alternative
to purchasing expensive footwear or shoes that require extensive leather-working
skills. Ghilles are a shoe made out of a single piece of leather
with one seam that anyone can handle and the only special tools required
are an awl/leather punch and a utility knife.
The good news is that all those Irish and Scottish re-enactors who wear too much blue paint and have really bad accents have made Ghilles a tolerated and ubiquitous (look it up) piece of costuming. No one is going to look twice at these babies. The bad news is that I have been unable to find a single shred of evidence that supports the idea that Ghilles were actually used anytime between 500 BC and 1600 AD by anyone, anywhere. The one pattern fits any foot design and the similarity to modern Irish soft dancing shoes suggests that Ghilles are dancers shoes from sometime after 1600 AD. There is, however, some evidence to suggest, but not prove, that Ghilles might have been used in period. Several writers speak to the use of one-piece shoes made of untreated cow-hide (hair side out) by the Irish and Scottish. These are generally considered to be Pampooties and bear almost no resemblance to Ghilles. Pampooties have been excavated from several sites, Ghilles have not. The Romans (boo! hiss! torture the bums!) used several variations of a basic sandal design that resembles the overall design of Ghilles. I have seen this used as ‘evidence’ for Ghilles in period, but I remain unconvinced. The Celts of Wales, Scotland, Brittany, and Gaul would have been exposed to these Roman designs (some of them through military service in the Roman armies) and might have brought the design home with them. Until I see evidence of this, however, I strongly doubt it.
Finally, Albrecht Deurer offers us a picture (16th Century) of Irish mercenaries in Germany. The interesting fact (besides that they all have the same haircut as Arunedoor) is that they are barefoot. So screw shoes and bleed a bit. Othewise...
To business. To make a pair of Ghilles you will need the pattern that comes with this article, some craft paper (a couple of paper grocery bags), a pencil, a utility knife, a leather punch, a ruler/yardstick, a leather thong (the string, not the Tuchuk apparel) , and some leather. If you want to add soles to your shoes (something I will offer suggestions on, but no directions for) then you can use a relatively light weight of leather for your shoe. For shoes without soles you will need some medium grade leather (not armor grade!). If you want to add an insole (which I highly recommend) then you will need to purchase some raw wool or a commercially available, modern insole (get something in the $5-$15 dollar range, don’t skimp on your feet). The first time you do this it will take you about four hours to make a single shoe and another hour to make the second shoe. Once you have a good pattern (make copies, put them somewhere safe!) you will find that it only takes you about twenty minutes per shoe. This is nice because these shoes can wear out quickly.
The
first step is to make a pattern for each foot. There are three methods
for doing this. The first method involves access to a photo-copier
that enlarges. The second method involves using ray-tracing, and
the third involves using a grid method. I prefer the grid method
because it is the easiest to wrap my mind around and that means that I
make fewer mistakes. Once you have cut out the pattern fold it on
your foot like the leather will. Make any corrections that need to
be made now, before you waste leather.
Done with your pattern? Good. That’s the hard part. Trace your pattern onto the leather using the pencil. The smooth side should be on the outside and the rough side should be on the inside (touching your foot). Cut the pattern out using the utility knife. Fold the leather against your foot, look for any corrections that need to be made. If you are going to tool the leather (way cool you crazy Celt) now is the time to do it. Use the leather punch to make the appropriate holes and sew up the heel. Take your time on this. The heel is the part of your shoe that will wear out first. It will wear out faster if you do a lazy job of sewing it. Start at the top and work your way down. This allows you to hide the final knot (a square knot) under the heel tab and makes the shoe look nicer. Once you have sewn up the heel put your insole and foot into the shoe and string the front flaps (see the illustration). I like to start on the inside of the foot and work my way around to the outside, I think it looks better. Tie a knot using the two ends of the loop once you have the toe section comfortably adjusted. This will ‘lock’ the toe section into shape and prevent you from going through the stringing process every-time you wear the shoes. Thread the thong ends through the mid-foot flaps and the ankle flaps in the modern manner (criss-cross) and wind any remaining length around your ankles (your pants will prevent some chafing) before tying them off. You are done.
Some thoughts on insoles. The Celts likely used straw, grass, or raw wool to pad their shoes and keep their feet warm. Raw wool is nice because it contains lanolin (which will soothe your feet, provide some water resistance, and help oil the shoes) and it will become felt over time. If you can’t get unwashed wool then get some washed wool and add some lanolin (check the natural products stores). Modern substitutes for these products are commercial insoles (Dr. Schole’s and the like), leather insoles, socks, or cardboard. I used cardboard inserts in my moccasin boots last Pennsic and they worked fine for about two days.
the ink on them dyed my socks green, but that’s my fault for not using plain cardboard. Socks look stupid with Ghilles even when you use authentic (knit, woolen) socks. No one is ever going to notice a pair of Dr. Schole’s and they will last a lot longer than cardboard. They will also double the cost of your shoes.
Some thoughts on soles. One-piece shoes are disposable. They are designed to be worn until they wear out (holes in the sole) and then thrown away. You can extend the life of your shoes by putting an outer sole on them. There are several ways to do this. You can sew a leather sole on. You can glue or sew a plastic/rubber sole on (An old tire, no steel-belts, will provide decent material as will an inner-tube). You can add the sole yourself or get a professional cobbler to do it. Old conveyor belt material makes an excellent sole with lots of traction. If you are late period (Twelfth Century and beyond) you can make a pair of pattens to use as over-shoes.
Some thoughts on breaking in your shoes and caring for them. A lot of people recommend getting your new footwear (leather goods) soaking wet and walking around in them until they dry out. I prefer oiling them copiously (lots) and then walking around in them. I have found that water dries out the leather and promotes cracking. Your shoes should be oiled regularly (after every time you wear them is best). In period this was done with fat/tallow (lard). Nowadays we have some excellent synthetic waxes and oils. I prefer mink oil, but vegetable oil will work in a pinch. Olive oil is both period and better than regular vegetable oil (don’t waste your money getting extra-virgin oil, it won’t make a difference).
Miscellaneous thoughts. Put sunscreen on the tops of your feet when you wear these shoes or you’re gonna get an interesting and painful sunburn. You don’t have to make these out of leather. Shop the Upholstery and Wool remnant tables and you might be able to make these shoes for under ten bucks. Try decorating your shoes. Tool the leather, cut designs, dye them, add brass fittings, etc.... Vary the ankle height. I think that anything over ankle height looks ridiculous but if my wife didn’t help me shop for clothes I’d probably dress like Patch Adams (unintentionally), so what do I know? Try using something other than a leather thong to sew up the heel. Horse hair or linen thread would be a period substitute. Try extending the heel flap enough to make a loop at the top of the shoe. You can loop the thong through this when you wrap the excess around your ankle and it will help keep your heel from slipping out of the shoe. If you can think of better ways to do any of this, let me know and I will add your ideas to the web-site. For more information on medieval shoes check out the web-sites listed on the Bog Troopers’ home page.