Of interest...

[dmcharg]

In the mid 1800's, in Sydney (Aust.), there was about 1 shoemaker per 250 residents (I think). At 1 pair per week that's 5 years rotation of work for each of them. Now there's almost no localy produced footware. R.M. Williams being one of a few exceptions.

Hankering for lost glory days

Cheers
Duncan

[frank_jones]

(Tried to post this on HCC Bulletin Board without success, hope it is OK here)

Just a brief question about the dates for the HCC Annual Get-Together this year. Think it might be in Delavan, Wisconsin again but I am not sure. What I really want to know are the dates - in October?

For those who have never attended - you are really missing something. A full 48 hours discussing and comparing notes with a whole collection of “footwear fanatics”. Part of the qualifications for HCC membership is being a footwear fanatic. Guilty as charged.

Now, can anybody help with the dates? I would hate to miss it.

Frank Jones
frank.jones@shoemaking.com

[roy_najecki]

In this past week's Wall Street Journal's Personal Journal section was an article on how to get the most for your money. One tip was, "Buy custom-made shoes: For men, a leather rounded-toe Oxford lace-up with hand-sewn welting is the most comfortable shoe there is. That's because the welting - where a strip of material is hand-stitched between the sole and the upper part of the shoe - is essential for enhanced flexibility. It also makes the shoe easier to repair..."

[marc]

Oh, Roy, you need to have the WHOLE quote I think these folks will enjoy it so much more....

Marc
-------------
From Wall Street Journal, June 21, 2005, p.D7
"Solving life's problems with Ingenuity and persistance" [A list of tricks and tips for leading a VIP life on a minimal budget]
"* Buy custom-made shoes:
For Men, a leather rounded-toe oxford lace up with hand sewn welting is the most comfortable shoe there is. That's because the welting -- where a strip of material is hand-stitched between the sole and the upper part of the shoe -- is essential for enhancing flexibility. It also makes the shoe easier to repair, since cobblers can easily rip and replace. If you can't afford custom-made shoes, buy ready-made shoes elsewhere and bring them into the store to have welting put in. This costs about a third of the price of a hand-made pair."

[roy_najecki]

Marc,

Ouch... the dreaded C word.

[danfreeman]

Frank--
Few plans have been made. Larry's offered to host us again (right, Larry?), and I assume Oct 21, 22, & 23 are the dates--St. Crispin's Day falling inconveniently on a Tuesday. There has been considerable interest in a European AGM, but sufficient numbers and plans have not yet been seen. Information from more knowledgable members is hopefully solicited.
As to having "the store" or a "cobbler" sew a welt onto your ready-made shoes--who writes this stuff?

[dw]

http://newporthistorical.org/exhibits.htm

Starting May 5, a new exhibit at the Newport Historical Society's Museum of Newport History offers a local look into women's pursuit of fashion in the eighteenth century. "On The Heels of Fashion: 18th Century Women's Shoes From the Collections of the Newport Historical Society" features highlights from the Society's rarely displayed costume collection. Shoes, slippers, and clogs reveal how Newport women strove to keep up with the latest English and French fashions.In spite of war and trade restrictions, wealthy Newport women-assisted by shoe importers and shoe makers-kept "on the heels" of ever-changing transatlantic trends.

The exhibit is part of broader changes to the Society's Museum of Newport History in the historic Brick Market (1762) at 127 Thames Street. Changing exhibits, a larger ticket sales area, and increased retail offerings on the building's ground floor will create a more inviting museum entrance and create an orientation center for Newport history. This exhibit of eighteenth-century footwear complements other costume exhibits opening in Newport this spring: an exhibit of nineteenth-century costume at the Preservation Society of Newport County and an exhibit of twentieth-century costume at the Newport Restoration Foundation.

From May 5 through June 12, the Museum of Newport History will be open Thursday through Saturday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, and Sunday, 1:00 - 4:00PM. From June 15 through September 5, the museum will be open daily, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Admission to the museum, including the shoe exhibit, is complimentary for Newport Historical Society members and by donation for all other visitors. A donation of $4 per adult and $2 per child (over age 5) is suggested. A Discover Colonial Newport Pass ($24 per person), offered in partnership with the Newport Restoration Foundation and the Touro Synagogue Foundation, includes one admission to the museum along with one walking tour, one historic site tour, and one More Than Mansions slide show ($39 value).

[dw]

All,

I have just completed an update of my "School of Western Bootmaking" page to include a number of operator's manuals for common machines used in shoe and bootmaking.

The relevant links are:

http://www.bootmaker.com/dwswb.htm

and go to "Links" and then to "Useful Manuals"

I hope this will help all those looking for manuals and I also encourage those of you who have manuals not lkisted to get them to me...either in pdf format or as scanned images and I will post them.


Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[dw]

I've added new manuals to my download page (see post above) and I'd like to remind everyone that I'm actively soliciting manuals. If you have a manual that you think would be helpful, please contact me. I can help you convert it to pdf format and we can get it posted or perhaps we can arrange for me to borrow it for a couple of days and I'll scan it and convert it. Everyone wins....

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[Lisa Cresson]

Dear Bil,

This reply is a bit late but wanted it up for the record.

Back last April. . .my comments on the OTABO web site, I wanted to apologize now because the background information on the Flash et al was because we had talked about your site. On another note, I think I wanted to see more in the way of custom shoes for women on their site. The absence of more custom shoe/boot choices for women, plus when going to the local upscale mall where $400+ Taryn Rose shoes and other brands just fly off the shelves convince me that more needs to be done so we have better fit choices. But I am still trying to get the shop set up. . .

