From f7a369f5b8eeb0674a9a2fa978f73e328f80f46d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Elena ``of Valhalla'' Grandi <valhalla@trueelena.org>
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2023 19:28:55 +0100
Subject: New pattern: braided twine sole.

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+Braided Twine Soles
+===================
+
+.. figure:: almost_finished_top.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+A sole made of braided twine, suitable for various kinds of slippers.
+
+This isn't The Traditional Way to make espadrille style soles, it's just
+a method I've used and that seems to work. I don't know The Traditional
+Method and couldn't find details on it online, so this way may be
+similar, except I'm doing something horribly wrong.
+
+Materials
+---------
+
+Yarn
+^^^^
+
+* 3-4 mm twine;
+* sturdy sewing thread.
+
+As a sewing thread I've used 4-ply waxed linen designed for bookbinding,
+marked with a number 14 (I'm not sure on which scale, however).
+
+Tools
+^^^^^
+
+* paper pattern for the sole;
+* 6 elastics;
+* a binder clip, optional;
+* strong needle, ideally curved;
+* a needle as long as the sole will be wide, optional.
+
+The pattern will depend on what the sole will be used for: for sewn
+shoes you will probably have a regular pattern, for knit / crocheted
+ones you can trace around the finished object, and to make a sandal you
+can trace around a foot adding a bit of ease and smoothing out the shape.
+
+You don't need to buy curved needles: regular needles can be curved
+with the help of an heat source such as a hot air soldering station or a
+candle flame, pliers and eye protections.
+
+Directions
+----------
+
+Cut 3 long pieces of twine: 10 m for each piece were barely enough for
+a 25 cm foot.
+
+Find the middle point and tie the strands together with a scrap of
+thread.
+
+.. figure:: 01-braiding.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+Starting close from the middle, loop each strand around your fingers to
+form a butterfly, wrap it with an elastic.
+
+Make a 3-strands rounded braid: each strand is made of the two sides of
+a piece of twine, and fold the strand towards the front to bring it to
+the middle while braiding, rather than curving it to the side as for a
+flat braid.
+
+Keep braiding until the end, keep it in place with a binder clip (or
+just leave it hanging and rebraid it if needed).
+
+.. figure:: 02-pinning_outer_round.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+Put the paper pattern on a pinnable surface and starting from the toe
+pin the braid vertically all around the pattern.
+
+.. figure:: 03-sew_outer_rounds.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+When you have finished the first round, lay the braid
+towards the middle of the sole, whipstitching it to the outer round.
+
+.. figure:: 04-third_round.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+And keep working like this, whipstitching each round of braid to the one
+next to it.
+
+Hide all knots between the braid sections.
+
+.. figure:: 05-wider_part.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+After a while, you won't be able to add more rope to the narrower part
+of the sole; start making shorter rounds just in the wider part.
+
+.. figure:: 06-cutting.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+When even the wider part is full cut the braid to size
+
+.. figure:: 07-sewing_middle.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+and finish whipstitching the remaining open parts, including the one
+that was left in the narrower part of the sole.
+
+.. figure:: 08-bottom_open.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+Now you can remove the pins and the sole will keep its shape, but the
+bottom part will tend to open up, enabling dirt and other unwanted
+material to creep into it, so you need to stabilize everything by
+stitching it from side to side.
+
+.. figure:: 09-side_to_side_sewing.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+If you have a long needle you can insert it from one side of the sole to
+the other one, but if you don't (or if your long needle is to thick and
+you can't insert it into the braid) you'll have to go through 2–3 braids
+at a time with the curved needle.
+
+.. figure:: 10-from_the_side.jpg
+   :align: center
+
+When you get to one end pull tight to compact the braids, and then go
+back into the sole for the next line. Keep hiding all knots between the
+braids.
+
+Now start again for the second sole, remembering to turn the pattern
+upside down if it's shaped to have a right and a left foot.
+
+Attach the soles to the shoes with the whipstitched part on top;
+depending on how the shoes are made a blanket stitch will probably work
+nicely.
+
+..
+
+   Gallery
+   -------
+
+   .. .. figure:: 
+      :align: center
+      :alt: .
+
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