Amy,

Welcome. I look forward to meeting you in Delavan.
Geri

Greetings,

I've been working as a cobbler/shoemaker for almost 15 years. I enjoy the forums and looking at the beautiful creations.
I hope to see/learn more.

Welcome Joe.

Where are you located?

Paul

I have a shoe repair in the fingerlakes in upstate New York.

Joes Shoe Repair
35 washington Str.
Waterloo,NY. 13165

The Birthplace of Memorial day.

Hello,

My name is Eliza. I'm from Vermont and am currently a student in Nova Scotia studying costume at Dalhousie University.

I have made two pairs of 18th century shoes for historical reenactment with the assistance of a friend. I have also been working at a cobbler's shop doing sewing repairs for the last couple of years. After making my most recent pair of shoes I became more seriously interested in pursuing shoe-making and was told to take a look at this forum.

I have been poking around the colloquy for the past couple of days and am very excited to have so much to learn, and such a great place to learn it.

Eliza

Eliza West

A BIG welcome to the Colloquy. It sounds as if you have made a good start.

Please feel free to ask questions. There is so much expertise here which you can tap into and we don’t bite! It might seem a little intensive at times but that is just people trying to make sure nothing is missed.

I have been in shoemaking for a lot more years than I care to admit and I am still learning.

Did you know our President is based in Vermont?

Frank Jones
frank.jones@noblefootwear.com

Hi Eliza,

I'm exhibiting down at the NSDCC Christmas Craft Show at the Cunard Center, if you can make it, come down and say hi. You are also welcome to visit my shop in Annapolis. The website is under development, but you can find my contact information there, jongraybespoke.com. I'm always happy to talk about shoes and shoemaking.

Eliza,

Welcome to the Crispin Colloquy. More than a few of our members got started in Costume Design. I think Nasser worked for a fellow by the name of Fred Longtin(?) who, IIRC, is a shoemaker for the theatre.

Also, you will find quite a few fellow members who specialize in 18th and 19th century shoemaking here. So you will have good company should you want to pursue that avenue.

Emmett

Eliza,

Welcome to the Crispin Colloquy.

Nasser

Welcome Eliza,

Just join right in.

Paul

Thanks for the kind welcome everyone!

Jon, I really enjoyed your demo at the craft show yesterday. Your obvious love of your work was inspiring.

Eliza

Thanks Eliza,

It was nice to meet you. Remember you are always welcome to visit my shop in Annapolis

I don't know why I joined since I don't deserve to be in the shadow of the incredibly talented craftspeople here, but I did and hope to learn something, perhaps one day learn enough to ask a decent question. I decided to make shoes after several events. 1. I walked a very very long way and endured many injuries caused by my shoes. 2. I thought if I ordered custom handmade shoes they would fit, but they didn't. 3. I decided there just are not shoes in the universe that fit my feet so I may as well learn to make them myself. Now I struggle to make my own simple shoes and seem to get something incredibly wrong with every attempt. So I am lurking here, unable to decipher most of the terminology, hoping something will sink in.

Diane,

Welcome.

We all started approximately where you are.

Remember the movie with Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin(?)...and the bear?

What does Hopkin's character say? "What one man has done another can do. (Is that right?)

This is an incredibly complicated and, sometimes, difficult Trade...for one thing we are dealing with one of Nature's most architecturally complex structures. And that's before we take into consideration the Byzantine aspects of gait.

Hang in there. Ask questions long before you think you're ready.

Sweeping the Light Fantastic...

Diane, that is pretty much exactly my story, I have the haunting boots in my garage that didnt fit after sending them back and forth over and over, and I cant buy shoes either.

I was going to try to just make real hokey craft type shoes because I thought all this other stuff was impossibe. But I'm half way into my fifth pair and I can see I'm getting somewhere.

It's pretty hard, but I think if you stick with it and dont expect miracles you can probably do it.