[tomo]

All,
I think you're celebrating Thanks giving Day in the US at the moment? Well, I'd like to give my thanks to this forum, and all those who support it and share there knowledge by answering questions, and those of you who ask the questions that one often ponders, but doesn't get round to asking.

Have a great day.
More power to y'awl.
T.

[dw]

Tom,

Hey, you're the fellow you're describing...! So, thank you!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone...I have to go smoke a turkey, now.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[btippit]

To all:

I used to think most electronic greeting cards were pretty lame. However, they must be getting better. Someone sent this one to us for Thanksgiving and it's such a riot I wanted to share it with all of my friends on the Colloquy. Go to the following link and be sure to have your sound on.

http://www.msn.americangreetings.com/view.pd?i=382219626&m=1652&rr=y&source

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Bill

[shoestring]

I am not sure this the right place for post this but here goes.Can someone send me in the direction to find patterns on constructing " Portmantaues "
or a site where I can see there construction,I would like to make them historically correct as possible. A person has to have something to carry their footware in.Thanks

Ed

[dw]

This might reasonably have been posted in the "closed" area but as I have no intention of actually starting a conversation...just offering something to think about...it may as well go here. I thought this was interesting.

From Wired magazine online:

According to recent research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, I've only a 50-50 chance of ascertaining the tone of any e-mail message. The study also shows that people think they've correctly interpreted the tone of e-mails they receive 90 percent of the time.

"That's how flame wars get started," says psychologist Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago, who conducted the research with Justin Kruger of New York University. "People in our study were convinced they've accurately understood the tone of an e-mail message when in fact their odds are no better than chance," says Epley.

The researchers took 30 pairs of undergraduate students and gave each one a list of 20 statements about topics like campus food or the weather. Assuming either a serious or sarcastic tone, one member of each pair e-mailed the statements to his or her partner. The partners then guessed the intended tone and indicated how confident they were in their answers.

Those who sent the messages predicted that nearly 80 percent of the time their partners would correctly interpret the tone. In fact the recipients got it right just over 50 percent of the time.

"People often think the tone or emotion in their messages is obvious because they 'hear' the tone they intend in their head as they write," Epley explains.

At the same time, those reading messages unconsciously interpret them based on their current mood, stereotypes and expectations. Despite this, the research subjects thought they accurately interpreted the messages nine out of 10 times.

The reason for this is egocentrism, or the difficulty some people have detaching themselves from their own perspective, says Epley. In other words, people aren't that good at imagining how a message might be understood from another person's perspective.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[dw]

Just a quick notice to let everyone know that Dick Anderson now has a web page up, displaying his great boot and shoemaking tools and jacks.

the link is:

http://www.thornappleriverboots.com

Good stuff! Check it out.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[tomo]

I went and saw the movie Kinky Boots last night, and I've got to say that if you haven't seen it already then you're doing your bootmaking self a disservice.
It was set in Northampton which was the shoe manufacturing hub of England - Doc Martins are made there, and even just from an historical POV shows a slice of life that is almost non existant if compared with former times.

The film is based on a true story (whatever that means) but more interestingly it was filmed in a real shoe factory and I was told that a lot of the 'actors' are workers from the factory.

I took my old mum because she use to be the Sample machinist for a footwear company here, - for those of you who don't know, a Sample machinist takes the pattern from the designer and makes a complete pair of shoes from start to finish, then writes up the sequence so they know how to make the shoe in the factory, very skilled work.

Anyway, apart from the shoe making aspect I thought the romantic sub plot and character development story lines were well done. if you have the chance go and see the film, I think you'll enjoy it. I did.

More power to y'awl.
T.

[paul_k]

Tom,

I just found the web page and placed it here as a link (I hope).

http://www.kinkyboots-movie.com

WHat a hoot! I can't wait.

Thanks for the lead!

PK

[tomo]

Open,
Have a FANTASTIC 4th of July everyone.

More power to y'awl (from your future)
T.

[dw]

Thanks Tom...for a New Zealander (what's the nickname?) you're very kind to remember us and wish us well.

There'll be barbies roaring all over the country tomorrow...not the least my offset smoker and two low and slow brined chickens for a 4th party at a friends house. I wanted to do pulled pork or pulled beef but it's not my party so I can't bring the star entree. Wishing for some hush puppies too...my wife makes smack-your-mama, killer hush puppies but the rest of the group are all northerners. So I doubt it.

Thanks for the good wishes...

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[dw]

Tom...

Kiwi's!! That's the word I was looking for...

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[guy_shannon]

DW

I know what pulled Pork and beef is we have done it with Elk and it came out wonderful but I have to ask what are hush puppies?

Guy

[dw]

Guy,

Hush puppies? Nothing less than manna from heaven is all.

They're kind of a cornbread fritter, with onion in the batter and sometimes jalapeno pepper. Deep fried as teaspoon sized balls and eaten hot or warm, dipped in a mustard based BBQ sauce (or the sauce of your choice).

There's recipes aplenty on the internet and the foodnetwork has some of the best--Paula Dean's recipe is pretty authentic. If you like Southron cooking or BBQ, hush puppies are right up there with fried okra.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[bjohnsonleather]

DW,
No fair!! Breakfast is not done yet, and you got me thinking about lunch. A good pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on it, topped with a bit of mustard, sounds like it is on my lunch menu today. For us of the mustachioed persuasion - a three napkin delight. Have a good one.

Bruce Johnson

[shoestring]

If ya like hush puppies,pulled pork an the like than your innards would be blessed with stewed " Alligator Tail " in either brown or tomato gravy. Creole cooked.

Ed