How to Make Spats

Make yourself simple period-accurate spats in an afternoon

Reviewed by Shaelynn Haning

Last Updated: September 26, 2024

Spats are shoe accessories that wrap around the ankle and under the instep of the foot. They were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and are still used in marching bands and infantry.^{[1]
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Research source} today, they're gaining popularity as part of the gothic lolita subculture. Following this in-depth tutorial, you can create and add this elegant, distinctive item to your repertoire with about three hours of work.

Steps

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Drape the cloth pattern over the shoe and use the binding clip to attach it to the top of the shoe. The cloth pattern used should be slightly longer and slightly taller than the shoe.
Use the scotch tape to attach the cloth to the back of the shoe and draw a vertical line indicating where the pattern will end.

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Do the same to the front. The seam should run down the middle of the laces. Cut off any excess fabric outside the line, and tape the cloth pattern to the shoe. Run your hands along the fabric to take any bumps out of the pattern and ensure the cloth is tight enough to create a good cover.
- Decide how low you want to top of the spat to go from the top of the shoe. In this model, the top of the spat will hang slightly lower than the top of the shoe.
Remember that the pattern should follow the organic shape of the shoe.
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Decide where you want the buttons to go. Draw another line indicating this.
- Because the lines drawn on the pattern will likely be shaky and not visible in certain areas, go back through and darken the lines to strengthen the pattern outline.
Cut off the excess cloth and draw the pattern on the paper. Weights can be helpful in keeping the pattern completely still to ensure a steady hand and correctly dimensional pattern.
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and trace the two pieces onto another section of tracing/pattern paper. This will create the other side of the spat.
- On the parts of the boot where the two segments of leather are sewn together (front and back), a half-inch seam allowance is necessary to create leeway.
Add an inch and a half to the original pattern to create leeway where the button seam is.
The triangle represents the excess seam allowance.
The leather is ready to be traced and cut out based on the patterns. You should have three pieces of the patterns now. Weigh the patterns down on the leather and trace them with a ball-point pen. Because you're creating two different spats for two different feet, make sure you flip the pattern before tracing the pattern for the opposite foot.
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Cut the leather using your scissors. You should have three different pieces prepared to sew together. Use a 2.5 to 4 stitch length on your sewing machine.
- Do not use pins when sewing, because pins create permanent holes in the leather. Instead, just hold the pieces together and feed it through. Sew The back-seam the same way the front-seam was sewn, with a half-inch seam allowance.
and make small cuts to make the seam lie flat. This way, when the spat is folded over it looks nice from the front side.
Make a thin layer of rubber cement on both sides of the seam.
Wait until both sides of the seam are sticky and semi-dry then push the sides down using your fingers in the middle of the seam so that it lies flat.
Use a small roller to press the seams down and make sure that the bond is especially strong (optional).
Rub some of the rubber cement along the edges of the spat and then fold it on itself to create a reinforced area for the buttons.
Use the roller to press it down and ensure a strong bond. Basic construction is finished and now the buttons are ready to be attached.
Make two additional marks, one to the left of the center and one to the right, about a quarter of an inch from the edge.
To make a button hole, a simple one can be made with an Xactoknife, or, for a sturdier one, the button hole attachment on the sewing machine can be used. If you use the machine, you'll want to cut them open with a seam ripper.
to mark the spot that the button will be attached to. Then sew the buttons on via machine or by hand if you'd prefer.
Button up the spat, put it on the shoe, then use the pen to mark the place on the spat that you'd like the button to go. Sew either loose end of the buckle onto the inside of the bottom of the spat. You're done!

Community Q&A

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Question

If taller, can boning be used to stop them slouching down from the weight?

T. Chinsen

Top Answerer

Adding a heavy weight interfacing to the back of the fabric can give the fabric support. Buckram fabric is a stiff material used in shaping hats so they can maintain their shape. Boning is a lot thicker and does not flex, as it not meant to move. You can certainly use it if you feel it meets your needs.

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Tips

Spats don't have to be made out of leather -- they can be (and were) made out of all kinds of heavyweight fabric, as well.

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This is an advanced project.

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To make your "cloth pattern", you can use any lightweight scrap fabric.

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