How to Make a Pirate Boot Gaiter
Gaiters are garments that cover the lower leg and act as extensions to the wearer's shoe or boot. Although normally used for their warmth or water repellent properties, custom-made gaiters are also useful costume pieces, eliminating the need to purchase expensive footwear. Since no proper pirate costume is complete without boots that fit to the knee and then blossom out into large floppy cuffs, gaiters are an inexpensive way to create the required pirate look for very little money.
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Things You'll Need
- Thin leather or leather-looking fabric
- Elastic
- Measuring tape
- Scissors
- Pins
- Sewing Machine
- Thread
Instructions
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Select your material. You need fabric-weight leather or leather-looking material for your pirate boot gaiters. The material can be any color, but should match the shoes you plan to wear as a base. A piece of leather or material a minimum of 2 yards long and 1 yard wide will be enough for your gaiters.
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Measure your leg. Measure your leg from the top of your shoes to just below your kneecap. That is how long your gaiters will be. If you are using fabric, add 2 inches to that measurement. If you are making your pirate gaiters out of leather, add 1 inch to that measurement. Measure around the widest part of your calf and add 1 inch to that measurement.
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3
Cut and sew the leg pieces. Cut two pieces of your gaiter material as per your measurements. Sew the long edges together, right sides of the fabric together, to make a tube. If you are using fabric, hem the bottom edge by folding over 1/4 inch of material, folding over another 1/4 inch, and stitching as close to the first fold as possible.
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Cut and sew the cuff. To make the floppy cuffs that are standard for pirate boots, cut a piece of leather or material half the length of your lower leg measurement wide and as long as your tube is around. For example, if your leg is 20 inches from your shoe top to your kneecap, and the distance around your kneecap is 12 inches, your cuff piece should be 10 inches wide and 13 inches long (the extra inch is for seam allowance). Sew the two short ends together. Hem one end of this new tube if needed. Sew the other end of the new tube to your leg covering, right sides together.
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5
Finish the gaiters. Attach the ends of a piece of 1/2-inch wide and 4-inch long elastic to opposite sides of the bottom of your pirate boot gaiters. This will go under your shoe right in front of the heel and keep your boots in place. Sew another piece of 1/2-inch wide elastic all the way around the floppy cuff seam at the top of your gaiters. This elastic should be 1 inch shorter than your around-the-knee measurement, and will hold your pirate boot gaiters up.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
