FranElizabeth, when I came I packed my shoes on a separate bag that could be carried with me in to the plane. Now don't get me wrong, I was not intending on having that as my hand luggage since I had my hand luggage bursting with clothes already. But... I was nice to the lady and asked her if she could add that bag, since it was so small. And they agreed to it :)
Explain to them you're emigrating and they are usually quite understanding. You could also contact your airline and explain the emigration part to them. A friend of mine did it and they allowed her to bring an extra 10Kg!