PeterHarvey

@toxo oh wow is at open at the moment? Would be great to be able to look at tools and materials other than on Google

@Rahere it's hidden gems like that that get missed by Google searches, great find, will have to make a visit when we're allowed to go out again

@Aven I'll take a look thanks for the link! I watched Jason's video, makes it look so easy... think I've got a lot of work ahead of me. I might even try making a pair hopefully I'll get a similar result. Found a great video on YouTube for stitching tips, Have ordered some cheap scraps so I'm gonna do a lot of practise and might not need a machine at all. Peter

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313431976633 There's quite a few machines like these about

@Matt S Fortunately at the moment, time for me is in abundance, especially as now have an office at home so I'm well set to take my time with this. My plan is to sew the uppers and inners to the sole as in attached pic, will definitely be stitching the soles by hand. As I've got so much time to put into this I might buy some scraps and see how I get on stitching the uppers together by hand. I've checked and unfortunately there's no pros near by, closest is in London and with current rules that's a no go. But again, I'm determined to put maximum time into the project, hopefully it'll be fun, a great learning experience and also productive. Any tips on a better leather to use for uppers? I guess needs to be tough but be able to look slightly worn, aged. @Aven I can relate to the mouldy floor, we moved 2 years ago and the bathroom floor was cork, the smell was not great so that was one of the first things to go... Best of luck with your new home and hopefully you'll be all set up again in no time. Ps, I've got a big box of plasters as I'm terrible with a coping knife!!!

Aven, Thanks so much for the bits you've posted, it's great to get relevant advice and pick up tips, especially if it stops me slicing my thumb off!!! I'll keep researching and keep y'all updated with any progress. Peter

Ahh brilliant thanks for all the links and bits. I've got a pair of wooden lasts due next week for only £9.50 on ebay, what a bargain!!! Hopefully they won't need much modifying. I'll check out the videos and have a look for the book you suggested. That's the biggest spender finding the right 2nd hand machine, the good news is, my gf used to make a lot of her own clothes and done textiles at college so hopefully we'll both get some use out of one. I just have no idea what machine spec to look for, and again with no experience it's a tad overwhelming looking through previous posts... hopefully continued research will enlighten me. Peter

Hahaha I know what you mean, I'm aiming high for a beginner. I've done quite a bit of research on patterns and making, also been lucky to find a pair of size 44 wooden lasts for less than £10 so I'm on the right track. I've done a quick for model on plaster to try starting some leather patterns and I think I've got a good idea of materials needed, the outer layer I can get 2m sq of decent quality calf veg tan leather for a decent price, and have got some (cheapish) starter tools to see how I get on. I'm hoping, especially with current lock down situation that I'll enjoy the challenge, and if successful I'll try making a guitar strap for myself and might never have to buy shoes again... (joking) YouTube has been great for ideas and my partner is probably on despair at the hours of shoe/bootmaking videos I've been watching, am enjoying the experience so far tho. Peter

Hi all, Firstly let me apologise as I'm sure this question has come up countless times, but after searching through the topics and forums I haven't been able to find the answer I'm looking for. Basically, I'm a total beginner and want to make a pair of boots myself as leather work would be a great new hobby to have and unfortunately I don't have £1,000.00 spare for a pair of boots. My question is, for the boots pictured, is there a machine I could get off the shelf without any mods to motors etc... to see the upper parts together? I was tempted to try by hand but feel this would be a futile effort, especially with my lack of knowledge and experience. Again, I'm very sorry and do apologise as I'm sure the 'what machine' question has been answered, I'm just getting a bit overwhelmed searching through existing threads (no pun intended) I can't see I would ever be stitching anything thicker than pictured, so again, it's there a really available (affordable) machine to do the job? Peter