Making straps for shoes

[SheltathaLore]

I'm working on some women's dress shoes (I'm pretty much making things up as I go along.  Fun times), and I'm not entirely sure of the best way to execute the straps.

The uppers will be made of 2.5 oz kidskin, with a pig suede lining; I assume that to make the straps themselves, I want to layer those together, stitch just inside where the edges should be, then trim the leather to be closer to the stitching.

Do I need to reinforce the point where they connect to the uppers with another layer of material?  If so, what should I use? (It occurs to me that kevlar for kites might be a reasonable choice for unobtrusive and lightweight reinforcement).

 

Any tips?

[fredk]

I think you've answered yourself

remembering back when I did a stint helping at a charity shop, we threw away a lot of decent looking women's shoes only because the ankle strap was ripping away. I reckon a bit of kevlar between the leathers would be the way to go right enough. I'd glue the two leathers for the straps then sew, but not cut too close to the thread when trimming. How close is too close? maybe less than 2mm is too close

[SheltathaLore]

Yeah, I had some ideas for how to do it, but I wasn't sure if it was the right way.  Thanks for confirming!

Everything's better with kevlar :D

[SheltathaLore]

Whoops, actually, I meant Tyvek.  It'll still serve the same role, though

[RockyAussie]

On 09/12/2017 at 10:39 AM, SheltathaLore said:

I'm working on some women's dress shoes (I'm pretty much making things up as I go along.  Fun times), and I'm not entirely sure of the best way to execute the straps.

The uppers will be made of 2.5 oz kidskin, with a pig suede lining; I assume that to make the straps themselves, I want to layer those together, stitch just inside where the edges should be, then trim the leather to be closer to the stitching.

Do I need to reinforce the point where they connect to the uppers with another layer of material?  If so, what should I use? (It occurs to me that kevlar for kites might be a reasonable choice for unobtrusive and lightweight reinforcement).

 

Any tips?

I am thinking that the thickness of your straps is a bit thin for that method but I don't know your lining thickness so cant be sure. I mostly only used folded straps when I made them and then lined them in with about 2oz. If you are not using a clicker press knife it will be easier to make the top strap up to width first then attach to a lining that is cut wider (about 1/8" all around then carefully trim up to that after attaching and stitching. A small pair of sharp scissors works well for this also. This is the same procedure whether the strap is folded or not. Trying to cut through both pieces together on a 1/4" to 3/8" strap will be very difficult to get it to stay where you want it while cutting. Most straps tend to break where they go through the buckle in time. Brian

[SheltathaLore]

The lining is about 2oz.

Can you describe what you mean by "folded straps"?  I'm picturing both sides of a strip folded in toward the middle, but I have no idea if that's what you mean.

To be honest, these shoes aren't likely to see heavy wear, but I'd like to figure out the best way to do it anyway.

[SheltathaLore]

I should add that these need to be narrow enough to go through a 3/8" buckle, so I may need to sacrifice some durability.

[RockyAussie]

By folded I mean that the strap folds in from the edges to the middle. Old trick is to make over long to start and put a tack in the end after it has been glued up fully. Carefully with index finger and thumb whilst holding the other end you can get slide them down the strap and close it up. It does take some practice and a folder is generally less of a frustration. For higher quality a tape around 8mm in this case is attached in before or during the folding.Not sure where you would get the tape where you are but over here shoe repair suppliers normally have them. ( square buckles are kinder to the leather wear than the rounded shape ones). Also elastic in the strap that holds the buckle can help with wear as it allows the strap to expand and contract with out over stretching the attachment. Brian

[SheltathaLore]

All right, I'll give that a shot.  It sounds more or like making plain bias tape, but with glue.  Any google keywords you can recommend for finding a folder?

 

Where in the strap should the elastic go?  I definitely thought about putting elastic there, but if the buckle tongue goes straight through the leather, it seems like that would prevent stretching entirely.

 

Is this is the kind of reinforcement tape you're talking about:

http://sorrellnotionsandfindings.com/product/topline-tape/

http://sorrellnotionsandfindings.com/product/backseam-tape/

[RockyAussie]

14 hours ago, SheltathaLore said:

All right, I'll give that a shot.  It sounds more or like making plain bias tape, but with glue.  Any google keywords you can recommend for finding a folder?

 

Where in the strap should the elastic go?  I definitely thought about putting elastic there, but if the buckle tongue goes straight through the leather, it seems like that would prevent stretching entirely.

