shoe-spirations: creating my 1st, completely solo, lasted shoes!

I did it! FINALLY! 
For the longest time I've wanted to move forward with the knowledge I was taught by Tamera Lyndsay of The Shoe College. There is always that fear of fucking it up though that holds me back. So I started with baby steps back way back in June by re sketching an idea of a kitten heeled shoe I had drawn a few years ago. I knew I was ready to use the green leather I had been impulsed to buy during a trip to LA. Oh, and the soft baby blue leather remnant I found there as well. Oh, and those wicked vintage glass turquoise buttons I found at the knit shop in Anacortes.... Hot Damn it was starting to come together!
I sat down with my markers & colored pencils and put all the ideas of materials come to life on paper. 

First sketch and materials.

Gosh... These crazy ideas look kinda great!

A custom pattern was the next thing needed. With masking tape I covered my last and then drew the shoe design upon this 3D blank canvas, not easy BTW. Then cutting the individual pieces from the last I placed them on card stock paper, old file folders, and added extra wiggle room to each piece for rolled over edges and tacking. 
Those new patterns took me to the first of scary moments... cutting leather! I did fine, I don't know why I was being such a frickin' chicken?!

Pieces & more pieces....

And pieces!

Pieces now must come together. Enter heart palpatations, sweaty palms, & an inner voice screaming "oh, fuck! Oh, FUCK! Shit, SHit, SHIT!". Once you start sewing leather there is no turning back, leather is not forgiving to the needle punchering holes in it's surface. In fact, I don't even have the proper machine to do this. 

I gotta tell you though it is also an insane high as the stitches start coming together one by one to give each piece a finished look. This high propelled me through my worst fears. Hurray adrenaline!

There's no going back once the needle punchers leather. 

Baby blue straps rolled and stitched.

Hello, To my next shoe creating high...Contact cement. Glue is a major player in putting a pair of shoes together. I do plan to check out the eco friendly versions to this toxic shtuff, but at the moment this is what I have to work with. I open everywindow and take many breaks & stay away from open flame. Ha?!

The 1st step to a nice rolled edge, glue. 

Everyone's ready to become one!

Lasting a shoe involves wetting all the leather components you've just cut, glued, sewn & cut again. Wet leather is stretched around the shoe last. This allows the leather to dry to the shape of the last. The leather is tacked to the bottom of the last to hold the tight stretch that is achieved by those funny looking orange handled pliers you see above. That same tool is my tacking hammer! 

My first ever heat activated toe cap added under the leather for rigidity.

Once the leather is lasted & dried I was able to attempt my first toe cap application. The material for the toe cap is heat activated by a hot oven then quickly wrapped inbetween the exterior leather and the interior pig skin lining. I learned fast how quick this hot material cools and becomes rigid, it took a few trys to get this technique. I love that with each new shoe I'm still learning! The toe cap helps the vamp, toe of the shoe, to keep it's shape once off the last. 

Little details, elastic inserted into the heel straps to allow for a better fit.

Starting to look like a shoe!

Straps being stretched onto the last.

Once all the excess leather is trimmed off the bottom the surface is evened out with cork filler. I had to use a roll of cork board. In a shoe factory they have a magical glue/cork goop they spread on to fill in the gaps like buttah!

More little details.... that make my heart dance!

Nearly together, holy shit!

I entered the finished shoe in the local county fair. I knew they would either be blown away or not get that I actually made from scratch a pair of wearable art. Unfortunately the judges didn't get it.... Which was a blow to my creative ego. They stuck my creation in an "others" catagory with driftwood and macrame art that got blue ribbons over my weeks of hard work. 
sniffle... Oh, well fuck them! See ya'll in London, bitches!

San Juan County fair, I got a second place ribbon?! I was a bit befuddled.

 I have worn them out in the world! First time was to my friend Libby's wedding, where a groomsman noticed how awesome my footwear was! Yay!