A big thank you to all who attended our 25th Annual General Meeting in Old Sturbridge Village last weekend. It was another success, with the lovely New England weather (well, it rained a little), fall foliage at its height, and thirty or so cordwainers, old friends and new faces. Thanks for coming.

Special appreciation is due our hosts, Peter and Linda Oakley, for their gracious hospitality. They coordinated the facilities, festivities, and dinners--lunch, too (and don't forget Linda's homemade brownies!)

Thanks also to our presenters (in order of appearance), Bruce Graham, on getting started in teaching shoemaking workshops for younger cordwainers; Marc Carlson, historical tools (the basis of today's), and an interesting tour of references to shoes in literature; a 3-part patternmaking seminar, with Sharlot Battin, Nasser Vies, and Dan Freeman sharing three different perspectives; Nasser Vies (part deux) on making hand wax; and finally, on Sunday morning, Rob Elferink with Georgene McKim, on making custom orthotic footbeds and lasts, using the latest technology.

Although I attend to see my old friends, like most of us I profited from the meeting: sold some tools I wasn't using, bought others, learned three new sources for leather and tools, but mostly learned a little more about how other makers do their work. We hope we see you all--and more--at next year's meeting in Delavan, Wisconsin, at the Walrus Shoe Company, on St. Crispin's Day.

Dan Freeman

The Honourable Cordwainers’ Company
25th Annual General Meeting
October 22-24th , 2010
Walrus Shoe & Leather Co. LLC
Will proudly be your Host.


Dear HCC members,

Come one come all to the annual meeting at Walrus Shoe & Leather Co. LLC

The meeting: will be held on the 22nd-24th of October, at Walrus Shoe & Leather Co, W8295 Hwy 11, Delavan WI 53115. Walrus Shoe & Leather Co is 45 Miles SW of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and 65 miles NW of Chicago O’Hare Airport, with easy access from either airport. Google us.

Hotel info: We are holding a block of rooms at the Comfort Suites, 313 Bauer Parkway, Delavan WI 53115,under the name “Cordwainers”. Call the hotel at 262-740-1000 to reserve your room with the rate of $79.99 per night with double occupancy, by October 1st 2010.

Presenters: for this year include:


Lisa Sorrell on working with exotic leathers.
Georgene McKim More tips on making Womens fashion footware.
DW Frommer II on Bootmaker to Shoemaker (the journey)
Dan Freeman commentary on reprint of new Devlin Book

There is room for more presenters if anyone else would like to give a presentation. Just let us know by calling or emailing, Larry at 262-882-6006, larry@walrusshoe.com

Please check back for updates. They will be added as they occur.



So please call Larry at 262-882-6006, or e-mail at
larry@walrusshoe.com, to let us know you are attending and or if you wish to present so we may have the correct accommodations ready for talks and food. Hope to see you all here.

Larry, Cindy and Crispin

(Message edited by walrus on August 25, 2010)

(Message edited by admin on August 26, 2010)

Update 9/30/10
The Honourable Cordwainers’ Company
25th Annual General Meeting
October 22-24th , 2010
Walrus Shoe & Leather Co. LLC


Dear HCC members,

Come one come all to the annual meeting at Walrus Shoe & Leather Co. LLC

The meeting: will be held on the 22nd-24th of October, at Walrus Shoe & Leather Co, W8295 Hwy 11, Delavan WI 53115. Walrus Shoe & Leather Co is 45 Miles SW of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and 65 miles NW of Chicago O’Hare Airport, with easy access from either airport. Google us.

Hotel info: We are holding a block of rooms at the Comfort Suites, 313 Bauer Parkway, Delavan WI 53115,under the name “Cordwainers”. Call the hotel at 262-740-1000 to reserve your room with the rate of $79.99 per night with double occupancy, by October 1st 2010.

