Woo hoo- a lucky dip of leather tools

Just got this wonderful mixture of old tools on ebay. There's also a plough gauge, some leather, waxed threads and whole stack of punches for embossing leather.  It should all arrive in the not too distant future......

Also got a really great pair of shoe lasts so shoe-making will be starting again soon..

Recycle, recreate, risk a bit of whimsy! 

Shoemaking Class 3

Finished my last shoe making class - but not my shoes. They still need some work but hey they do look shoe-ish and for a first attempt I think they're ok. All I need now is a sewing awl, a pair of shoe lasts, glues,  leather shears, scissors, thread, leather needles, leather, not to mention all the other bits and pieces- oh yes and I have to get that shoe making book!
I love shoe making! Can't wait till the second course in September. Hopefully I'll make a few more turn shoes between now and then and my shoe making skills will be a bit better...

Can't wait to finish this pair off and start another pair.... 


Recycle, recreate, risk a bit of whimsy!

Craftsmanship

Tim Skyrme lasting a shoe by hand, part 1

This a wonderful video of Tim Skyrme lasting a shoe by hand. Check out his website at the link below http://www.shoemakingbook.com/. 

Tim has more videos and lots of info about shoe making schools around the world. He also has a book (Bespoke Shoemaking) which will be on my bookshelf soon....

Shoe Making Class 2!

Great class! Here's some shots of my first pair of shoes. One more week to go and I should be able to wear them woo hoo!

All sewed up!

Inside out with the heel lining and some binding to stop the shoes from stretching

Inside out on the last- hand sewn to the sole

Decorative fancies for the finished shoe

Got to get back to some more sewing........

Recycle, recreate, risk a bit of whimsy

Shoe Making Class 1 !

My first shoe-making class was on Saturday-  It was held at the Council of Adult Education in Degraves St in Melbourne. Our teacher, Brendan Dwyer, has been in the biz for over 20 years. 
We chatted about the types of shoes we could make during the course and chose which shoes to attempt during the rest of the sessions.  Options included various sandals (Brendan said these were the easiest option),  happy camper shoes, apache moccasins, moccasins and turn shoes. The turn shoe is supposed to be the most difficult. (Brendan said that the students who choose this type will be doing the most cursing).
Thought I'd try the turn shoe..... will try not to curse!
So what were the highlights:
Brendan's wonderful historical snippets- did you know that in the late 15th century pointed shoes were in for male fashionistas. The King had the longest points and common folk were banned from having shoes with longer points than the Kings- those who did were fined.........The Pope wasn't so keen on these pointed shoes and declared that they were lascivious, evil shoes that threatened the moral fabric of society... lol
Measuring feet- the shoes and socks were off and those who had not prepared their toes for a public viewing were exposed.... made me think, when you buy a pair of factory produced shoes these days the last thing a retailer would do is touch your feet..... industrialization, globalization- we've been incrementally accepting less humanity in our economic transactions for some time.... what a delight it is to embark on making shoes by hand for people
Brendan's workshop- what a wonderful place- full of rare items, hundreds of wooden shoe lasts, strange old machines, quirky shoes, pieces of leather and old tools... the perfect place for a one in a million craftsman - Did you know that statistically speaking that's how many shoe makers are left- 1 for every million people?
Well I've been practicing taking foot measurements and making sure that my toes are spiffy for the next class.... Stay tuned for class two and some pictures of my progress



Recycle, recreate, risk a bit of whimsy