I have been talking about it for some time, but I finally decided to teach a full-length shoemaking class at Costume College, held every year towards the end of July. The primary reason is the work involved – I need to pattern shoes, modify lasts, cut leather, and make stitching cords for every single student. As it turned out, we only ended up with four students (one had to drop out at the last minute), and though it was plenty of work, each student came away with a great piece.
For first time cordwainers, they did quite well – compared to my first pair over fifteen years ago, these are orders of magnitude superior in every way, and I’m delighted to have started them down the path several rungs ahead of where I began.
Just for some context…
Continue reading Costume College Workshop! →
I’ve been attending Costume College (held in Southern California) for a number of years now, and in the past few years, I brought along my shoemaker’s bench and did some work in the hallways to teach people informally about historical footwear. Although I do teach some formal classes, I can reach a larger audience as people come in and out of the classrooms. I normally bring a pair of shoes to finish, and, in fact, you can see me cutting out the woolen insock to be pasted in the strapped shoe that has just been completed. Forgive the modern last, again, my very impressed photo-mate is Amanda S., and the image is courtesy of Breanna M.
Apologies for not getting to take a close-up of the finished pair, but they’re very similar to these. I was able to get them a lovely forest green which was not my original intention, but I’m very pleased with the color. Thing is, I didn’t get to take any close-ups, because there were so many other things going on!
Continue reading Costume College and 1580s Shoes →
Dedicated to the Research and Construction of Chopines, Pantoufles, Zoccoli, Shoes, Boots,and Other Raised and High Heels.
