PattiN

Ahhh... Yes... I have taken a couple of classes with Jason in Portland. He is a real craftsman and his classes are great. I may go back for another class! I looked into Shoe Shool in Port Townsend and my instinct was that that is simply not the right place for me, although I have nothing bad to say about them. I thought you might have found more local teachers. Thanks!

Oh... I haven't found any local shoemaking classes! If you could point me to any in the pudget sound area, I would appreciate it. Thanks! Patti

Hi Dennis, I dont have an apprentiship for you, but I wanted to give you a holler from just a little bit north of you. I am in East King county, and I would also love to find an apprentiship near me. I haven't done any tanning, and my hat is off to you! I would like to go in that direction, but I have decided to hone my skills as a shoemaker using the leather that is available, then possibly move into tanning. I am in an agricultural district, so I have access to cow/bull hides if I want them. The last local tannery stopped tanning a couple of years ago. Best of luck to you! Patti

I cut the leather from the card stock pattern, not the tape. Yes, it does the same thing even when there is a foot in it. I am making this for a friend of mine, and his foot is bigger than mine. Even so, when I tug on the front piece, it just doesn't come up as high as the other side. Hmmmm... And thank you Sylvia for pointing me to that tutorial!

I used the tutorial from this site: seamlyne Things I learned: 1. Don't put glue on the entire sole because it shows when you turn the moccasin right side out. 2. Be very consistent with the width of the welt. (I would welcome tips on how to do that!) Things I am trying to figure out, so if anyone can give suggestions, please do so: 1. Why my front piece (the light brown) came out shorter than the rest of the moccasin, and why it angled down. I thought I had measured that pretty carefully. 2. Minimizing the thickness of the 3 or 4 layers of leather on the inside so that it does not bother the foot. I skived it, but maybe not enough. Other hints there? I hope I can attached these pictures correctly! :-) Thanks! Patti

I take it all back! I think I have found a Singer 111W155. Newly serviced, with new timing belt and new servo motor installed. Going to look at it on Friday!!

Here is a picture I hope! Shoe sample

Thanks for the reply, Wiz. I will be sewing the uppers, before they are shaped into shoes, so I believe that a flat bed machine will work. My shoe making teacher uses a flat bed machine exclusively. I will be stitching the soles to the uppers by hand.

I am new to leather work, and will mostly be sewing shoes, and maybe some handbags. At this point, I don't expect to get into heavy harness sewing, but ya never know where this may lead... I am looking at two machines, the first is an Adler 167-GK373, and they are asking $650. The second is a Consew 206 RB-2, and they are asking $1000. I have done my best to search for these machines on these forums (and elsewhere) and learn as much as I can before making a purchase. Any thoughts on either of these two machines would be appreciated! I thank you all for the considerable time that you all put into helping us newbies! Patti

I know this is an old post, but is your machine still available? Thanks!