A HANDMADE PAIR OF OXFORDS
The past leather project has enriched me a lot and I have also acquired some skills. I wanted to try something new and came up with the idea of making shoes. A pair of shoes, self-made. Maybe an Oxford model.
So here are some snapshots of how the Oxfords were made.
The material is cognac coloured buffalo calf leather, the lining is goatskin, the insole and outsole are cow croupon. The working method is similar to how shoes were made 200 years ago, with knife, pliers, hammer, awls and needles. The welt is sewn all round 360 degrees and the outsole was then sewn to the welt. The heels are built up in several layers of leather and fixed with lemon wood nails.
A cork layer provides for comfortable walking besides the very pleasant climate inside the shoe. Here too, everything is hand-sewn. Almost everywhere I used the saddle stitch. Sewing by hand requires a lot of patience. Very much patience. Next time I would try to use a sewing machine.
I like wearing the shoes very much. They’re not perfect, of course. But they are comfortable and they go well with jeans and a suit.