Presenters: updated


Lisa Sorrell on working with exotic leathers.
Georgene McKim More tips on making Womens fashion footware.
DW Frommer II on Bootmaker to Shoemaker (the journey)
Dan Freeman commentary on reprint of new Devlin Book
Frank Jones Operating a curved needle stitcher is difficult or even frightening for some people. Frank Jones will attempt to provide a few tips and ideas, which have proved useful when helping people new to “the beast”.
Paul Opperman “Moving from a Footwear Hobby to a Business” roundtable questions and answers.


There is room for more presenters if anyone else would like to give a presentation. Just let us know by calling or emailing, Larry at 262-882-6006, larry@walrusshoe.com

Itinerary:
Friday October 22, 2010
3:00-5:00pm Meet and Greet at Comfort Suite Lobby
6:30pm Dinner at Moose Creek Bar & Grille
Saturday October 23,2010
9:00am Meet at Walrus Shoe & Leather Co for official meeting and a day of presentations. Lunch will be provided.
6:30pm Dinner at Duck Inn
Sunday October 24, 2010
9:00am Breakfast at Perkins
10:00am Meet at Walrus Shoe & Leather for further presentations and shoe & tell….
5pm Dinner at Hernandez Restaurant,(traditional feast, for those that wish to stay.)

Please check back for updates. They will be added as they occur.



Please call Larry at 262-882-6006, or e-mail us at
larry@walrusshoe.com, to let us know you are attending and the number in your party, so we may have the correct accommodations ready for talks and food. Hope to see you all here.

Larry, Cindy and Crispin

Dick Anderson remarks that he will have his sharpening system at AGM this year and will be sharpening problem knives and talking about sharpening knives in general.

Those members planning to be in Delavan and who are having problems sharpening are urged to bring their "difficult cases" with them to see the "Knife Doktor."

Emmett

D.W. and Randee Frommer are proud to announce that the 26th Annual General Meeting will be held for the very first time on the West Coast...in Redmond Oregon.

See the link on the HCC homepage here

Please start thinking about this event. We hope to draw more than a few members who have never attended an AGM before.

We would like to see people giving serious consideration to papers and presentations and seminars. It is never too early to start preparing and offering to present will help us set up a reasonable schedule.

All,

I am pleased to announce that Master Shoemaker Marcell Mrsan has committed to attend the 2011 Annual General Meeting in Redmond, Oregon and to give a presentation on "traditional shoe and bootmaking techniques from the continental school" and "different types of goiser welt".

He has also offered to bring some samples of his work.

I also have tentative commitments from Lisa Sorrel, Bill Tippet and two other people...one of which is also from across the pond.

So...the available time slots are being taken rapidly.

I again call for papers. Please to contact me if you are interested in presenting.

Yr. Hmb. Svt.

I realize that the 2011 AGM in Redmond Oregon is still six month away. But I am hoping to make this one of the best gatherings the Guild has had. To this effect I have been working hard to arrange interesting and perhaps even once-in-a-lifetime presentations, as well as events that may make for a memorable and pleasant experience.

To facilitate things like restaurant reservations and so forth, I humbly beseech everyone who is thinking seriously about attending the 26th annual AGM--for whom, barring unforeseen events, it is a very real possibility--to email me at frommer@bootmaker.com and let me know that you are intending to participate.

I have a list of 20 people already who have given me personal assurances that they were coming and every indication that number may double or even triple.

Again, I understand that situations can change and that the element of uncertainty in these times is greater for everyone.

But I need to know what I am looking at...just to order the party hats and noisemakers.

So, even if you have previously spoken to me and given me assurances or if you are bringing a daughter, son, or spouse, please email me at frommer@bootmaker.com as soon as possible so that I can compile a list and get some idea of what this thing is going to look like.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

The Honourable Cordwainers' Company is pleased to announce the
26th Annual General Meeting
in Redmond, Oregon.
October 21-23

All members please take note of the following....

Hotel information:



Pre-Event Registration RSVP



Saturday Presentations


Space is available for more presentations on Sunday, especially hands-on workshops. Contact Marc Carlson or Al Saguto for further information.


