Modelling Paste Shoe

This is a tutorial I made up for making an edible shoe from Modelling Paste. I make my modelling paste from 250g sugarpaste mixed with 1 tsp gum tragacanth. NB: Leave this to dry for at least 10 days so it really is properly dry and firm.

List of Materials

• shoe (to cut up), modelling paste in your selected colour, craft knife, rolling pin, clingfilm, diamante buckles (optional)

1. Buy a shoe (or pair of course) I had fun searching in the Christmas sales and got this
2. Carefully cut the shoe apart. Keep the front and back of the shoe to make templates. Take craft knife and remove the inner sole of the shoe very gently, I cut the little stitches just under the inner. I then put it on a piece of white card and drew around it slightly bigger that the actual sole and then longer and rounder at the front to get the full shoe shape. I cut it and then placed it on the shoe to test the size and I had to trim a little off the front part of the shoe. Also cut out templates of the actual sole itself to fit into the shoe later and cut templates of the back of the shoe and the front. You can make up your own templates but this was my first shoe, I used the original shoe design.
3. I got some Pritt glue and reattached the sole tot he shoe so it was a smooth shoe again. Covered the shoe in clingfilm to get ready for the icing.
4. Roll out some fondant or modelling paste , modelling chocolate or flower paste even, whatever you feel is suitable for your shoe. If using fondant only thought I would suggest leaving for a few weeks to dry completely. I used modelling paste. I rolled it about 5mm thick so it was a good sturdy thickness.
5. Lay your cut out on the actual shoe to dry, smooth it if needed

6. Make up the heel for the shoe, measuring against the shoe for shape and size, this took me a little while to get just the way I wanted it … this will take some practice though
7. The heel, cut off at the end for neatness
8. I inserted a wooden skewer in the heel so I could stand it in a polystyrene block to dry
9. Roll out some fondant, modelling paste, modelling chocolate or flower paste even, whatever you feel is suitable for your shoe. I used modelling paste for the inner of the shoe. I rolled this about 1mm thick as with normal shoes, the sole is thin inside the shoe
10. using a PME wheel tool make the ‘stitching’ effect on the edge of the sole

11. Lay the sole on the shoe and smooth it over and leave to dry.
12. When your shoe has dried for a few days, cut out the templates for the back and front of the shoe. I rolled this about 3-4mm thick
13. Attach the back of the shoe, I use sugar glue but you can use royal icing or whatever you usually use for glue. Shape around the back of the heel
14. Cut out the front template also about 3-4mm thick
15. Shape and stick the front of the shoe on to your shoe, I stuffed mine with clingfilm to hold the shape of it and left it like that for 3 days so it had time to dry in shape

16. Make some straps for the ankle of the shoe I used some diamante buckles to ‘bling’ the shoe up and use your wheel tool to make the stitching again
17. I used another buckle from the front and fed some modelling paste through to give it a ‘bow’ fabric effect. Leave all of this to dry for at least 10 days (I did mine for 8 days but didn’t have longer to do it) Attach your straps too and add some cling film to shape them too
18. When the shoe is dry add a little black under the heel and attach the shoe to the heel very gently with some royal icing. I took the wooden skewer out of the heel too as it isn’t edible! Good luck and I hope this helps!
19. My completed shoe on the cake

Shoe sole and inner template

Front and heel template