Aven

Shoes are so deceptive, 1/4" change is huge. Darts like the one you have in your picture work well enough to bring in the top line or to tuck the leather up around the heel. Contrasting thread color will make them a cool accent. If you find that they aren't quite what you need, I would suggest you go back to the Velle pattern and look at the curved heel. Use that pattern Try it out on some scrap. No need to cut the whole side out, just the curve. Cut it out on pieces that are at least two inches wide and sew it up. Put that up against your heel and see how it fits. If the middle bit poofs away from your heel, make the curve a little bit flatter. If the top/ bottom gap, make the curve a tiny bit tighter. Putz around with scrap until you get the fit that works for your feet. Don't forget to keep a copy of the curve so you can use it for all the other shoes you are going to make. (Insert big cheesy grin) . Thin box cardboard works okay. Check out Kamsnaps. They have a grommet setters and the dies that might sort things out for you. Its a tad bit spendy, but worth it in the long run if all the eyelets you set are set perfectly. And remember its important that there is

Since linen is a natural product, it will dry out and/or rot. Shoemakers (cordwainers) would use hand wax (coad) on the threads. They had two different types, hard for summer (hard enough not to be a mess in the heat) and soft (so it would work into the threads) for winter. There are few threads on coad. Sorrell Notions was the one place I knew of to find it, but it looks like Lisa isn't carrying it any longer. You'll might have to make your own. JCUK is spot on about using the correct size hole with the correct size thread. You want a hole that will get plugged if you will with the wax on the thread. While sewing with the thread, once and done won't work. With each pull through a hole, the wax is scrapped off a bit, so you will need to rewax the thread as you sew. If your hole/thread size is correct, back stitching will hold it. And if you waxed your thread enough, no glue will work. It can't get to the thread because its coated with wax.

Rabbit holes are just so tempting. You never know what bit of arcane knowledge you might find. Yeah you might never actually be able to put it to use, but you know it. I'm a magpie in that sense, I love collecting knowledge. Thanks for the link I will check it out.

Boar bristles, linen thread, hand wax (coad) definitely old school. Enjoy the rabbit hole lol!

Steel bristles might be easier to start with. And you can buy a single guitar string size in bulk. Or you can hit up your musician friends for the E string when they change their strings. The boar bristle has to be split just right down to a certain point. The thread is laid in the split and then the hard part begins, doing the magical incantations and hand movements to get the tread and the bristle to be come one. I still can't find the video on threading onto the boar bristle.

Here are a couple of videos to add onto the loafer one. Steel Bristles Lisa Sorrell's Its a Boot Life Start at 4:30. Its a Boot Life Hand Stitching Start at 6:00

They are still used, but not like they once were. Now monofilament or split steel is the use for the needles. I had a bookmark of someone going through the whole process of waxing the individual linen threads together, tapering the bundle, which is what you have there, and then winding a bundle onto a needle, but I can't find it. If you go to about 29:45 you can see him using the inseaming awl and then the needles with the thread attached. Looks like monofilament to me. At 29:50 he using the awl again and you can see the tail of the thread on the right side of the screen. That's the "needle". Because the needle is the same thickness as the thread, it doesn't require a large hole to get the works through. Loafers Made by a traditional method

They look like what shoemakers used to attach the uppers to the sole. They didn't use needles. The end is tapered so a boar's bristle could be wound on to it and used as the needle.

It looks like it is linen. Is it in about 6 foot lengths?

I've made something similar for bike riders with long hair. Their hair got wrapped in one of these after it got braided. It needed to be a bit stretchy to grip the braid tightly. I went with snaps because of the thought of hair getting caught up in the velcro and getting damaged. No everyone is blessed with thick healthy hair.

Thank you for the link! Much appreciated. I'll dig into tomorrow.

Cool Beans. Thanks for your insight. I also got the rail system so warning taken. Right now, according to the tracking number, they have been handed over to the Canadian Post and but haven't crossed the boarder yet. I figure I will get them in hand by the end of next week.

I am not an expert by any means. I have only made unlasted shoes. But if I was making shoes for someone with high arches, I wouldn't adjust the last. I feel its going to be easier to put inserts in the shoes and tweak them than it is to adjust the shoes and last. How do you like the lasts from podohub? I just ordered a pair and I'm a bit excited to try lasted shoes.

Shoot me a PM when you get back into it. I'm always happy to talk about shoes.

Work, that evil necessity that can take us way from what we want to be doing. If you want to chat about it, you know where I hang out.