For more information on the 26th Annual General Meeting of The Honourable Cordwainers' Company contact D.W. Frommer II

(Message edited by admin on July 16, 2011)

Wednesday, 21 September is the last day to take advantage of the special AGM rates for rooms at the Comfort Suites in Redmond, Oregon.

Rates for those mentioning the HCC or The Honourable Cordwainers' Company are roughly $75.00 a night for double occupancy.

After Wednesday, 21 September, rates will go up over $30.00 per night.

Call now to reserve your rooms.

Emmett

Schedule:

Friday

3:00–5:00PM...............Registration at Comfort Suites Motel 2243 SW Yew Ave. Redmond OR

3:00–5:00PM...............Meet and Greet at Frommer Boots 827 NW Birch Av. Redmond

7:00PM.......................“Feasting and Drinking” at 900 Wall Restaurant 900 Wall St. Bend OR

PM..............................Open

Saturday--Bend Fire Department – 341 Northwest Dogwood Avenue Redmond

8:00-9:00AM..............Annual General Meeting

9:00-9:15AM..............Break

9:15-10:00AM............Bill Tippit Last Development: Custom Versus Production

10:00-10:45AM..........Marlietta Schock Where the Last Bends

10:45-11:15AM..........Brett Walker Simple in Their Manners: Style and Construction Differences of English & French Footwear in North America

ca. 1740-1790

11:15-12:00PM...........Bob Boyd Who You Were Was What You Wore

12:00-1:00PM.............Lunch

1:00-2:15PM...............Lisa Sorrell Crimping Alligator for Full Wellingtons

2:15-3:00PM...............Georgene McKim Sneaky Tricks for Women’s Shoes Part 3

3:00-3:15PM...............Break

3:15-5:00 PM..............Frank Jones Oxford Closing Sequence—Hands-on Tutorial

6:30PM.......................Saturday Evening Group Dinner at Johnny Carino's Italian Restaurant 63455 N Hwy. 97 Bend OR

P.M.............................Open

Sunday

8:30AM.......................Group Farewell Breakfast at Red Rooster 1857 NW 6th St. Redmond

10:00AM.....................Informal Hands-On Presentations and Demonstrations Show Swap and Trade at Frommer Boots 827 NW Birch Ave. Redmond (Bring your tools work samples shoes and stuff to show and trade.)

12:00..........................Lunch at Frommer Boots

1:00-4:00PM................Informal presentations networking and general swap meet

• D.W. Frommer II—using shrink wrap for making men's dress shoes.
• Rick Roman—DIY Tabletop last scanner.
• Al Saguto—Bracing an 18thc Boot Tongue--Crimping w/ String Before the Age of Wood
• T.B.A.

7:00PM........................Night Owl Dinner – Amalia's Mexican Cuisine 915 NW Wall Street Bend OR

PM..............................DW's bootshop open til 10:00PM

(Message edited by admin on October 17, 2011)

D.W. Frommer II is proud to announce that he has completed the digitalization of J.H. Thornton's Textbook of Footwear Manufacture just in time for Saint Crispins' Day and the Annual General Meeting.

This is very nearly the definitive work on contemporary manufacturing techniques for making men's and women's shoes and slippers. Even the most staid Traditionalist will learn useful and insightful techniques.

This book is in pdf format and available for general download at the library link on the HCC homepage.

Yr. Hmb. Svt.

In the 'afterglow" of the AGM...while the excitement and pleasure lingers...I would like to take this opportunity to offer especial thanks to those who attended and made the 26th AGM such a success.

We had over 60 people who registered and/or attended the meeting. Every single one of you contributed to the...can I say "joyous?"...atmosphere and the sense of camaraderie. Thank you for coming.

Thanks to all the presentors.

To Bill Tippitt for sharing his knowedge of the lastmaking trade.

Thanks to Marlietta Schock not only for a fine presentation with some interesting new ideas, but for yoeman service on such short notice.

