When I made my first flat ballet shoes I realized that it’s not that simple as it may seem.
There is a lot of components in making ballet shoes that will determine if your shoes will look stunning or just as any other ballerinas out there.
You need to have beautiful last, heel, good leather and of course quality work but there is one main thing that will make your ballerinas look beautiful. Throat line, perfect throat line that will emphasize the natural curves of your feet. So, if you will made the throat line crooked you will ruin the entire look of your pretty ballerinas.
Pattern
What is the problem making throat line in flat ballet shoes? The problem is that the inner side must be higher than the outer side, but in the same time they must look the same. To make it perfect you should spend a lot of time to find this combination on your last: the inner line of the throat is higher, but that been said it still need to look with the same proportion! That is the secret of beautiful flat ballet shoes.
One of my greatest Italian teachers, Mr. Bruno was famous in all region of Emilia-Romagna (Italy) because of his amazing patterns of pumps. He even had nickname “The King of pumps’’, sadly he passed away many years ago.
He was very busy man because all shoe manufacturers in this region were inviting him to make pumps patterns for their collections.
As a student I had a lot of determination and I was very stubborn ( don’t be afraid to be a stubborn students) and persistent student, so I always asked him questions so one day Bruno revealed one of his secrets to me. How to make perfect throat line of flat ballet shoes in most simple way and now I will share it with you.
Well, it’s really great tip, but it suits only for low ballets and not high heel pumps shoes.
Ok, I will make it short:
When you make your pattern you should make the throat line of your inner and outer side symmetrical , without creating this difference between inner and outer sides.
Then add extra to lasting allowance in the inner side more than you usually do.
That’s it for the pattern.
Now, the trick is in the lasting. Simple manipulation during lasting will make perfect throat line in your flat ballet shoes !
Last it in the way ,where the central line of your upper lays not along central line of your last (as you do usually), but lays closer to the outer side to create this difference between inner side and outer side .
Ballerina
It’s simple, clever and just AMAZING! What you think?
(Collected and Edited)
