Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Autumn leaf ballet slippers from scratch
- 18 September 2013
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The ballet slippers are made from Katsura Tree (Cercidyphyllum japonica) leaves
Draw the slipper pattern on thin paper
Fold the thin paper over the drawn slipper pattern
Copy the pattern for the other ballet slipper.
Open the thin paper. You now have two slippers, one right sole and a left sole.
Cut out the ballet slipper pattern
Place the two slipper soles down on a working surface.
Connect the ends of the upper (toe) part of the pattern with masking tape
Tape the upper to the sole
Continue to tape the upper to the sole following the contours with a few more strips of masking tape.
Continue to tape the upper...
... all the way around. Do the same with the other slipper
Paper slippers ready to design with
Wash and dry a few autumn leaves
Cut the stems from the leaves and set aside. Cut a few of the leaves in irregular blocks.
Glue the fall leaves to the paper slipper.
Overlap the leaves so that it will still cover the paper as it dries and shrinks
Completely cover the paper slipper with fall leaves so that it can be picked up and viewed from all angles
Smooth down the edges of the leaves to lie flat
Reach deep into the slipper toe and cover the inside sole
Flip the slipper over and cover the sole
Autumn leaf slippers ready to design with
Glue on the leaf stems to add texture
Set aside for the glue to bond before adding any fresh floral details
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Tutorials
The finish of every design should be flawless. Make sure there are no bits of glue visible in your design by carefully removing all traces of spills.
I used to make baskets full of these when I was a little girl. We had a big Acasia thorn tree and I used to spear my “roses” onto the tree pretending I was the fairy responsible...
Great way to use all the autumn leaves you collect on walks during the season. Slowly build up the leaf rosette and let the leaves dry before adding a few more.
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