Tuesday, April 29, 2014

KCCO: A Work in Progress

About a year ago I bought these sweet shoes from a store which specialized in Indian imports. 
They were really cute, but the construction was lacking and I wore through them in a couple of months.

The seam was exposed on the bottom of the shoe, and the abrasion from walking around outside just wore right through the stitching. Also, I don't think the leather was sturdy enough for a sole either.
So, I cut away the remaining stitching and was left with three pieces of shoe.
About 4 years ago I bought this stamped leather at SR Harris, a local fabric super warehouse, intending to make a pair of shoes someday. So, using the pieces of old shoe as a template, I cut out the pieces needed for a new pair of shiny red shoes.
Before I did anything irreversible, I thought I should practice my leather working skills (which are none). So, I grabbed my trusty wallet which just fits a couple of dollars, my drivers license and (just barely) my phone, and cut out a new one from the leather.
I tried to nail in sewing holes but that was a total disaster, so I ran over to the leather shop (Stormcloud Trading Co., they also have lots and lots of beads, it's a great shop) and picked up a hole punch and some waxed linen for the seams.
It's not perfect, but it does look like a pouch, which was my goal. 
I refined my system for measuring out the holes and attacked the leather.
Here is my right shoe, still in progress. I have to cut out a couple of layers for the sole. I have some stiff leather, and also some soling material which I have used before to great effect.

There's still a lot of work to do, but I am liking them so far.
What's on your creative plate today?
Joining Nicole over at KCCO.





3 comments:

  1. You are just amazing to take on making shoes! They look fantastic. Congrats on learning some new skills along the way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. wow, so clever! They are going to look wonderful, love that shade of red

    ReplyDelete
  3. The colour is wonderful :) what a wonderful creation they are looking great.

    ReplyDelete