Sailor Saturn Crochet Boots Tutorial

UPDATE 2/6/23: Just made some formatting adjustments to this fine, fine post.
 

Poof = yarn and time

NOTE: This is not a pattern because...

I really enjoy finding excuses to use this picture. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I didn't write down numbers of stitches nor numbers of rows for ANYTHING. I wrote down measurements and more measurements. And drew pictures. With measurements. Then did a whole lot of measuring. Crochet a row, stop, measure, decide if I need any increases or decreases, repeat. The boots were marginally more simple, but equally time-consuming.

What Is This Then?
This is me explaining to you what I did to make my very specific boots and how I made them to fit my specific feet. Your task, if you choose to accept it, is to extrapolate this mighty knowledge to create your own boots. Sailor Saturn's boots are unique among the scouts. Different scouts have different shoes. Know yer shoes, kids! 

You should be able to do this with pretty much ANY shoes of ANY size. Mars' shoes would be easiest, followed by Venus and Neptune. Uranus and Jupiter wear ankle boots, which wouldn't be too insane. Sailor Moon, Mercury and Pluto wear knee-highs that all have boot cuffs. Saturn's boots have no cuff, but they have laces.

What I Used:
  • size F crochet hook
  • yarn needle
  • Caron Simply Soft acrylic yarn in Passion, Plum Perfect and White
  • a pair of cheap knee-high boots with no heel in US women's size 7 
  • Jones Tones Stretch Fabric Glue
  • time and patience
Stitches I Used:
  • chain stitch
  • single crochet
  • single crochet increase
  • single crochet decrease
  • slip stitch
Literally the most basic crochet stitches! The toes of the boots required a good deal of shaping, which I suppose makes this for intermediate crocheters?


What I Did (With Pictures!):
I bought these boots several years ago from eBay. I believe they were $10 + shipping. They were for a Miranda Lawson (Mass Effect) cosplay. They've been sitting in my closet ever since, and it occurred to me that I could use them for Sailor Saturn.

Cheap boots - you can see some of the seams and pieces that compose these boots.

After poking around the internet for yarn-covered shoes, I found a bunch of posts on Pinterest (which I can't even find again now) where people would just make crocheted chains and then take 800 years gluing them to their shoes individually. That didn't make sense to me and would use an awful lot of glue, but it was a starting point. Then I thought, "Why don't I just yarn-bomb my boots and only use glue where absolutely necessary?"

I took a look at the boots and noticed that they were themselves made of a number of different sections that are sewn together, and then the sole. There is a front toe portion, heel and sides of the foot, and two large pieces that make up the bulk of the boot.

What I did was just crocheted each of the sections in single crochet. I made each section roughly the same size and same shape as the ones that make up the boots. This would also make the colorwork easier and I wouldn't have to carry the secondary color behind the entire time (saves yarn). SC provides plenty of stretch, so that was that.

Look closely and you can also see the shape of the part making up the toe of the boot and top foot portion.
I copied that shape with crochet.

I began with the toe because I imagined it would be the most complicated due to the shape.

Every few rows I would hold up the crocheted panels to the boots and decide if it was time for increasing or decreases or if I could just keep working even. It was a lot of stop and go, but not difficult by any means. I then slip stitched around each panel to clean up the edges. I did not crochet a cover for the sole because I did not want to slip and fall on my ass.

In this picture you can see each of the different shaped panels and how I began joining them. First I made the foot and then the leg then connected foot to leg.
What About That Colorwork?
As with the rest of the suit, I just winged the colorwork. I decided that the back and sides of the boots would be "shadowed." At the top of the boot I used decreases to make the triangular shapes that form the V at the knee. This part extended above the top of the original boots. I then made the same shapes and slip stitched them to the front part in order to ensure that the shapes would stand on their own, not flip or curl over. I also crocheted two rectangular pieces that extended above the top of the original boots, which would fold over to the inside of the boot to create a clean look around the top of the boot.

The second boot was easier than the first because I just used the panels from the first boot as reference.

I waited until I'd made all of the parts of both boots before seaming them together using my yarn needle and your basic invisible seam that everyone likes to use for granny squares.

I waited to seam up the back so I could lay it all flat and determine where to put the laces more easily.
The laces are tight chains and the bows are actually separate from the bulk of the laces. The bows are attached where they are forever and the laces going up the boot are semi-functional in that I can loosen and tighten them to get the boots on and off. I left enough dangling on the ends not to tie the bows, but to wrap and knot around my knees to hold up the boots.

With the covers finished, I just slid them over the original boots, got them into place and used fabric glue just above the sole. Clamps would have been helpful, but I just put each boot between my thighs and held it for 45 minutes while the glue cured enough to hold the crocheted parts to the boot.

I was careful not to get glue on the yarn and kept it in as thin a line as possible, right up against the sole.

The following day with the covers attached very securely to the bottom of the boot, I put the boots on and positioned everything. I folded over the flaps I made and applied fabric glue under them. Then I wore the boots all day until the glue dried because I felt like it and it ensured that everything would stay in place where it needs to be when I wear the for reals.

Here's a look at the top inside of the boot:
I got a little sloppy with the glue and you can also see where I applied a bit to the lower back part of the triangle parts.
And that's it!

It's hard to gauge how long this whole process took because I actually ran out of yarn about halfway through and used that as an excuse to take a break. My best estimate, including actual glue-drying time where I needed to be holding the glue in place, is probably 35+ hours or thereabouts? Smaller shoes will need less crochet to cover them so they'll obviously be less time.

What About The Boot Cuffs?
If you're trying to make boots for Moon, Mercury or Pluto, I would recommend making the cuff separately and then stitching it to the boot with your yarn needle. Making the cuff a little bit tighter would be a great way also to help hold up the boots. Or am I the only person that has issues with knee-high boots sliding down?

Happy crafting! I hope this cleared some things up and you can at least use it to get started! I'm glad to answer questions (Facebook is easiest)!

p.s. The Sailor Moon fonts I've been putting on everything are here. I did not make them. But they are certainly the bomb-diggity.

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