I recently worked with toe puff material for the first time. It was an interesting experiment, and it helped me solidify what I want to make for future shoes.

I want to make shoes that are healthy for both the wearer and the maker. This means flexible soled shoes, without elevated heels or shanks. It means avoiding the use of toxic glues or plastics that can off-gas during the construction. It means turning to cork and vegetable tanned leather for foot-beds and cushioning. It means focusing on shoes that can be held together with stitching rather than glue, and that the stitching should be done with natural thread. It means that I will likely not work with plastic toe puffs in the future.

I want to make shoes that can transition from town to trail, so I don't need separate shoes for work, going out, or hiking. I think I know how I can accomplish this, but finding appropriate soles may be difficult. My idea is to make moccasin style shoes with a hiking sole. My ideal would be a lug sole that could be stitched directly to the shoe, similar to how boat soles or camp soles are attached. However, finding one is proving to be difficult, so I am looking into other solutions. I either need to look into less rugged soles, or I need to cut stitching grooves myself.

Tags: shoes

In theory, the treadle sewing machine should work, but I can't get it to stitch. I don't think it's a mechanical problem, I think it's user error. I believe that I'm doing something wrong with the threading or tension. The needle goes through the leather, it catches the bobbin, yet whatever stitches appear end up unraveling immediately.

Due to these problems, work with the sewing machine has been put on hold, and I'm back to hand stitching. It's what I should have been doing all along. I wasted a lot of time waiting for the sewing machine to arrive, because I didn't want to spend a lot of time hand stitching. If I had spent only a little bit of that time stitching instead of waiting, the boots would have been done by now.

I am now making progress on the boots again. They will definitely show progress in stitching skill, as the heel counter was the first part stitched, and it is uneven. The other stitching came later and has been steadily improving. Getting an overstitcher to evenly mark where to use an awl has helped a lot, and practice is making me faster.

There is still work to do before they will be done: closing the upper, attaching the upper to the midsole, attaching the outsole to the midsole, and finishing.

Tags: shoes

I searched for a long time to find a sewing machine that would be suitable for stitching leather. I had little luck finding an affordable option, but I eventually remembered an antique Singer sewing machine that my mother had. It was made in 1908, and before my mother had it, it belonged to one of her aunts. It wasn't pretty to look at anymore, since it had rusted a bit and the wood had deteriorated, but the mechanical parts still worked. It seemed like an ideal option, since it was a family heirloom that could be put to good use. Also, it could handle heavy fabrics and leather due to sturdy construction and working under manual power.

My step-father, Joe, restored the wood and cleaned a good deal of the rust off. Now it needs a drive belt and some leather sewing machine needles. After that, I can start testing to see how well it will work on leather and some high tech fabrics that I want to experiment with.

In addition to the sewing machine, I also received my father's desk. He inherited it from his grandfather, John Rogers. It is at least 65 years old, and probably a bit older. With the desk, I also got some things that my father stored in it: an antique compass, his pocket watch, and various drafting tools.

Tags: shoes

I spent the weekend in Toronto, and one of the attractions that I visited was the Bata Shoe Musuem. There were some good exhibits and some less impressive ones. I don't care what shoes Mike Meyers wore in Austin Powers, so the celebrity shoe gallery was of no interest to me. The exhibit on socks was not adequately fact checked, they labeled Coraline as a Tim Burton Movie. It makes me sad when museums present obviously incorrect information.

The exhibits on historical footwear were more interesting, but the best gallery was the one for Native American footwear. They tried to explain the cultural context of the moccasins, relating it to the lifestyle of different tribes and the materials they had available to them.

The small section on shoe making was nice, although not as thorough as Laszlo Vass's book, Handmade Shoes for Men.

Unfortunately, the museum is kept dark to help preserve the shoes, and they don't allow flash photography, so I was unable to take photographs of the shoes.

Tags: shoes

In recent years, research has been showing that supportive running shoes are bad for our feet. You can read some of this here, here, here, here, and here. Even if you don't run, another study found that supportive shoes can lead to lead to arthritis in the knees.

With this kind of research, some companies have started making what they call barefoot shoes. They provide a feel similar to being barefoot, but with some protection from sharp rocks or glass. Shark Attack has one of the most thorough write ups of barefoot and minimalist shoe options.

I see one relatively minimalist shoe that is missing from many sites: Sperry Top Siders. The shoes have thin rubber soles, leather, and a tiny amount of cushioning. Not all boat shoes are minimal, many add more cushioning, but with the Sperry shoes, I can still feel everything that I step on. They could still be more minimal, but I am willing to trade off a small amount of minimalism for aesthetics. Most barefoot shoes stand out, and some people find this appealing. I prefer a more traditional look, and boat shoes fit my aesthetic better than most other options.

I would prefer something made without glue, and that is a project that I intend to work on in the future.

Tags: shoes

The shoes that I made on my trip to Virginia are quite good. However, without the supervision of a teacher, I have made some mis-steps.

My first mis-step involved sandals. I had a pair of Naot sandals that had terrific uppers, but the sole was too inflexible. I thought I could cut the straps off the Naot sandals and attach them to a new sole. After I cut the sandals off, I realized there was a flaw in my plan. Due to the construction of the Naot sandals, the straps attach at a higher point than they would on my soles. Unfortunately, this made the straps too short to use.

My second and third mis-steps involve a pair of whole cut loafers. I had to design a new pattern for them, and I found the pattern was a bit off. I was able to cut it down to continue with making them. However, there was still another mistake with them, this time the last was slightly too big. It would have been fine with very thick socks, but the result was a pair of shoes that was just slightly too big. I was able to make an insole that allowed them to fit, but it raised my heel a little too much. I can still wear them, but I'm not happy with them.

These mis-steps have taught me a lot, and I now know what needs to be done differently for my next pair of shoes, a pair of deerskin lined chukka boots.

Tags: shoes

I headed to Lexington, Virginia to take a class with Glenn Leisure of Healthy Handmade Shoes. I stayed with him and his wife, Peggy, while learning to make shoes. He primarily uses stitch down construction, where the shoe upper is glued and then stitched to a leather mid-sole. It is not aimed at elegant dress shoes, instead it aims for simplicity and comfort. It gives the shoes a rustic charm.

The shoes that I made under his supervision are the most comfortable ones that I've ever worn. His techniques have also been helpful to many people with severe foot problems, sometimes eliminating the need for expensive orthotics.

There is a drawback to the methods that Glenn teaches, and that is the glue used to make the shoes. It is labeled as a cancer causing chemical, and must be used in well ventilated areas. Sadly, less toxic alternatives are not as durable. There are some low VOC leather glues that can be used for most of the construction, but the outsole still needs strong glue.

Glenn and Peggy

Glenn and Peggy's House

Glenn's Workship

Finished Shoes

Tags: shoes

Every foot is unique. Many people have one foot slightly smaller than the other, or perhaps with a slightly different shape. In many cases, the differences are minor enough that a standard size can work for both feet. However, some people have feet that are too different to work in a standard size. I fall into the this category. My left foot is easy to fit, but my right will not fit into any standard shoe size. When measured in a Brannock Device, my feet are size 7.5 US. However, no 7.5 shoe is wide enough for the toes on my right foot. To get the proper width, I have to size up to 9, and this is too long. Trying 7.5 in wide sizes, like E or EE leaves too much room around the heel.

After I started learning shoemaking, I began to learn how to stretch leather shoes to accommodate my feet. I also found one shoe company that makes shoes that work for me. I will post more on this later.

Tags: shoes