The Gallery

[piper]

Somebody nice said I should post my pictures even though I am a beginner. My goal is to make shoes that fit my duck feet. I have succeeded, more or less, so maybe my goal now is to make a nice pair of renaissance faire boots.

Here are fisherman sandals I made from an old purse. They are too shiny for my liking. The right one came out better than the left. I know the buckle is the wrong kind.

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These are really comfortable. Now they are all wrinkly and soft looking. They look terrible in the picutre but actually they look fine when I wear them.

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(Message edited by Piper on December 30, 2010)

[jon_g]

Here's a little something. My first pair of shoes for myself made in my new shop.

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Happy New Year

(Message edited by Jon G on January 01, 2011)

[das]

By D. A. Saguto, 2009, pair of women’s red calf covered heel shoes c. 1760-5, copied from examples found concealed behind a chimney on Long Island, New York. Note: the sole-edge has not been beveled yet. The finished edge was only maybe 4 iron. The white-stitching down the heel breast is not finished, nor is the top piece attached, but the shot was a nice one anyway

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[lancepryor]

Here is my most recent pair -- a three eyelet derby in a reddish brown calfskin. Handsewn outsole at 11 spi. The outsole/welt are 5/16", vs a standard 1/4" for a west-end shoe.

This is the pair that I had some trouble getting down 'to the wood' when I was test-lasting. I managed to get it pretty tight when all was said and done.

I am pretty happy with the way they came out.

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Lance

[dw]

I'm just so proud I had to post these.

After a fierce onslaught of pleading and cajoling, I relented and took on a shoe student...Brandi Devers. She is a student at the Chicago School of Design and had taken a bootmaking seminar from me. She was at the AGM in Wisconsin this past October.

Anyway, here are her first pair of mens shoes...veg tan calf, one inch heel, beveled and fiddleback waist.

Great job Brandi, especially considering the handicap you were working under--a novice shoemaker for a teacher who was pretty sick when the class began.

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Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[romango]

Third time is the charm. I've really worked out a pattern that looks great and is relatively easy to execute.

GN casual buffalo is a great choice for this style. Vamp was crimped and liner is Hardtke veg calf.

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[holly]

These are an experiment that turned out better than I thought it would. It's the Edelman navy scotch grain. I've had it for quite awhile, but found it rather terminally masculine, so I had to girl it up with sparkly ruffles.
Some issues (topline is off, collapsing at back right insole, how to avoid lump from zipper tape?)as always, but overall, I'm happy.
Any reactions, critiques, things to think about next time, are warmly welcomed.
Thanks!

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[ccs]

How do you get a pair of fabric dance shoes from only one last?

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Easy, make the right one as a turnshoe!

Still need heels, and water based contact cement is soaking outside the intended area of the fabric, so they aren't pretty. But fun learning project. And I think the pattern is now validated enough to go back to leather. (I could raise the cone a bit on the last, but I'd rather have the lacings gap open and be able to get the shoes on securely than have them stretch more than anticipated and be loose with the lacings fully closed)

(Message edited by ccs on January 25, 2011)

[paul]

I just finished this display boot.

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Paul

[dw]

A couple of days ago I posted several photos of a pair of shoes that my student, Brandi Devers, made with me. The photos came out pretty poor--it was late on a cloudy afternoon and I was trying to capture the shoes, indoors, without using a flash. The photos looked OK in the camera (viewed through the LCD) but not so good when downloaded to the computer.

Anyway, Brandi had some professional shots done when she returned to Chicago and I wanted to post at least one of them for her in order to do justice to the shoes she made--her first pair of men's dress shoes:

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Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[romango]

My first attempt at hiking boots. The leather is some oil tan scrap I picked up from Oregon Leather.

I made the design myself by just looking at a variety of boots. They came out looking pretty good but there are definitely some design changes needed.

The welt is a double-stitch, spiral stitched to a Vibram mid-sole. Then a one-piece Vibram lug sole is glued to the mid-sole.

The back of the boot tips too far to the rear. This may make them unusable. We shall see.

Anyway, they were fun to make.

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[kemosabi]

Made these recently for my daughter. She spent a while working out what design she wanted and we picked out the leather together.
Full welt, english sewn double channel. Hand sewn, closed-channel outsoles. (I don't have a curve needle machine!).
Pattern is based on Golding's volume-1.
This was also a good practice at fitting up a last as she has a size-B heel and size-D joint line.
The waist is un-tapered, but I like the ink design, so I went with it anyway.

Cheers,
-Nat

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[luckyduck]

Here is a couple plain as plain packers with a thin rubber half sole. I am happy with the toe shape on the taller ones as they are fairly crisp and what I was aiming for. The leather is ecopell classic.

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[lancepryor]

Hot off the lasts, my most recent pair of shoes.

This pair is for a neighbor and is made on a pair of lasts that I made for him, with a soft chisel toe. The leather is a crust leather than I darkened with some shoe cream and polish. The shoes are on the hide in the pictures, though you can't really tell that the shoes are noticeably darker than the hide.

Design is a cap toe oxford with gimping and brogueing, and a heel counter. I did a punched 'swam neck' facing. Outsole is 1/4" with a beveled, fiddleback waist and 11 spi stitching. Now to see how they fit!

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Lance

[michaelekhaus]

Here are the second pair of shoes that I made while in Budapest. Made on a pair of lasts from Georgene McKim. Also, I dyed the leather from a light brown to a darker cordovan color.

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[athan_chilton]

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My first attempt working on a built-up last (it was too narrow), and also my first attempt at a stacked heel. Once again proved to myself that one needs a *really* sharp knife to trim the heel breast...and I didn't quite have it sharp enough. These boots turned out a smidgen too large, indicating I built the last up in places it didn't need it. So I plan to remove some of the pieces and pare down some others, and try again. Even so, they fit (with thicker socks) and feel good on my feet.

[romango]

I'm renting a display window at an upscale local health club this coming September. To prepare for this display I am going to make a few single shoes.

Here is another Chelsea boot. What's special about this boot is that it has a German welt or "hidden welt" as described in Marcell's tutorial.

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[michael_nash]

Hello All,
This is the second pair I've made so far... Its a basic derby pattern with french binding on the topline, dog ear/tail heel detail and storm welt:

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[valeriy]

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[dearbone]

Here is a pair of good boots,I have an order for one in brown leather,But i liked the design so much,i decided to make a pair for the shop,the upper is made of two pieces, The sewing/stitching on the vamp is decorative.

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Nasser

[dearbone]

My apology,The upper is made of three pieces instead of the two i stated above.

Nasser

[fishball]

My first attempt on men shoe.
I just make the sole and finishing.
Althought the last, and upper design is by idea, the last was made by JV China. Upper by a shoemaker in HK, and lasted by him.
It is hard to sewn and sand jsut by two hands.
Shoemaking is really hard working.

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[holly]

Jodhpurs in the Edelman "Royal" calf. Lovely to work with, but I don't know how well it'll hold up.
I am NOT loving the bunching-up action at the quarters. Could be pattern, could be closing, could be lasting, likely a cocktail thereof.
Edges are approaching passable!
Critiques and cautions are always welcome.

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(Message edited by holly on March 21, 2011)

[romango]

GH French calf Double gossier stitch welt.

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[romango]

another view.

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better color here. I should have left the lower picture color alone!

(Message edited by romango on March 22, 2011)