Greetings!

My name is Qiana Markham. I figured I should re-introduce myself as it has been a long time since I was here. I joined the HCC a little over a year ago and I must say, my life has changed quite a bit since then. I started out learning western bootmaking at Green Country Tech and then moved on to my current apprenticeship with Lisa Sorrell.

Thanks to Lisa, over the year, I have learned quite a lot. She is an amazing person and an incredible bootmaker too! In between making footwear in Guthrie, I produce a blog. My professional background is in advertising and fashion design. Currently, I am working on a portfolio of western inspired fashion footwear.

@qianamarkham

Welcome again Qiana! Say a big hello in my name to Lisa!

Hi Marcell,

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'll be sure to say hello to Lisa for you.

@qianamarkham

Welcome Tia! Sounds like you're on a good path. Enjoy the ride.

Quiana,
It's good to have you over here. Personally I think there's more room for "out of the box" thinking. We will enjoy watching you be yourself. And I can't wait to see more of your portfolio.

Best to both of you,
Paul

Hi Paul, Thanks and it's great to meet you!

Hi Quiana!

T

Hi Paul, Hi Tia!

It's great to be here.

@qianamarkham

Janne hello! Thanks to you I could place a photo. Big to you thanks.

All I thank for warm reception.
I am sorry but I at all do not know English. Therefore I use the automatic translator.
Yours faithfully Valery.

(Message edited by Valeriy on December 01, 2009)

Valeriy,
you are welcome!

The automatic translator works fine and your English will be better as time goes. I know, me Englsih is much better now some 10 years reading forums like this.

All the best
Janne

Hi, I'm Neka Bennett. I've been reading the posts in the forum for a couple of years, but it never occurred to me to actually participate. Go figure.

I live in Brooklyn, NY and I'm a graphic designer in publishing - I design book jackets. I also make shoes in my spare time. I've taken two shoemaking classes at FIT, but learned most of what I know from books, this forum, and Marcell's videos on youtube :-)

I would love to do this full time, so I'm trying to make it happen! I'll post some of my pics in the gallery.

Thanks for being here guys!

Big welcome Neka! We can hardly wait to see those photos!

Neka,

Welcome to the Crispin Colloquy. Glad you decided to "come out of the shadows".

We're getting quite a contingent of people who are interested or specialize in women's shoes. Good deal!

Emmett

Greetings!

My name is Barry Bryson. Thank you for letting me join the group. I'm a retired oil tool technologist with a love for shoe and boot making. I bought out a retiring bootmaker in '91 and began learning the trade by making dance items for teachers and school teams. I was interrupted by a callback to oilwell logging in '96; but now I'm back in the shoe trade for good. I much prefer stretching wet leather to commuting in Houston, TX traffic any day! Dance teachers came to me early on wanting metal toeshoe taps; as they had just disappeared from the market, and things kind of expanded from there. The closing of Selva & Sons (dance taps) and the intrusion of cheap, Chinese vinyl plastic footwear into the dance/drill market opened several doors for a specialty shoemaker. A new shop is almost complete; and I'm chomping at the bit to get the machines out of storage and humming again! I still have a long way to go on the learning curve; but I've found a wonderful resource in this eyepopping website!

Barry

Welcome Barry! Welcome on the board!

Barry,

Glad to have you on board. There's a lot of great folks here and a lot of good information...and all you have to do is read the other 18,000 posts.

Hey, it's better than riding the goat!



Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

I figured that since others are still posting here, it can't be that far out of fashion. =)

I'm Francis Classe, an engineer by trade, but I've been a student of early modern shoemaking for about seven years now. I started with basic hand stitched medieval turn shoes, but about four years ago, I began to study late 16th and early 17th C. shoes/platforms/raised heels and have put together a website detailing my construction attempts at reproducing historical platforms and raised heels (http://aands.org/raisedheels). Although I've done quite a few pairs of shoes, I tend to document only the new attempts in line with the theme. In the past two years I've developed an interest in 17th and 18th century cordwaining, and have been working on shoes and doing research on the same.

Seeing finely crafted extant pieces in museums and admiring the skill of many of the members here, there is a great deal to learn; I look forward to sharing with and learning from you all!

By the way, did I mention that my birthday is October 25? =)

Regards,
Francis Classe



(Message edited by fclasse on February 07, 2010)

Welcome Francis! Happy journey in shoemaking!

Let me add my welcome here too Francis. Sometimes it gets awfully lonesome being one of few archaeological/historical-footwear types here. Believe it nor not, when the HCC was first formed, we outnumbered every other flavor of shoe and bootmakers. Even in the early days of the Forum we were pretty active posting here. if we crank that aspect back up, some of our old comrades will drift back--who knows.

Welcome Francis.

I think all of us benefit from the historical perspective. Sometimes we don't always believe the lessons...even with hard evidence...that the past offers up, but it is a perspective worth considering.

And more importantly, a perspective that we ignore to our own detriment.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

Thanks for the welcome! Looking forward to adventures in shoemaking with you all. =)

>> And more importantly, a perspective that we ignore to our own detriment.

DW, truer words are seldom spoken. =)

I'm pleased to have just joined here, and very honoured to have seen all your amazing work pictured in the gallery.

I live in the UK, and have attended a one day workshop to learn how to make a pair of shoes by the stitched down method (pictured on my profile page). Mostly I have learnt from the few out of print books I own.

I have also made a pair of ballet shoes (the soft ones), which I was very pleased with. I need to work on the pleating technique, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any information on making ballet shoes. I have odd sized feet, which is why I am interested in making my own shoes, and I was fortunate enough to have a pair of custom lasts made for me a year ago.

Best wishes,

Jen

Welcome Jen,

Have a good time here.

Welcome Jen. It sounds like you have caught the bug. The ballet shoes, in particular, ought to fit in with your dressmaking.

Emmett

Jen, I started my shoe making with the stitch down method,I have no talent for dress making /tailoring,Hence when i was just 9 years old,I was usually caught sitting in front of the shoe maker shop in my town watching him make shoes instead of the tailor and no idea i will become a shoe maker one day.Welcome to the HCC forum.

Nasser

Welcome Francis and Jen,

You both represent opposite ends of a spectrum of valuable additions to our little community, the Historian and the novice.

You enthusiasm is an important ingredient to the "juice" that keeps us all going.

Thank you for joining us and your contributions.

Paul

Jen..I'm glad to see more of our friends across the pond joining with us.Welcome to the forum.