Antique Lilac
  • Home
  • for Sale
  • Galleries
  • Favourite Photos
  • Tutorials
  • Blog
  • Links
  • Books

Buckles & Armour

11/10/2024

 
Sometimes I'll need a buckle of a certain size, and the fabric store doesn't carry any that small. I also am not a fan of ordering them online since I prefer to actually see what I'm buying.  So, then I go check out the shoe section at Value Village on Senior's Day, looking for cheap second hand shoes that hopefully have at least two buckles on each shoe.  ​
Picture
I used to feel guilty buying shoes just for their buckles, then throwing the shoes out, but after the Senior's discount, I get a handful of nice buckles for just a few dollars. And with no waiting or shipping fees.
Picture

Making Fabric 'Armour'

I was making a knight costume for one of my dolls, and it needed some armour. But it had to be made of fabric.  So I designed the patterns for an armour breastplate and two shoulder-plates. I made the first set out of a textured silver lame. I tried adding studs for decoration but after a bit of handling they just started coming off. Then I tried making the same pieces out of a plain silver lame, but it looked too shiny, like it belonged to a spaceman or the tin woodsman from the Wizard of Oz....
Picture
So then I started over yet again with a silver-gray satin reinforced with stiff interfacing. I finally had something with a bit of a sheen, but not too shiny, that could pass for steel armour.  So I added the studs and stitched small silver beads around the outer edge...
Picture
Dorothy
11/10/2024 10:31:46 am

That is so clever! I never would have thought about using shoe buckles but it certainly makes sense.

Cloth armour seems ideal as it probably adds less weight than metal armour and is probably easier to mold.

Martha
11/10/2024 11:30:52 am

One has to be creative sometimes, and look for supplies in unexpected places. The shoes are sometimes in bad shape. Like those black Mary Janes, where the fake leather was peeling off, just like it does on some older doll shoes. The shoes were basically garbage, but the buckles can live on.

Donna
11/11/2024 08:36:49 am

Shoe buckles are a great idea and a good way to give old shoes a second life.

I always enjoy seeing your creative process at work! Today's post is kind of a "behind the scenes" of costume development. Like your photography "behind-the-scenes", it is an educational experience.

Martha
11/11/2024 11:10:59 am

Thanks. I still feel a bit guilty buying old shoes just for the buckles, but it's about the fastest and cheapest way to get what I need. Of course not so much in winter, when there's not the selection of sandals like in summer. So I stock up.

Guyloup link
11/16/2024 06:42:42 pm

Thank you for this good idea of ​​the shoe buckles, and bravo for this assembly of the armors.
Like you, I am sometimes embarrassed to cut up clothes that are still in very good condition, which could be useful to someone, when I buy clothes at the Village des Valeurs to sew for my dolls. But on the other hand, I tell myself that there is an important point not to neglect, by buying these things second-hand in thrift stores, we avoid two successive pollutions: that of the transport of new fabric which often comes from the Far East in cargo ships which create a lot of greenhouse gases, and that of the shipping from a website to our home. In addition, I particularly appreciate used fabrics, which are more flexible and easier to work with for doll clothes.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Martha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes.
    Read More... 

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.