Aven

Mablung, have you seen this youtube video. Their pattern is free, but its just one size, so you might have to scale it. A Baby Moccasin Free PDF Pattern

Thanks for the link Mablung. The very first class I took for shoe making was with Jason Horvattor making turn shoes. They turned out great. I ended up taking another class with Jason because I really enjoyed making my own shoes and he's a great teacher. While I was there they were filming for his video on making turn shoes. I picked up a copy and I have to say that it's just like being in class with Jason. He has also produces a spiral bound book on making turn shoes. Its a good companion to the video but you can definitely make a pair with just the book. Turn Shoes book and DVD Another source of great information is Stepping Through Time. It's out of print and hard to find, but its a wealth of information if you can get your hands on it. Looks like Amazon has it in stock as well as Shoes and Pattens (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London, 2) These are definitely more reference than tutorial. Still a good read. I don't know if you can get a hold of them through an inter-library loan, but worth a try if you want to look at them before you purchase.

Nicely done.

LeatherDoofus, welcome to the rabbit hole of shoe/boot making. You've made a great start. If you are not familiar with Jason Horvattor, I think you ought to check out his DVD on boot making. Internal stitch down isn't quite a turn shoe, but it does have that appearance. I think you'll find a lot of information in there very useful. And if you want to explore stitch down shoes, check out Healthy Handmade Shoes. He walks you through a different process, but its easy to follow.

Took me a bit, but I found it. Start at about the 4:00 mark. She goes through the entire process of putting linen thread on a boar bristle. Making Medieval Shoes By Hand

Well that sucks. They were it, unless you count Tandy in Shoreline or south of Tacoma. Then its Spokane. Portland is going to have your next closes leather supply house. oregonleatherco.com Phone number (971) 334-8521 110 NW 2nd Ave Portland, OR If memory serves, McPherson was a part of the Oregon Leather Co so definitely check on them before you head south.

Pikefish, those look great. I really like the black with red stitching. What does the other end look like?

I know this is a very old post, but just in case Ms Raymond still visits the forum, I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share. Your book Crafting Handmade Shoes: Great-Looking Shoes, Sandals, Slippers & Boots was the doorway into making shoes for me. It is such a cool book of what is someone can create at home. I'm slowly replacing all my factory shoes with handmade shoes and I have started making First Steps for others. Thank you for not accepting the "norm" and for showing others what they can create.

Nicely done. Classic color combo. Now I feel like I have been neglecting my dogo. I'm going to have to put a collar and leash on the project list.

Its really wicked what it does to a body. After you've attached the pieces together, don't forget to put it back on the last and beat it with a hammer, if you don't have a sole press. The contact cement needs the pressure to really join the two pieces.

Don't forget to scuff up the rubber as well. You might also wipe it down with something to get the oil/grease and bits of rubber off of it before you glue. Silicon can mess will glue ups, so if you are using a silcon brush, switch to something else. With Barge, two thin coats are much better than one thick coat. The solvents don't evaporate as well when there is too much globed onto the surfaces. Please use adequate ventilation and an organic respirator. And don't pop your respirator off when you put the lid on the glue thinking its safe. Its still in the air. If you can smell it, you are breathing the nastiness in. Renia Aquilim 315 has to be handled differently. Lisa Sorrell has a youtube video on how to use it. The biggest difference between the two, other than the solvent vs non-solvent aspect is that the Aquilim 315 has to completely dry, like a day or three of drying. Then heat reactivates it.

Which contact cement did you use? Barge, Renia Aquilim 315, something else? How thick did you apply it?

The 9mm cap is a quarter smaller than the 12mm.

I use round jawed jewelry pliers when I had sew. Because of injuries I don't have the hand strength I should so I have found that the spring loaded pliers make all the difference for me. Flat jawed needle nose pliers will work, but you need to careful using them. You have to grab the needle along the length, not across. And if you use regular needle nose pliers, you can damage the needle surface. The round jaw pliers aren't expensive and having them spring loaded cuts down on hand movements. Until the VA sorts out what's wrong with my shoulder, I am using a 1 ton arbor press instead of a maul to punch holes or use a stitching iron. I would have liked to be able to have a 3 ton for the space between the back and the ram, but its too large for my shop and its too heavy for me to move by myself right now. I have two magnetic based LED sewing lights on each side to make it easier to see what I'm doing. They make all the difference in the world in eliminating shadows so I can see.

