I’m starting to experiment with making the insole of the shoe smaller than the last itself so as to prevent the welt from sticking out so much. A lot of the 16th C. welted period examples have the upper essentially larger than the treadsole (and insole) so that when the shoe is worn, you don’t actually see very much of the treadsole. In many cases, the treadsoles were truly tiny compared to the actual size of the shoe, and the toe actually overhangs the sole by a goodly amount. In this case, I made the insole about 3/16″ smaller all around than the last. The effect may be hard to see, but it is important for achieving the proper look (but so are the right lasts, and I’ve dragged my feet on those!). I think for the next pair, I’ll need to cut the insole 1/4″ smaller, or more in order to get the kind of profile I’m looking for.