sharonsimpleshoemaker Report post Posted January 20, 2013 I finally have so many things in place - website - www.simpleshoemaking.com, blog - www.simpleshoemaking.wordpress.com etsy shop - etsy.com/shop/simpleshoemaking facebook page - http://www.facebook....24556516?ref=hl (twitter and linked in are going to have to wait - a looonnng time!) that I am ready to reach out and try to get people to read all of this stuff! I spent the last three years putting all the shoemaking patterns I have accumulated into books - How to Make the Simplest Sandals, How to Make Simple Shoes for Women, How to Make Simple Shoes for Children, How to Make Simple Sandals, How to Make Simple Moccasins, and making dvds to supplement them. I also make resin lasts for sale, that the patterns were made over. I would love to collaborate with a leather carver to create a simple sandal, so others can see how much "bang for your buck" you can get. In other words, by carving bands for a pair of "slide-type" sandals, you get a great amount of visibility of your craft while working on a relatively small space. I would send you the pattern for the band after you tell me what woman's size you want to make. Then, you send the bands and I'll make a pair of sandals that incorporates them, photograph them, and mail them back to you. Or, if you want directions for making the sandals yourself, I'd be happy to provide them - all I want is a photo of the completed project, to post on this and other sites. I could imagine all sorts of leatherwork being done on footwear: braiding, painting, embossing, studs etc (have you seen the work of Calleen Cordero?!) My goal is to help people make shoes for their friends and family - and themselves! or perhaps start small shoemaking businesses. This photo is of a "slide" with a stamped design on the leather. Imagine that it had a carved band on it instead. The sole of the collaborative sandal would be made of leather, thicker than the one shown here - the sole on this sandal is just a piece of conveyor belt. If you have any interest in simple shoemaking - by "simple" I mean that I mostly make "stitch-downs", in which the upper turns out upon the sole, where the two components are stitched together - please check out my sites. If you are interested in collaboration, please email a photo of your work, best wishes, sharon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ReneeCanady Report post Posted January 20, 2013 (edited) Welcome! I will definitely check out the sites. I am going to Oregon sometime this summer to take a 7 day course on the rennaissance mocc/boot! This will be an amazing trip for me and should be interesting since I am in DE and do not fly Edited January 20, 2013 by ReneeCanady Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharonsimpleshoemaker Report post Posted January 23, 2013 greetings Renee, If you'd like to send me your email address, I could send slide-making patterns to you, mine is sharon@simpleshoemaking.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
electrathon Report post Posted January 23, 2013 Sharon, More specificly what ar eyou looking for? A floral pattern tooled or something else? Is this to basicly be a 3" wide 8" long band? I think that is what I see. Might be able to help. Aaron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted January 23, 2013 Welcome to the forum Ms. Raymond. By the looks of your information, it would appear to me that you experienced and love your craft/art. Keep up the good work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aven Report post Posted May 29 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mablung Report post Posted May 29 @sharonsimpleshoemaker, I echo @Aven’s thanks. I’m wearing a pair of chukkas (or “vellies,” as you call them) that I made from one of your patterns I modified for my hogstomper men’s feet. I have great plans for better versions and other forms of shoes, too, using the foundation you give in that excellent little book. So, thanks from another happy user. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aventurine Report post Posted July 17 How many different patterns does Sharon's book have? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aven Report post Posted July 17 Which book? She has several. You can find 2 on Etsy. The others I think are out of print and will have to hunt for them. Somewhere in the shoe making section there is a thread about books and authors Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mablung Report post Posted July 17 48 minutes ago, Aventurine said: How many different patterns does Sharon's book have? The one probably most germane to your purposes is her Simple, Ecological Shoemaking book. It’s what I used to make my chukkas. It’s got a bunch of patterns in it, up to a women’s 10 or so, I think. My feet are substantially larger, so I just measured out the difference and modified the pattern to my preferred toebox profile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aventurine Report post Posted July 17 Thank you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
