I'm feeling very motivated to sew a new pair of ruby slippers, but first things first, I will be making a pair of hand-sewn bows. I'm talking the highest quality bows handmade like the originals in 1939.

I got a piece of genuine leather and made it thinner (as were the original bows), then I carefully cut the leather into two shapes of a bow. The bottom of the bows is cut a bit more steeper than the top, and the ends of the bows is trimmed off slightly so they are not pointy, just like the originals.

What we don't want is plastic or cardboard bows on our Rolls-Royce ruby slippers otherwise they look cheap. The shape of the leather bows look basically the same, you can't really see much difference, so I'm pretty happy with the way they have been cut perfectly then I dye them red.

Now I need a high quality Lao silk fabric and of course all the tiny beads and stones with holes for sewing, so a good eyesight is a must in this field of work. I don't wear glasses yet by the way, hopefully I won't ever need to.

Leather to make the bows for Judy Garland's ruby slippers

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Another look at these exquisite bows that Miss Garland herself would be very impressed.

World class ruby slipper bows

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This is how the bows look on the shoes, very beautiful indeed. Adrian, the costume designer for The Wizard of Oz, decided to add leather bows to the ruby slippers to give them an extra spark and beauty.

Both of these custom-made shoes will be sequined in the future. We have another custom-made shoes that we plan to use for our next pair of ruby slippers.

Ruby slipper bows on two pairs of base shoes

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This beautiful size 5B American dance shoes is perfect for our next pair of ruby slippers. It is custom made in Judy Garland's shoe size and accurate foot measurements. We always use high quality shoes with an identical shape to the original ruby slippers and this pair is no exception.

The shoes has a slim look about it, and the vintage wooden heels is long and thin when viewed from the side of the shoes and that's exactly what is required. Our general consensus is that if the shoes doesn't look like a 1930's style sexy dance shoes, then it's not the correct shape for a pair of ruby slippers.

We painted the soles glossy red. Some of the original ruby slippers have orange colored felt on the soles, while the best pairs have no felt but plain red paint. We never place felt on our ruby slippers because it covers the beauty and shine at the bottom of the shoes.

Judy Garland's size 5B 1930's style sexy dance shoes

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This side of the right shoe is nearly done and looks absolutely beautiful, what you would expect from a professional ruby slipper fashion designer. It's hard work even though we have made more hand-sewn ruby slippers than anyone in the the world.

Update on the right shoe of Judy Garland's ruby slippers

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Stunning beauty Judy Garland as Dorothy and her right shoe is almost done. Lots and lots of sewing to get this far.

The right shoe of Judy Garland's ruby slippers is slowly taking shape

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There's still a lot of stitching to do on the left shoe, but Judy Garland's ruby slippers is looking hot. This pair will be one of the most accurate ruby slippers in the world using identical materials and shoes.

Stitching work has commenced on the left shoe
of Judy Garland's ruby slippers

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Sequining on the medial side of the left shoe is nearly finished. After that we sequin the lateral side of the shoe and the heel.

You may notice the color difference on the ruby slippers. The first picture has a deeper red, and the second picture looks more brighter red, so the color of the sequins will appear different to the naked eye depending where you place the ruby slippers.

MGM Studios used a lot of artificial lighting on the set of The Wizard of Oz to keep the ruby slippers looking sparkling bright red. At no stage did they film Judy Garland wearing the ruby slippers outdoors, the entire filming took place indoors.

Judy Garland's ruby slippers is beginning to take shape

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