Hand Leathers, aka Palms

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As part of shoemaking, when closing an upper or inseaming, one has to pull two ends of your stitching cord tight. Many of the illustrations show a shoemaker in the process of swinging their arms out to pull their stitches tight. But, as you might imagine, this repeated action of pulling tightly on stitching cords against bare skin can wear down the skin, causing blisters and cuts. The palm, or hand leather, is typically worn on the left hand and is used protect the shoemaker from the constant stress of tugging stitches tight. In this 16th Century German sculpture of St. Crispin and St. Crispianus, altar figures from the shoemaker’s altar in the Marien Church in Delitzsch, a palm is visible on the left hand (what may look like a narrow palm on the right is actually the cuff of the sleeve).

Interestingly enough, evidence for hand leathers in the medieval arena is somewhat scant.
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1600s Pretty High Heels

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As promised, here is a new piece that I just recently finished. Very similar to the shoes in Lesson 8, though I used a different model of last. Additionally, this shoe was constructed with much finer closing (only three strands of linen on a boar bristle), and a much finer closing awl. Moreover, I feel that I was able to sew the outsoles on more finely and evenly than before. This is where practice comes in! I also modified the heel design slightly. I was initially dreading them since I find carving heels to be tiresome, but I timed myself – I carved the pair of heels in only an hour from start to finish, so perhaps I will still continue to do so to ensure that every part of the shoe is handmade, rather than using mass-produced heels. Apologies for the medium quality of the picture.

Also, I have never been completely pleased about the discoloration one gets on the flesh side of the shoe when dyeing individual parts of a vegetable tanned leather shoe. Strictly speaking, dyeing of skins did not seem to be within the purview of the shoemaker, and this tradition continues today where most shoemakers purchase skins which have already been dyed, rather than cutting out the pieces (clicking) and then dyeing the parts prior to closing the shoe. I do this because I do not make nearly enough shoes to warrant purchasing a dozen skins and dyeing them all of various colors – as such, it is a compromise that I must make.

The Plictho, a Venetian text on dyeing from the 1540s, discusses dyeing of fabric and yarn, but it also discusses tanning and dressing of leather. There are several recipes which discuss dying the entire skin in a vat, but there are also some that discuss laying the tanned skin out and applying the dye with a brush of silk or bristles. However, the point I wish to make is that the recipes are for dyeing the entire skin, and not individual pieces as I normally do.

Vanity Post In Lieu of Real Content

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I have two blog posts just ready to write up, but shoemaking has taken priority! So, until I get pictures of new work or a new tutorial post up for you, I’d like to share a couple of photos from our recent trip to France, even though they are only marginally related to shoemaking (though there are some buckle pictures and a reliquary of St. Crispin). All of the pictures are courtesy and copyright to Trystan Bass.

To start – a fun photo of the excellent Sarah Goodman and I getting our “Hadouken” on! If you don’t know what a hadouken is, check out this site.

As I mentioned in the last post, I picked up some 18th century buckles for our trip to France.
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18th Century Paste Buckles – Posting From France

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As a treat for being attentive little readers and staying loyal even though I’ve missed a couple of weeks, I reward you with a blog post from France! A group of several of us 18th century costuming enthusiasts got together and let an 18th century chateau for two weeks, located in Pys, in the south of France, about 40 minutes from Toulouse. This is a magnificent place, and although the pictures speak loudly for themselves, a few additional words would not be untoward.

This is the second brainchild of Kendra Van Cleave and Trystan Bass – the first was a costuming event held at Blo Norton Hall in Norfolk, England back in 2010 (read Kendra or Trystan’s posts on the topic). We had such a delightful time dressing up in a 16th century manor house, cooking period food, singing songs, dancing, and the like that we had to reprise our visit, but this time, in an 18th century chateau in France! And, just so you know that I’m not making this all up, here is a picture of my shoes in front of the chateau itself (look very closely for the two small black bumps in the center next to the glass of champagne).

What does all of this have to do with Paste Buckles, you might ask? I’m so glad you asked!
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Dedicated to the Research and Construction of Chopines, Pantoufles, Zoccoli, Shoes, Boots,and Other Raised and High Heels.