'forward motion'

'Forward Motion'

So, I've made two new lasts, both of wood this time. It's definitely more of a challenge to carve a wood last than to sculpt one of clay but the wood has real advantages.  I cut one of the lasts into three pieces that are held together by a screw and wing nut. This allows me to disassemble the last to remove it from the finished shoe.  I am still perfecting it, but have made a simple shoe to test it out.  The shape of the last needs refining and I will need to apply a coat of polyurethane followed by a coat of Renaissance Wax which I hope will allow the shoe to slip off  more easily. But overall I think this change is just what the doctor ordered.  Eventually I hope to have perhaps five lasts since each shoe shape (square toe, round toe, high heel, low heel, etc.) requires a different last.  I carved a heart shaped wooden heel for the 'test' shoe.  I will absolutely explore this further.

a temporary break in transmission

Many new ideas brewing. 
Will probably be a while before I post again. 
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD!

$#!*@?

I had to throw out not one but three failed experiments today.  Nothing is working!

still here

Lest my followers (whoever and however few they may be) think I have abandoned my work, I am posting to assure I have not.
But after ruining my last shoe I've had to rethink the whole process. My new methods should make my results much more predictable and probably more time consuming.  No matter.

I am in chaotic design mode again.

alas

I expected to be posting a photo of a finished shoe but i managed to fatally wound my latest creation in the process of de-lasting.  Ah well... I don't have the heart to post a photo of the wreckage.
The next post will likely be entitled 'take two'.

purple and black

Here is the latest shoe in progress.

I am using a new last that has a more natural shape like the small brass lasts but is similar in size and heel height to my other polymer lasts.

fini!

There is something to be said for going forward even when unsure, or when confidence and motivation wane.
Just one foot in front of the other.

It is becoming clear to me that I make shoes not really for the sake of making shoes but to engage my abilities, to see change and progress...   to grow.

And I think they're pretty cute.

stuck in second gear

OK. It's a little pathetic that this is as far along as I have gotten on these shoes.  It's not that I'm losing my enthusiasm for making them but distractions continue to abound.
These small lasts are a challenge, albeit a worthwhile one. And making shoes in pairs is more tedious.
I admit to being easily bored and having to work in duplicate forces patience upon me.
Certainly, making the same pair twice doubles the tedium.  So why don't I abandon them, particularly since they are just a simple style, in a bland color?  Because I'd hate to leave them unfinished.

That being said, I suppose I have, in fact, lost my enthusiasm for them. But I will plod along.

I was recently introduced to the work of two artists previously unknown to me (is that redundant?) : John Frame, who sculpts and animates extraordinary articulated figures of wood and fabric and found objects. And Louise Bourgeois, also a sculptor, whose work defies description. They each express beautifully strange sensibilities, a kind of transcendent darkness. I am both inspired and intimidated by their work.Can I incorporate this into the very modest and pedestrian art of miniature shoemaking?

returning to work

I had the garage sale which went very well and sold another thing or two online to finance a little vacation that included, by chance, an event called 'Bishop Mule Days' in Bishop, California.  Mules (the animals, not the shoes) are more interesting than one might expect and while I seemed to be one of the few people there without a big belly or a big hat I enjoyed myself thoroughly and dare say I might want a mule if I lived in that sort of place.
But back to shoemaking.  My friend enjoyed her gift and I am now working on a similar pair just to have them around.  Photos will be forthcoming. And I have another completely different idea brewing that involves small heads.  But that will be a while in the making.

a detour

I have been distracted from shoemaking the past couple of weeks while selling some things to buy a viola. The formula is : 1 viola = 4 typewriters, 1 fagoter (a vintage sewing accessory) and various garage sale items. There was some serendipity to this as folks practically came out of the woodwork looking for typewriters just
when I was willing to let them go.  I have
yet to have the garage sale but it is upcoming.

I am new to the viola and since January have been borrowing one from a generous friend who has been very encouraging. 
 This pair of shoes, made on solid brass lasts I found on Ebay a while back, will be a gift to her.  They are much smaller than the lasts I made from clay and have a wonderful natural shape that I will try to imitate in future lasts. These shoes aren't fancy but I guess not everything needs to be.

I bought the viola on Friday.  It's much too good for me, but I love it.

'too many notes' redux

Something about the collar was not working for me.
It was more than just a notion to remove it but fortunately
leather can be very forgiving. I added stiffened cotton
and tiny stitching around the throat instead.

'too many notes'

I definitely went too far with this one. It would have been better had I not added the collar but the topline of the shoe felt so flimsy...
C'est la vie.
Fortunately, it looks better in person.

Almost finished

This heel is probably more complicated
   than it needs to be.  

But I enjoyed the challenge.

And I like the result.

Most of the leather I use for my shoes are scraps from thrift store finds (old skirts, jackets, gloves, you name it). And I particularly like to hand sew with silk thread (also from the thrift store).

Here is what is on the table now.  The heel is just a mock up of what it will be.  This shoe is taking forever to make and I don't know if the result will be worth the time but the process certainly has been.

'number 5'

This shoe began as a test pattern on a new last using  scrap leather I  thought unsuitable for a finished shoe.  And I unintentionally cut out the two sides without flipping the pattern so one side is leather and the other is rough suede. I wasn't planning to make a shoe of it but something about it appealed to me. My son thought I should name it Jekyll and Hyde. It is seen here sitting on the table of my favorite sewing machine, a 1950's Singer Featherweight, although this particular shoe was sewn by hand.  This is my fifth shoe.

the work

Shoes are about 4" long

My worktable. Yep, it's chaotic.

I sew the uppers by hand or machine and stretch them onto a last.  A metal shank at the instep adds strength and flexibility. Leather soles and polymer heels add weight and stability.  Buckram heel counters and fabric stiffener in the toe box help to retain the shape. It's similar to standard shoemaking, only in miniature.




Of all the information I found in my research some of the most useful came from two books:

'The Art of Making Beautiful Fashion Doll Shoes' by Timothy Alberts
This book is comprehensive and detailed. The information on last-making was particularly helpful to me. I have had this book for years and it is now sadly long out of print.

'Make Your Own Shoes' by Mary Wales Loomis
This is a wonderful self published manual by a woman who developed a 'home sewing' method for making shoes.  Her book is still available on her web site.

 My own methods are the result of combining and refining many of their ideas to suit my needs.  I owe them both a debt of gratitude.                  

'rough draft'

Nothing about this shoe is refined and its construction is a veritable catalog of missteps and mistakes. But I love this shoe as a parent might adore her least able child.  Perfection inspires, but imperfection endears.

'Louis L'amour'

The original inspiration for this shoe was a Louis XIV era court shoe. But somehow, by the time it was finished it had transmogrified into a western ankle boot. The best laid plans can lead to better plans, I guess.  And this exemplifies my creative process, such as it is. Update 1/1/2014 - This shoe was originally named 'Cowboy Louie' but I am renaming it 'Louis L'amour' for what I think are obvious reasons.  I don't know why I didn't think of it before.

the oxfords

The last (shoe form) in the background is not the form I used to make these shoes but it sits on my table as a talisman and inspiration.  These shoes were made on a form sculpted from polymer clay - super sculpey to be exact. They are fabric and leather with polymer clay heels.
I've taken to naming each shoe.  The one on the left is simply 'the oxford'.  The one on the right is 'the ugly shoe' - not because I think it's ugly.  It's just not exactly pretty.

a beginning

I love to make things. I need to, actually. Restless hands, I guess. The idea to make small shoes came from experiments in doll making.  At least for now, my only goal is to keep making them until I have exhausted my interest in them.  That should take a while.