Thanks to Brett Walker for a well researched and fascinating paper on 18th century footwear.

Thanks to Bob Boyd and the High Desert Museum for a wonderful exposition of historical boots and objects and his talk about the High Desert Buckaroo.

Thanks to Lisa Sorrel for sharing her insights into crimping alligator for full wellingtons. I still don't know how she does it--it's genius.

Thanks to Georgene McKim who kept us all enthralled with her practical and inspired approach to making women's shoes. It makes me suspect that she invented the contemporary woman's shoe all by herself...or someone like her.

And thanks to Frank Jones who filled a hole in our schedule so well and so interestingly that I kept wondering if ther ought to be milk and cookies afterwards.

Thanks to Miriam Saguto, who always seems to be there with a soothing word and a solution for intractable problems even if it means she has to burn the midnight oil.

Thanks to Larry Waller for advice and suggestions.

And especial thanks to Randee Frommer who has worked beside me and with me and for all of us since January; who scrubbed and cooked (most of Sunday lunch) and contributed ideas; who was always there when I needed a little propping up and without whom none of this could have happened.

Thank you to those who I may have forgotten--my head is so full it will surely burst and I have not processed it all.

Thank you everyone.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member



(Message edited by dw on October 25, 2011)

As I said, my head is still spinning and I did forget one person who I really wanted to single out:

Thanks...big thanks...to Rick Roman...who spent much of his time at the AGM taking photos and taping the presentations instead of simply enjoying himself and visiting with friends.

My apologies for that omission, Rick...can you push my chair closer to the window, I'd like to sit in the sun awhile.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member



(Message edited by dw on October 25, 2011)

Congrats to DW for the nice entry on The Shoe Snob blog.

Thanks Jim. It was short but sweet. I was honoured.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

Dee-Dubb,

GOOD FOR YOU! Congrats!

I usually check that site every few days. Jim beat me to it. Your on the fast train now. Hold on!

Save the date for this year’s Cordwainers meeting, graciously hosted by Dan Freeman in historic Middlebury, Vermont.

In addition to the New England history nearby, Middlebury is the county seat of beautiful Addison County. It is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont history, with lots to see and do.

More details will follow this summer on hotels and travel arrangements – Keep your eye on the web for more info! Nearby airports include BTV Burlington, VT; Rutland, VT; Albany, NY, and several others, for those planning ahead.

A Call for Papers: More details will follow this summer about speakers and program plans, and anyone interested in sharing a presentation, lecture or workshop is encouraged to contact Marc Carlson at marc-carlson@utulsa.edu or Al Saguto at dsaguto@cwf.org.

A big Thank You in advance to Dan and his wife Susan for what we know will be a great weekend. We look forward to seeing you all in Middlebury!

All members please take note of the following....

Hotel Information:



Additional Hotels

Additional accommodations are available, all three of these are about 2 miles from town, straight up or down Route 7.



Air Travel:



Pre-Event Registration RSVP



Saturday Presentations



A Call for Papers: More details will follow this summer about speakers and program plans, and anyone interested in sharing a presentation, lecture or workshop is encouraged to contact Marc Carlson at marc-carlson@utulsa.edu or Al Saguto at dsaguto@cwf.org.

For more information on the 27th Annual General Meeting of The Honourable Cordwainers' Company contact Dan Freeman at bnutridge@gmail.com.

(Message edited by admin on March 17, 2012)

OCTOBER 26-28, 2012

H.C.C. 28TH AGM IN MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT!

We are looking forward to this year’s Annual General Meeting, graciously hosted by Dan Freeman and his wife Susan in historic Middlebury, Vermont. In addition to New England’s rich shoemaking history nearby, Middlebury is the county seat of beautiful Addison County. It is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont history, with lots to see and do. We look forward to another wonderful meeting full of learning and shoemaking camaraderie. A big thank you in advance to Dan and Susan for what we know will be a great weekend.



