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Simple Shoemaking

FOR FUN OR PROFIT, LEARN HOW TO MAKE ECOLOGICAL SIMPLE SHOES AND SANDALS

  • About
  • Workshops
  • Shop
  • Tutorials
    • Tutorial: how to make side-seam moccashoes for women
    • How to make sweet little shoes with ankle straps
    • How to make warm boots for little cold feet
    • How to Make a Felted Side-Seam Moccasin-Boot
    • Sandals from The Do-It-Yourself Shoe Book
    • How to make a Roman and a Roman Mary Jane sandal
    • Making straps and attaching buckles
    • Leather scraps into bracelets
  • Videos
    • Introduction to Simple Shoe Making
    • How to make a nofomoc simple shoe
    • How to make the derby shoe
    • How to make sandals part one
    • How to make sandals part two
    • How to Make Soles with an Edge!
    • Introduction to Three Styles of Boots from How to Make Simple Shoes for Women
    • How to do the two-needle running stitch – also known as the simultaneous running stitch
    • How to Make the Chukka Moccasin
  • Resources
    • Directions for making double-soled moccasins
    • Strap sandal directions from How to Make Shoes by Christine Lewis-Clark
    • Two methods for making Renaissance Faire boots
    • How to make lasts from playdough and peltex
    • Primitive Shoes by Margrethe Hald – free!
  • Blog
  • About
  • Workshops
  • Shop
  • Tutorials
    • Tutorial: how to make side-seam moccashoes for women
    • How to make sweet little shoes with ankle straps
    • How to make warm boots for little cold feet
    • How to Make a Felted Side-Seam Moccasin-Boot
    • Sandals from The Do-It-Yourself Shoe Book
    • How to make a Roman and a Roman Mary Jane sandal
    • Making straps and attaching buckles
    • Leather scraps into bracelets
  • Videos
    • Introduction to Simple Shoe Making
    • How to make a nofomoc simple shoe
    • How to make the derby shoe
    • How to make sandals part one
    • How to make sandals part two
    • How to Make Soles with an Edge!
    • Introduction to Three Styles of Boots from How to Make Simple Shoes for Women
    • How to do the two-needle running stitch – also known as the simultaneous running stitch
    • How to Make the Chukka Moccasin
  • Resources
    • Directions for making double-soled moccasins
    • Strap sandal directions from How to Make Shoes by Christine Lewis-Clark
    • Two methods for making Renaissance Faire boots
    • How to make lasts from playdough and peltex
    • Primitive Shoes by Margrethe Hald – free!
  • Blog

Simple Shoemaking

FOR FUN OR PROFIT, LEARN HOW TO MAKE ECOLOGICAL SIMPLE SHOES AND SANDALS

Simple Shoemaking

Recent Blog Posts

March 26, 2022

I now know two Polish shoemakers

December 24, 2021

Template for leather pincushion

December 21, 2021

Article by Fashion for Good about leather and alternatives

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  • Here’s what you get in my new shoemaking kits-a 12” x 18” piece of quality leather, lining, contact cement, a totally complete sole - the top sole has stitch holes around its top edge, so you can create your upper, then stitch it to the top sole. You also receive needles, thread,  Pdf copies of my two shoemaking books and sandal making book, a flyer of projects you can make with leather scraps, a piece of felt for making a mock-up and a slit-punching tool! You will be a shoemaker in no time!
  • Can you visualize how this upper would look when made into a real shoe? Topline shapes make all the difference. This one will be a “T” strap with either a strip of elastic or a leather strap with a buckle across the shoe. The T can have a stitched channel at its end , or you can make two slits in the end and pass the strap through them-so many possibilities!
  • I have had dies made to cut out these ghillies, but sometimes they were too tight. Now that I’m making “soles with an edge” for moccashoesI realize that these shoes can be made in any width or depth depending on how high of an “edge” is on the sole. These ghillies are perfect for Ren Faires or when you want a Medieval look.
  • Many years ago when I made shoes to sell, this was my marketing postcard. The shoes were embossed, “batiked, and embroidered. Now I focus on teaching people how to make shoes for those who really need them-kids and people who nee simple custom footwear.
  • Many years ago when I sold shoes that I made, I embellished them with embroidery, batik and stitching. Now I only teach people how to make ecological footwear for those who actually need them-children and those with uniquely-shaped feet—
  • A simple cinch-top shoe can become unique with some some wax resist to isolate the black dye and a bit of embroidery.
  • It was lovely doing a zoom simple shoemaking gathering a few days ago with two European shoemakers plus a few from USA. One was Magdalena - bossa_studi.o - of Poland. She took a “cinch-top” pattern from How to Make Moccashoes but made them as “stitch-downs”. Then, she created an awesome tan tab on the vamp for her cinch cord to pass through - where does the cord end?! If you’re from Europe we’ll have a monthly gathering, email me if you would like to join us - simpleshoemaking@gmail.com.
  • I’m in the process of putting a variety of soling materials in my etsy shop, this photo shows some of the types- there’s some standard “rubber” soling with heavier pattern, white Birkenstock soling that looks pretty cool with a black upper, I think, vegetable-tanned leather perfect for sandals and “dressier” shoes, black standard “rubber” with light pattern on the bottom, and more..
  • Here’s a simple butt stitch, meaning that the two layers don’t overlap. I tied a knot in the end of a thread and made two stitches in each slit. You can find slit-making hand-held pliers in Asian etsy shops including this one-https://www.etsy.com/listing/504964075/1-piece-diamond-chisel-punch-pliers-4mm?
  • Being able to anchor your needle to your thread is one of the advantages of using waxed braided thread, it’s available on ebay.
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