Just a few weeks ago, I decided to clean out the top shelf in a closet. Everything had been put there when I moved into this (then new) house 16 years ago. Surprise! My old pair of white lace shoes. Surprise! Badly browned by acid burn damage from the shoe box. Flay this known lace conservator who has committed the ultimate crime against lace! The shoes are now the color of DMC floss #3047 (beige), not white. Incidentally, these shoes appeared in the 1991 IOLI lace convention exhibition hosted by the Lost Art Lacers of North Jersey. There were two floor length lace gowns in the exhibit room, and I placed a shoe to peep out from under the hem of each. Description: 1958, soft point shoe of white lace over white satin, with narrow bands of satin trimming that twisted over the front of the foot and around the heel, held with a small buckle. Slender satin 4 inch high heel, 1/2 inch diameter at the floor. Many wore these "spike heeled" shoes at that time. I have very comfortable feet some 50 years later - I can buy the lowest-priced shoes on the market and not feel discomfort. It seems that the long-term effects of exaggerated shoes varies from foot-to-foot. Of course, I do not wear 4 inch heels now. More like 2 inches these days. The old lace shoes? They have been wrapped in acid-free tissue and placed in an acid-free box for future storage. Care must be taken that they will not affect any other items in the same storage box, so they are with like-items. The box is a smallish one.
-------------------------------------------------------------- If I wanted to make lace for shoes similar to mine, I might try this untested method: Buy satin-covered shoes (they are widely available for formal occasions, and can be dyed). I would find a shoe expert for the final finishing - one with a clean work habit. Ask the shoe expert if it is possible to peel back the soles to glue the lace allowance under (no glue on upper -- it can stain over time). Then, re-attach the sole with very firm glue. I'd leave the heels as they were - satin, because they will provide a nice contrast of texture. For the lace, I would ask how much of a seam allowance should be added to the shape. My guess would be 1/4 inch. Knowing how long it would take to make delicate lace, I might buy a extra pair of shoes to practice on - using a bit of machine-made lace for the test. Shoe manufacturers of anything unusual would make a number of test shoes, and I think you might want to try it, too. You'd have two extra shoes to work with for your prototype. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
