Put a Bit of Beastly Beauty in Those Boots!

Sticking up for the little guy can be a thorny subject, but every fairy tale deserves a happy ending. Let these beastly beautiful boots help you stand tall, and add some support to whatever your cause may be.

Difficulty level: Medium

Materials:
Boots

Tape measure
Ruler

Pen

Pencil

Pattern drafting paper

Sewing pins

Newsprint paper

Fabric paint

or

Acrylic paint+ fabric medium

Paintbrush

Stippling brush

Stencil

Faux fur

Scissors

Needle

Upholstery needle

Thread

Rose beads

Sewing machine

Fabric to match your boots
Iron

Snaps

Snap setting tool

Start by finding the perfect pair of boots.  I had trouble finding the right combination of chunky heel, round toe, thin enough to fit my calves tightly, creature friendly, and within my budget. Phew, what a list!  I had to travel to far away lands to find them.  Here's what I ended up with -->

Unfortunately they are thigh high boots ( folded to fit in the frame)....Fortunately that can be fixed.
 If you encounter a similar problem read on, if not skip to the next chapter.

While wearing the boots, mark how tall you want them. Depending on the material and if you are painting your boots, do this with either a maker or pins. If you are using pleather or leather boots (though let's try to be animal friendly) do not pin; it will leave hole.  If you aren't painting the boots, you may not want to draw on them.  My boots are made from faux suede, and I used a pen.
Once you have your first mark, remove the boots, and mark around the rest by measuring down from the top.  Use the same measurement to mark the other boot.  With both boots marked, put them on again to double check your marks.  Once you are happy, subtract the width of the top banding, and add seam allowance to your marked line. I subtracted 1/2" for my banding and added 1/4" for my seam allowance.  Which results in just subtracting 1/4" from my finished height line. 
Before you cut, pin both above and below your cut line. Why? Your boots should be made up of a few layers of fabric, and you don't want the lining moving while you cut.  If your boots are pleather/ leather make sure your pins are within the seam allowance, as not to leave visible holes.
Once the boots have been cut,  leave the pins in or top stitch close to the edge to hold the layers together.


Next, stuff the boots full of paper to help hold their shape. My boots have some stretch, so I stuffed them to match my leg size. Using either fabric paint or acrylic mixed with fabric medium paint the boots.  (Fabric paint will often crack on pleathers/leathers, search for paints that work well on those materials.) Apply the paint in multiple thin layers, allowing each coat to dry completely before the next. I didn't paint the front of my boots because it will be covered in fur and there is no point in wasting paint that could be used for protest signs!  Allow to dry completely.

Once the boots are painted and dry, it's time to stencil the roses. On Rosabella's doll, the roses are very subtle and slightly raised while on the illustration they seem be painted a lighter colour.  I decided to go more with the illustration, and to paint them a slightly lighter shade of brown with a matte finish (my boots are painted with satin finish).  This is my prefered translation of the shoes, follow your own destiny if you want raised roses.

Using a stencil and a stippling brush, dry brush the roses on the boots.  You might need a few extra paws holding the stencil in place for the curved parts.  If you don't have any critter friends willing to help out, you can purchase temporary adhesives.  Test on a hidden area or scrap fabric first as glues can leave residues.
When stenciling, make sure your brush is very dry, and you are using an up and down motion to apply the paint.  If you apply a lot of paint in strokes, you run the risk of having the paint seep under the stencil.  Once the rose pattern has been stenciled all round the boots, allow them to dry completely before the next step.

Time to give these beauties a bit more beast! Measure the space you want to add the faux fur to, and make a pattern.  My pattern is drafted in two pieces. The top portion is a rectangle that was made using the measurements of the shaft of the boot. The bottom half was draped on the boot using a scrap piece of fur and trimmed away until I liked the shape. Draw your patterns onto pattern drafting paper, transfer them to the wrong side of the fur, and cut. Be aware that faux fur is a directional fabric.  When you cut you want all your pieces to have the fur going in the same direction. I also suggest cutting your pieces one at a time instead of doubling the fur, which means you will have to (magic) mirror the pattern for the bottom smaller piece.





I opted not to hem my fur.  This means I only have seam allowances along the top edges. Should you choose to do this as well be very careful when cutting.  Only cut the knit backing not the actual fur. I find it helps to use smaller snipping cuts rather than large cuts.  To avoid unnecessary bulk in seams, trim off the fur that is within the seam allowance, leaving the knit backing intact.

Next, sew the pieces of fur together using a sewing machine.   Then, use an upholstery needle to attach the fur to the boot.  Upholstery needles are curved, and will punch through & come out the thick boot easier than a straight needle.

With that done, prepare the strapping and edging for the top of the shoe.  I chose fabric that was similar to the boots, and painted it to match. (If you aren't painting your boots, try to find fabric that matches so you can skip this chapter.)
Once the paint is dry, cut strips.  If you aren't painting your material and it isn't stretch, cut the top binding on the bias.  It will help the fabric stretch around the curve and lay flat. Fabric paint takes the stretch out, so I just cut mine on the straight of grain. Cut enough to do 12 straps and 2 top edging pieces.

My banding looks a bit large, I was still debating over how to finish the edges and left myself extra material.  If you are using material that can be ironed, I suggest pressing your strips before proceeding. Do not iron pleather it will melt.  If you are using pleather and want a crisper fold line, carefully set some heavy books on top of your desired folds overnight. Warning! This can cause creases and dents if your books aren't large enough to cover the whole strip.  (I like to use full comic book boxes since they are long and super heavy.)  
The top edging pieces can now be machine stitched to the boots (make sure you have the right size/ type of needle in your machine).

Once stitched, fold the whole top edge over.  Hand stitch along the edges to hold in place.  If your fabric frays, you will have to fold the inner edge again. In an effort to reduce bulk, I choose not to fold my edges.  Notice the buckling? This is because my fabric has no stretch.  It's only on the inside and not visible when worn.





 To create the straps, fold the raw edges over so they meet in the center back.  Then top stitch the pieces in place. While wearing the boots measure how long each strap needs to be, along with where you want them placed.  I numbered my straps on the back side, so I would not mix them up.  Once you cut the strap lengths, add a bit of paint to the cut ends (mine were white like the backing of my fabric).
Using a snap setter, place the snaps on the strap ends, under where the roses will eventually be sewn.  I suggest adding snaps to all the straps, so they can opened on one side.  It makes the boots easier to put on.
Once your snaps are in place, sew the rose beads on the outside of the straps to hide the snaps.   If you can't find beads, try cabochons and glue. You'll need to be more careful pulling the straps open with a glued detail.  I choose to use all red roses since my boots are more inspired by the illustration.

Next stitch the straps to the boots so they still allow access to the zipper.  The zipper on most boots will be on the inside, the roses are on the outside, make sure nothing is blocking the boots from being able to stretch open.  Mine are anchored at the two points shown.

For the strap that wraps around the front of the boots, start the strap under the bottom rose, then wrap around the underside of the shoe. Fold and stitch the end to the boot using the upholstery needle.  If you find the strap slides, glue it in place where it touches the sole.

With that you'll have the perfect boots to help make everything come up roses.