 

Is this is the kind of reinforcement tape you're talking about:

http://sorrellnotionsandfindings.com/product/topline-tape/

http://sorrellnotionsandfindings.com/product/backseam-tape/

Here is an earlier topic that shows a bit on the folder subject . http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/73224-leather-strap-folding-machine/

Here is a very nice folder that is pretty much the bees knees if ya got the bickies.https://campbell-randall.com/product/model-star-3000

With regards to the elastic You should find examples in dance shoes and in particular ballroom dance shoes for women. Some have just fed the buckle tongue right through the elastic and attached to the shoe upper and some have a leather strip through the buckle and sandwich the elastic between that piece then stitch the elastic to the upper. From memory the elastic unstretched is about 1/2 to 3/4" long.

The backseam tape is usually very thin if I remember but neither above is in the width you want. I checked the site and could not find any in the right width for making a 10 mm (3/8") strap. You would be needing a 9mm tape if you were doing a normal folded strap so I had a quick look on the net and found this http://www.textilesleon.com/en/catalogue/adhesive-and-reinforcement-tapes/

Half way down the first page you should see a range of colours at 9mm wide.

Sorry I cant help much more at the moment as I am drowning in Christmas orders. Brian

[SheltathaLore]

Perfect.  Thank you so much for all the help!  I'll start experimenting this week.

[SheltathaLore]

It occurs to me that I might actually want 1/4" tape, for a finished width of 3/8", since the folded edges will add some width.  1/4" is probably easier to find, too.

[RockyAussie]

2 hours ago, SheltathaLore said:

It occurs to me that I might actually want 1/4" tape, for a finished width of 3/8", since the folded edges will add some width.  1/4" is probably easier to find, too.

Strap could end up a bit less than 3/8" but that may be ok. I assume you would try and use the the full 2.5oz kid without splitting or skiving so watch the tape and your lining is not too thick.

[SheltathaLore]

Tried out stacked layers, and folded to the center with reinforcement tape in the middle.  Both seem reasonably viable.

(Yes, the backside is ugly.  I'm still getting the hang of my new machine and sewing in a straight line.)

 

[RockyAussie]

5 minutes ago, SheltathaLore said:

Tried out stacked layers, and folded to the center with reinforcement tape in the middle.  Both seem reasonably viable.

(Yes, the backside is ugly.  I'm still getting the hang of my new machine and sewing in a straight line.)

 

That is looking like you are getting there alright. Do you not have an edge guide? It is a little hard to say but I think your bobbin thread could go a weight smaller. I would tighten your top tension 1/2 a turn for the folded strap if using the thread you have used here. What machine are you using?

[SheltathaLore]

I don't currently have an edge guide, no.

I'm willing to downscale my bobbin thread - this is my first industrial walking foot (Consew 227), and I'm still figuring out all the tricks. 

Thanks for the tips!

[SheltathaLore]

This is just the prototype/an excuse to use up the ugly pink leather - I'm going to be using matching thread for the real version - so even if my stitching doesn't improve as much as I'd like, at least the wiggles will be a little bit less obvious.

You did say something skiving before; I thought I'd mention that I skived the folded strap fairly thin across the entire width before folding (but left the stacked strap alone).

[RockyAussie]

27 minutes ago, SheltathaLore said:

I don't currently have an edge guide, no.

I'm willing to downscale my bobbin thread - this is my first industrial walking foot (Consew 227), and I'm still figuring out all the tricks. 

Thanks for the tips!

I just checked your other posting and if this is as you said -- I'm using a size 18 triangle point needle and size 92 bonded nylon thread on a combined weight of 4-5 oz kidskin --- I think you should have a look at a thinner weight thread top and bottom. In Australia the 92 would be called a 30 metric. Mostly ladies shoe strap use a 40 metric with 60 bobbin (size 100/16 needle)or a 60 metric with 60 bobbin (size 90/14 needle). This may not be the look you want though in this case but I just though I should mention this. This attached pdf file may help  Brian

[SheltathaLore]

Worth a shot, thanks!

[SheltathaLore]

You're right - it looks much nicer with Tex 70 thread.

 

I think I need more machinery to make the folded straps consistent, so I'll probably stick with the stacked straps; they look perfectly fine to me, at least for this pair of shoes.

[RockyAussie]

I agree that does look better. The stacked straps have an advantage in one way in that both pieces of leather give strength at where the buckle tongue goes through. The disadvantage is that the raw straps can chew up a fair amount of time in getting them edge painted satisfactorily. 

[ColettePurity]

On 12/22/2017 at 6:17 PM, SheltathaLore said:

I don't currently have an edge guide, no.

I'm willing to downscale my bobbin thread - this is my first industrial walking foot (Consew 227), and I'm still figuring out all the tricks. 

Thanks for the tips!

I use a magnetic edge guide from wawak.com. Less than $7. Best investment ever!