I'd suggest that you pick up a book or a video on making sheaths. The book/video will walk you through how to use the knife you have to create a pattern and then make the sheath. You will get a lot more out of the book\video that just having the pattern. Youtube is a wealth of information on making sheaths. You could start there instead of going the book/video route. I've found that books/videos tend to have more bits of information that make the difference in a workable sheath and a really good one. But whichever route you go, there's plenty of information out there that will help you make a sheath for the knife you have instead of having to get a knife that fits the pattern you bought.

I've toyed with the idea of making a partial last out of pine or poplar. It would be long enough to come back to the shoe opening so the whole thing can be clamped to the bench. Or it could be two pieces so that it stretches the leather out into shape. I would shape just the toe area to get the volume and shape. I haven't gotten around to doing it, but I think it would work for gluing a toe puff in. When I draw out a sole pattern I start with an outline of the feet. I use a pen held vertical all the way around the foot. At the arch, I go from vertical to about 45° to tuck up under the foot into the arch space and then back to vertical as I come out of the arch space. Then I check to see if the feet are the same size, if one is longer or wider than the other. Lets say one foot is longer by 1/8", I would use that one for my pattern. If they are more than 1/4" different, then you need two patterns. So you have the outline in hand that you are going to use. Take a different color pen (so you can see your new marks) and start smoothing things out. I'm going to use the right foot as an example. Starting at the longest toe, make a mark about 3/8" up then keeping that distance draw a line that would go toe tip to toe tip, but it's 3/8" away from the toes. Here you can fudge about to create a pleasing shape. Go around the foot so you come down the side of the little toe. Don't follow the little toe, but bring a line up from the ball of the foot from about an 1/8" outside of the bone at the ball of the foot and blend the two lines. This is why the tracing should be made by someone else as you put all your weight on your feet. You need them to spread out to get a real outline of your feet. Then from the ball of the foot you can smooth back to the outline of the foot and follow it around the heel and up to the arch. Stop where the two lines for the arch split. At the widest part of two lines, draw a line from the inner to the outer. Make a mark in the middle of this line. Now back to your sole outline. Bring the line up and through the mark you just made creating an average of your arch. Then doing what you did on the other side of the ball of the foot, aim for a point that's about an 1/8" off from the bone then continue up to that toe line you started with. Don't cut through your toes, that will force them together and lead to bunions. Now if you are going to do outstitched (stitched down) shoes you take the inner sole pattern you just created and draw a new with the stitching margin around it. I hope this makes sense. If not, check out the video that Jason Horvatter did for sandals. Keep in mind that he doesn't include much toe room because they are sandals and the toes have all the headroom they could want. I'm happy to help. If you want a loafer/moccasin pattern, I would suggest using DieselPunkRO's pattern. It's a great pattern for a moccasin. You can modify the sides and the toe piece to give you the loafer look you are after. I've made two pairs with it so far. Watch his video. Be very mindful of lining up the holes. Its easy to grab the wrong one, especially if you are using thread the color of your leather. I made a mistake just as I came around the bend of sole and didn't catch it until the bend on the other side. That was a bit disheartening but I haven't made that mistake again. Lots of ways to make stuff to cover your feet. Have fun learning.

Cool beans! You got it put together. There is lots to be proud of there. Yeah there are a few bits to tweak, but still there is a lot more to be proud of than not. How thick was the heel counter and the toe puff? That thickness is probably where you "lost" length. 1 oz calf skin is what I use in the inside. If you were putting a heel counter/toe puff on the outside, thickness isn't a critical factor. You do need to skive the bottom to make it easier to turn. In my opinion, which isn't worth much, toe puffs are best used with lasts. The last gives a shape for the puff and outer to dry against, forming the toe space. And if you want to use them with unlasted shoes, they are best put on the outside as a toe cap. Again, only an opinion. You might want to check the pattern you are using against your longest foot. When you stand on the pattern, there should be about 3/8" between the end of your toes and the pattern line. Sizes aren't universal. One size 10 could be someone else's 10.5 or 9.5. Its not as bad as women's clothing where there can be inches different between makers for the same size, but you get the concept. A number is just a number, check the fit. Because of my issues with my hands, I tend to lean towards doing less stitching. You could get away decreasing your stitch per inch by half. If you are using a diamond chisel at 3.38, try a 6 on scrap and see how it looks to you.

Looking forward to the pictures of them on your feet.

LOL, doesn't it always take longer than we expect? Its looking good so far. As for them being short, if they are just "tight", pretend you are in Basic. Get them wet and walk them dry. Just be mindful of your toes. They can stretch the leather out, but if your nails are long they can the process can mess with your toes. You are getting there!

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