.
I know you say that you have not tried to make any of these miniature shoes, but do you think it is a project that I could do with my granddaughter? She is only 5 years old, but loves doing activities and being creative.
About your question: some of these tutorials look a bit hard to do for a 5-year-old, but others, like the ones made from paper and non-toxic glue, you could give it a try I would think! But be sure to do it together 🙂
Wow, what a fun post. I really got lost in all of the videos. I love doing crafts and I was excited to have stumbled onto your website. I love miniature things. I’m not sure I would have the patience to make the tiny shoes but, wow, what an inspiration. I would love to see a future post on the artists you mentioned who make and sell tiny shoes. That’s incredible.
Wow, what an eye-opener, to be able to make miniature shoes. My granddaughter would love it if we could makes shoes for her dolls, something that she is always asking about when dressing them. These video tutorials look great and a very good starting point.
I know you say that you have not tried to make any of these miniature shoes, but do you think it is a project that I could do with my granddaughter? She is only 5 years old, but loves doing activities and being creative.
Hi Line!,
Thank you for your compliments and positivity.
About your question: some of these tutorials look a bit hard to do for a 5-year-old, but others, like the ones made from paper and non-toxic glue, you could give it a try I would think! But be sure to do it together 🙂
Have fun!
Lizzy
Wow, what a fun post. I really got lost in all of the videos. I love doing crafts and I was excited to have stumbled onto your website. I love miniature things. I’m not sure I would have the patience to make the tiny shoes but, wow, what an inspiration. I would love to see a future post on the artists you mentioned who make and sell tiny shoes. That’s incredible.
Hi JarieLyn,
Thank you for your interest in this topic and I will surely write an article on the sellers of miniature shoes soon, keep posted!
Kind regards,
Lizzy