'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.