Do you have some shoes that fit just right, that you would love to duplicate? If so, here’s how to do it. Use two layers of masking tape that exactly copies each piece of the shoe. Just as you do when making a pattern over a last, have one layer of tape going in one …
simple techniques for making shoes
there are many processes for making footwear, these posts describe processes that I use and teach.
How to make simple stitch-down shoes for people with swollen feet
My own mother had problems finding shoes to fit her swollen ankles, so I had wanted to make her a pair. However, before I was able to, she moved into a nursing home and was not getting out of bed. So, I had some ideas in mind when I recently received a call from a …
Two rights make a wrong!
Recently in a shoemaking workshop, one student dutifully cut out vamps for toddler shoes, but both somehow turned out to be for the right foot. She came out with the above priceless quip! I have had to use the quip again during some of my own work..
Interview with leatherworker Renee Canady
I have had the good fortune to collaborate with Renee Canady – an accomplished leather worker – on making a pair of sandals, to show what can be done with carving and tooling on footwear – that isn’t a pair of cowboy boots! She did the carving, tooling, painting and dyeing, and I assembled the …
Shoes for Natalie
I love the work of Natalie Chanin (www.alabamachanin.com) and how she has shared the details of her hand-stitching process in three inspirational books. Adopting her nonchalance, I no longer concern myself if the ends of my threads are visible on the outside of my work – which is a big boon to a shoemaker since …
Beautiful felted llama-wool boots
How could boots be more beautiful?! Marlice van Zandt made these by felting her own llama fleece, following directions in the video workshop (http://www.northeastfiberarts.com/feltbootworkshop.php) offered by Jennifer Hoag of Northeast Fiberarts. They were made by the resist method, meaning that a piece of plastic is inserted between two boot-shaped piles of wool batting; once this is …
new page: TUTORIAL: How to Make the Side-Seam Moccasin-Boot
After seeing “Stephanie’s side-seam moccasin” project in Martha Stewart Living magazine, I decided to make it using different materials and stitching. I changed it further by stitching a piece of material along the top edge of the moccasin, transforming it into a boot! The boot can be found in the Craft Manual of North American …