This is a quick visual presentation of my second shoe project. Aren’t monk straps pretty cool shoes? So have a look if you like…
- The design is drawn with the pencil directly on the shoe last on masking tape
- The masking tape is spread out flat and the parts are cut out
- A cardboard mould is made from each individual part. It should be labelled (model, date, right or left side…)
- Transferring the outline to the leather and cutting out the parts
- Skiving (wedge-shaped thinning, so that seams are niche and slim later on)
- The rough fluff is flamed off on the flesh side
- The insole is marked on soft 4mm thick croupon leather
- I’m using my Singer sewing machine to sew the upper
- The upper (still without inner lining) is closed
- Some tools, cobbler hammer, sharpening knife and Hirschkleber glue or paste
- The inner lining is glued to the stiffener (with water based leather paste) and is pulled around the last to dry.
- The stiffener and the toe box is held with nails and dries
- Lasting. The upper is moistened and stretched over the last with pliers and fixed with nails. The process is repeated about three times. Each time the leather layers are re-tensioned. The shoe takes on more and more of its later shape.
- The heel counter. Here ist’s bent like a horse shoe. It is fixed with shoe sole adhesive and nails from lemon wood.
- The lasted shoe with the prepared heel counter
- The welt. For welted shoes, all layers of the upper (with lining, toe- and heel stiffeners) are sewn to the insole. At the same time the welt is sewn on, which runs all around (or up to the heel). The outsole is later sewn onto the welt.
- The welt is sewn on, a wooden shank is inserted in between the heel and the arch, which supports the curvature. There’s a piece of leather covering it.
- A layer of cork filler is applied and sanded
- Then the outsole is glued on and can be sewn to the welt afterwards.
- Finally, the heel is built up from leather layers in the required height and the entire sole is sanded all around…