SCHEDULE TO DATE:

Friday will begin with registration at the Middlebury Inn, followed by the Annual “Feasting and Drinking” dinner in Middlebury. Saturday will start with the Annual General Meeting, followed by our presentations. We are happy to announce this year’s AGM weekend schedule so far.

Tentative Speakers to date:



Dinner will follow our Saturday presentations, with fellowship late into the evening. Sunday there will be a Farewell breakfast, then off to Dan’s shop for tool and flea swaps. And, for those still in town, Sunday night we will possibly gather for a farewell dinner.

A Call for Papers: More details will follow about speakers and program plans, and anyone interested in sharing a presentation, lecture or workshop is encouraged to contact Marc Carlson at marc-carlson@utulsa.edu or Al Saguto at dsaguto@cwf.org.

Keep your eye on the web for more info!

HOTEL & TRAVEL

Middlebury Inn
14 Court Square
Middlebury Vermont 05753
Phone: (802) 388-4961
Fax: (802) 388-4563

Room rate will be $109.00 per night for double occupancy. Members calling to make reservations will need to mention that they are with the Honourable Cordwainers' Company.

*Reservations must be made before September 26 to receive this rate.*

Additional accommodations are available; all three of these are about 2 miles from town, straight up or down Route 7.

Courtyard by Marriott (802) 388- 7600 $151
Sugarhouse Motel (802) 388-2770 $ 99
Blue Spruce Motel, (802) 388- 4091 $ 72

Nearby airports include BTV Burlington, VT; Rutland, VT; Albany, NY, Manchester, NH, and several others, for those planning ahead. BTV Burlington is the best choice for most – it’s about 35 miles north of Middlebury, on Route 7.

Pre-Event Registration RSVP

All prospective attendees are advised to fill out the Pre-Event Registration Form and send it, along with registration fees (checks made payable to HCC) by September 1 to:

HCC
C/O Dan Freeman
2 Park St.
Middlebury, VT 05753

For those pre-registering, registration fees this year will be $30.00 for members and $15.00 for spouses.
Registration at the door, for those who have not RSVP'd, will be $40/$20.

(Message edited by admin on September 24, 2012)

Attention all those attending the annual meeting.Dick Anderson Will be picking us up at the Burlington airport around 12:00 noon on Friday 26th we have one seat open if you want a ride to the convention . drop me an email or call me.
Larry
Larry@walrusshoe.com
phone:262.882.6006

Welcome, Cordwainers!

I look forward to our 27th Annual General Meeting, and to seeing a large group of you. We will be sharing a lot of information and friendship as we circulate through a diverse collection of old and new faces. You will find Middlebury very easy to get around, and Vermonters easy to get along with. I hope you will enjoy your weekend.

Dan Freeman



The Honourable Cordwainers’ Company

Annual General Meeting – October 26-28, 2012

Freeman’s Leatherworks

Middlebury, Vermont



Schedule:



Friday



2:00 – 5:00 pm Registration at Middlebury Inn, 14 Court Square, Middlebury, VT



7:00 pm “Feasting and Drinking” at American Flatbread Pizza, 137 Maple Street





Saturday Middlebury Congregational Church, 27 North Pleasant Street



8:00-8:45 Annual General Meeting for Members



8:45-9:00 Break



9:00 – 9:45 Edward Maeder – Embroidered Shoes 1700-1950



9:45-10:30 Al Saguto – Shoemakers' Guilds in the Modern Age: The Positive Utility of History



10:30 – 10:45 Break



10:45 – 11:30 Joel Anderson, Fort Ticonderoga Artificer Supervisor – A Genteel Trade: Starting

an Interpretive and Production Shoe Program at Fort Ticonderoga



11:30-12:15 Lisa Sorrell – In the field: Teaching at Penland Crafts School



12:15-1:30 Lunch



1:30-2:15 Paul Soares, Kearsarge Peg Co. – History of Peg Making



2:15-3:00 Brett Walker, proxy for Donna Belle Garvin and the New Hampshire Historical

