JEM

Lorenzo, Maybe I can arrange a course in California in the beginning of next year. I'll let you know how it goes, thank you for the interest! //Janne

Kustom, thank you for the compliment! The shoe is an elastic side Oxford with brogue and a toe rose. It is welted from heel breast to heel breast with the waist beveled and it is bespoke. I would say that shoemaking is mostly about practice and practice and an experienced teacher who can take you through all the steps of the making. Which level of the shoemaking should other then me comment but the tricky part on this one is the making of the upper with all brogue and the toe rose. The boot on the photo is the second pair of welted footwear one of my students made last summer. She took a class and made a pair with a colleague in London and then she visited me and made two pairs. Hope this one encourage to start the making of a pair elastic sides. It would be great to visit Los Angeles maybe I can arrange a course there someday. Janne Melkersson

For those interested in shoe and/or bootmaking: I, Janne Melkersson, a shoe and bootmaker from Sweden will be offering a tall boot top class in Brooklyn, New York late in September 2009. The subjects covered will be as follows: How to measure the leg, making the pattern, crimping the vamp, assembly, closing and finally how to tree the boot. The class will cover tall back seamed boots and will take four working days i.e. 30 hours. We will not cover the lasting and making methods. Prior experience with the usual process of lasting and bottoming welted footwear is suggested since they are not to be covered in the class. Students will practice the measuring and pattern making. I will demonstrate the entire process of closing and treeing the tops. With this class I hope to revive interest in the back seamed boot which has for a long time been in the shadow of the side seamed boot i.e. the western boot in the USA. In the class I will produce a classic English dressage boot as shown in the photo. It will be made until the same stage as in the photo but with trees inserted. The dates are not yet set but it will probably take place 26th to 29th of September. The price for the class is $875 In order to participate in the course prospective students must pay for the course before 15th of July. There will be a cancellation fee of $85.00 for cancellations. The balance of the fee will be returned to those who cannot eventually attend. Janne Melkersson www.melkershoes.com

Talfuchre, thank you for the compliment! Quote; It is funny. You sort of forget that all shoes were made by hand until very recently. I don't know what you mean by "very recently" but as fare as I know factory made shoes in the meaning that machines where involved in the process started in Northampton, England in the 1870's when Mr Charles Goodyear invented the welt sewing method by machine. The government had to put soldiers out on the streets in both London and Northampton because there was riots among hand shoe makers who lost their work. Since that time I am afraid that hand shoe making have been only for those who could afford it, it ended up being on every mans feet. These days hand shoemaking in the old meaning is a rare thing. For those interested here is two links to factory made shoes in the 1930's USA. http://www.archive.org/details/story_of_shoes_1 http://www.archive.org/details/story_of_shoes_2

Kate, UKRay, thank you for the compliment of her work! Kate, Yea, I was lucky to have both my father and grand father in the trade and even though my father is 80 years old and don't make shoes anymore we still talk a lot about the trade. Working with leather is for many, including me, kind of a life long relation. Here is the link to some shoemaking books http://www.thehcc.org/ click on The guild library and down load Golding Vol 1, 4 and 6 and it will not take long until you make your first pair of shoes:)

Thank you guys for the compliment of her work, I am sure it will encourage her for the next pair! I made the last and she did the rest. I am sure there are many ways of teaching shoemaking, the way which work best for me is to instruct the student by making the first pair together i.e. I make a half pair and the student the other half following my instructions. The second pair the student will be on her own but I am in the shop and will assists if needed. They are made all by hand except the post machine for the closing of the upper leather. Janne Melkersson melkershoes.com

Here is a photo of a shoe a New York student of mine, Marika Verploegh Chasse, finished today. She did a great job and the gimping and broguing is very well done. This is her fourth pair. Enjoy! Janne Melkersson www.melkershoes.com

Mark, what a nice and clean work bench you have. My master told me "show me your work bench and I can tell the quality of your work". Well, he meant that a clean bench is needed if you want to make top grade stuff. Thanks for posting yours.

Congrats on a very nice pair of boots! I have visited Carl in St Jo and meet him at the boot and saddle makers round up in Wichita Falls, he is a nice guy and that he is a good teacher is obvious for all who can see your boots. Keep up the good work and please post your second pair.

jamsdean, corter, nice benches you have, it reminds me about the time I was making shoes using the kitchen table as a work bench! Thank you for posting.

Kevin, thank you for the compliment! The boot is an strap & buckle field boot same style as the bespoke trade in London, West End are doing them. It is an exciting style to make and the bellows tongue is the tricky part. I know about Argentina, one of my clients ordered a pair there last year but I have not heard anything about it yet.

Thank you guys for the welcoming and kind words about my work! It is nice to find a forum like this and I hope to learn something new by reading and taking part in the postings. Knut, jag kommer förbi på kaffe nånn dag:-) Tom, välkommen förbi närsomhelst!

Here is a photo of my work bench and one of a friend of mines bench. It is here stuff will be created and it would be nice to see some of your benches!

My name is Jan-Erik Melkersson and I have been in the shoe trade since 1976 both in the orthopedic and the traditional bespoke trade. The last 7 years I have started a new project which is really nice to do and that is to arrange courses for those interested in shoemaking. It is great to pass a long some of the knowledge I got from colleagues and other forums like this. Besides making shoes I have a wife, three kids and two cows to take care of. Could be pretty hectic sometimes! We are living up north in Sweden near the town Östersund. I would like to introduce to you some of my work and now I will read some of all the postings around here;