Lady Tove Eríksdóttir enters her pre-sixteenth century sandals
Entered in the categories:
- I just couldn’t wait! A project that has been used unfinished, which has now finally been finished
Tove writes:
“These are my hand made shoes, they take Inspiration from a few different style of pre 16th century shoe.
“I initially started these in 2024, I was determined to make my self a pair of more period style shoes to wear around. I researched into different styles of sandal and found some scrap leather. I cut and laced the leather up creating the first part of it. I was so keen to show them off. One might say I just couldn’t wait to wear them. I wanted to put a sole on them but being purely a beginner to leather work and with limited resources and budget, I proceeded to use them and wore them to 2025 Faire…. as you can imagine the sole of the leather was rather thin without thicker hardened leather on the base, Faire being on a rather stony and rocky area, the lack of padding was painful to say the least. From there I left them to sit in my wardrobe and I ignored them.
“In some whirlwind boost of dopamine, determination and motivation I decided I would have the soles finished for 2026 Faire. I can happily say as of tonight I have completed them with some blisters from stitching the leather and many curses to the gods I have a pair of period style shoes that I will definitely be wearing at Faire.
“At one point I even took a Sandal making workshop with my hamlet with the stipulation that my fellow SCAdians should be warned about the thinness of the leather. At times I had considered bastardising a pair of crappy jandals for their sole and glue them on. However I knew I would not be satisfied with nice leather sandals and a bloody rubber sole. With my leather work skills still very rudimentary I settled on making rope from hessian twine (hence where most of the cursing and swearing happened) rolling it and stitching it together to form a comfortable sole for my shoe.
“Oh, I also re-laced these things more times that I would like to admit.”
Read more about the UFO Challenge and the entry categories here.