You should buy Tim Skyrme's book, and Frank Jones, and D.W's if you want to make Cowboy boots.

This website along with Tim's book have been the most help to me.

Good luck.
Courtney

I think I've made about 15 pairs of craft shoes. I've had a few really happy, if ugly, successes, but mostly failures. I really want to make shoes like this site.

I don't want to make cowboy boots. Or mens dress shoes or pumps. I never wear such things. I have duck feet so I guess I want to make duck shoes.

So far I make them out of fabric. My next try I'll use leather. I have an industrial waste store nearby and it has been a long wait to get a big piece of leather. Been using upholstery samples and used clothes.

I have a lot of questions but I think I have embarrassed myself enough.

I bet Sharon Raymond could help you with that. Do you have the Simple Shoemaking book?
I think Glen Liesure healthy handmade shoes teaches classes about those kind of shoes.
I think there are probably a bunch of books about Moccasins.

Courtney

I have some of Sharon's patterns and her book. They've helped but I still make a lot of mistakes. I realize from lurking around that aspiring to such simplicity is somewhat frowned upon here (that's a bit harsh a term but I couldn't think of another) yet I still try to learn from reading about the more complicated processes. I would really enjoy taking a class.

All,

The Registry is a place to introduce yourself and welcome new members.

Admin doesn't particularly relish reminding folks who are enjoying themselves...or grieving...but the Registry is not really a chat room.

As a consequence, Admin has moved the chat about Glen Leasure to "The Crispin Colloquy: Open Forum: The Towne Crier: In Memory..."

Pardon the inconvenience...

Yr. Hmb. Svt.

After many years of lurking, I have taken the plunge and registered. Besides making footwear, I indulge in horology, knife-making, bowyery and various facets of theater. For some twenty-odd years, I've been the proud proprietor of Blue Eyed Soles in Tucson, Arizona, as well as Frog Mountain Knife Works. While studying theatrical costume design at Illinois Wesleyan University, it became apparent that there was no course in shoemaking, so I located a shoe repairman in Bloomington and learned the basics...enough to whomp up a pair of period shoes for Prince Hamlet, say.
I've improved since then, and hope to grow more.
Happy to be here.

Welcome Charles,

Interesting background.

My wife's family is in Tucson, we're in Prescott.

We should try to connect sometime.

The SouthWestern Leather Workers Trade Show in Wickenberg is in February, the 3rd weekend, I think. Have you ever attended?

Paul

Paul,
No, I've never attended that. I'll need to look it up. Does it count that I've exhibited at many knife shows, and sold rather a few moccasins to Buckskinners?

Of course it counts, Charles.

What style of mocs have you made?

Let me know if you plan to come up to Wickenberg.
We'll have a coffee or something.

Paul

Welcome Charles,

I would love to see your moccasins in the gallery.

Geri

Hello all.
I’m an amateur shoe/bootmaker from N. Colorado. Been learning from forums/videos/books and trial and error for a year now. Recently discovered the HCC and Colloquy and found my home with people I can relate to. THANK YOU.


I’d like to thank a few people personally;

Marcell
I found your 6-part videos on youtube and it revolutionized my understanding of shoemaking. I’ve watched them so many times, I lost count.

Tim Skyrme,
Same story. I found your videos on lasting and benefited immensely. I learn best by watching, so videos are like an express lane of knowledge for me. Nice bare feet too! I think Dr. Munson would be proud. (at least from what little I've read about him.)

DW:
All I can say is… You’re my kind of guy. Artist and thinker. I enjoyed talking to you on the phone a few weeks ago and very much look forward to meeting you in person someday. Thanks again for digitizing FY Goldings books. I’ve read volume-1 so many times, I have parts of it memorized. Nice videos too. I’m working my way through them this week.


I feel like I know many of you already, but you’ve never met me, so it’s time to change that!

Warmest Regards to a great bunch of folks,
-Nat Ledbetter