Society – The Years of the Life of Samuel Lane: 1718-1806



3:00-3:15 Break



3:30-5:00 Visit to the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History – private showing of their shoe and boot collection



6:30 Saturday Evening Group Dinner at Mr. Ups Restaurant, 25 Bakery Lane



8:00-10:00 pm Show, Swap and Trade – Middlebury Congregational Church





Sunday Isley Public Library, 75 Main Street



8:00 am Group Breakfast at Rosie’s Restaurant, Route 7 South



10:00 – 10:45 Dan Freeman – Custom Shoemaking Tips and Techniques



10:45-12:00 Frank Jones – Hands-on Demonstration



12:00 – 1:15 Lunch



1:15-2:00 Georgene McKim – Sneaky Tricks for Women’s Shoes, Part IV



2:00-2:45 Sharon Raymond – Bruce Said "Patterns" and My Life Hasn't Been the Same Since



2:45-3:00 Break



3:00-3:45 Lynn McNab – From Brains to Boots



7:00 pm Night owl dinner – Location TBA

Happy St. Crispin's Day to all members.

And to all you AGM'ers...I wish you a Merry Gathering and ample food and whisky.

Have a good time for goodness sake!

To those, like me, who can't make it..."Here's you!"

Slainte

Twenty Eighth Annual General Meeting
Guthrie, Oklahoma
October 25-27, 2013

We are pleased to announce the Call-for-Papers for the Twenty Eighth Annual General Meeting of the Honourable Cordwainers' Company. The conference provides opportunities to learn, and exchange knowledge on the history and practice of traditional shoemaking and allied trades.

The HCC conducts an annual general meeting during the weekend closest to the 25th of October, St. Crispin's Day, usually at sites of historic interest, which alternate from the east coast, the mid-west, and the western United States. This includes a general business meeting, and educational presentations and lectures by members and guest-speakers, artisans and authorities, demonstrations, and side-trips of interest, as well as an exhibition of members' work and tools and items for sale or trade.

The presentation topics will be divided between: 1) historical and academic presentations regarding the trade, its past and future, and: 2) practicum demonstrations of techniques and procedures. Suggestions for session topics may include but are not limited to: History of Footwear and Shoemaking; practicum/hands-on technique demonstrations; Modern Footwear and Making; Fashion History; Theory; Lasts; Tools Orthopedia, etc.

In addition to plenary speakers, the conference may also include workshop and colloquium presentations by practitioners, teachers and researchers. We invite you to respond to the conference Call-for-Papers. Presentations are recorded for the purpose of producing educational videos, which are made available for publication and distribution. Presenters may choose to submit written papers for publication in a special edition of The Crispin Courier, the newsletter of the Honourable Cordwainers' Company.

The deadline for the call for papers (a title and short abstract) is May 31, 2012. Future details on the conference will be announced on the website after this date.

We look forward to receiving your proposal and hope you will be able to join us in Guthrie in October.

Yours Sincerely,

Al Saguto, (dasaguto@widomaker.com)
Marc Carlson,(marc-carlson@utulsa.edu)
HCC Presentations Coordinators

Lisa Sorrell (customboots@aol.com)
AGM Host 2013

I've been making preparations to host the Annual General Meeting this year. It will be held in Guthrie, Oklahoma on October 25-27. We don't have the final schedule yet for all speakers and restaurants but I do have rooms blocked out at the Holiday Inn Express. For those of you who attended the last time I hosted, this is not the same hotel we used last time but it is in the same area.

There's a rodeo event going on at the Lazy E Arena the same weekend and the hotels are already filling up. I would recommend making your hotel reservations early. I was only able to block out 24 rooms (2 queen beds, non-smoking) at the Sleep Inn. I blocked out these rooms under the name HCC. If they're not all taken they'll be released on September 27.

Holiday Inn Express

Their phone number is 405-293-6464.

Lisa Sorrell