Bespoke Shoes Unlaced - a shoemaking blog

Life long learning!

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000Z

Our course has finished and we are gradually settling back into the weekly carreducker routine splitting our time between the studios at Cockpit and Gieves & Hawkes, seeing clients for fittings, taking new orders and finishing shoes.

Chatting through the last two weeks, we realised that we've been teaching our shoemaking courses for over five years (we can't quite believe it)! It's been a learning curve for us as lecturers and we've never let ourselves become complacent.

We always try to improve the notes, teaching methods and our approach every time. In the early days we taught much as we had been taught on our apprenticeships - with very little explanation as to why a process was being done or why it was important. Time was partly to blame, but we were also concerned that explaining everything would actually cause more confusion and might make the process even more daunting.

The feedback from students on the courses has really helped us to improve and try new ways of teaching. It is invaluable in fact (so thank you to everyone over the years who took the time to share their praise and criticisms). The positive comments are obviously much appreciated - "it exceeded our expectations", "the teaching was excellent", " I learned so much" - but the constructive criticism is even more valuable.

After this last course we have realised that we do need to explain even more of what is going on and the whys and wherefores.

So our New Year's resolution (well, end of January resolution) is to do just that on each day of the course, starting in New York - what we are going to be doing, what the aim is and where we need to be by the end of the day. It will never be as a strict as that because students invariably work at different paces or find one part of the process easier or harder than others, but it will give everyone a clear goal for each day and hopefully a better understanding of why things have to be done a certain way.

We will also be adjusting the course outline to emphasise even more just how mentally and physically demanding it is. A "shoemaking boot camp" is one phrase that keeps cropping up and not undeservedly so. (Luckily it is also usually accompanied by "but really, really rewarding")!

We do have a great time on the course and it is universally described as at worst "rewarding" and at best "one of the greatest thing's I've ever done", but it is no holiday; we work our students hard!

So, you have been warned....but we hope also very much tempted to give it a try! We have a couple of places left for both New York and London so why not join us? In the mean time, look out for some exciting course news next week, but until then happy shoemaking.

Final Day Of January 2012 Course

2012-01-22T20:55:00.000Z

And so it all ends, another course over. And everyone finished their shoes - fantastic work all round. It is always nice to get to the last day, pull the shoes and try them on. I think the students get a real sense of pride and achievement having completed such a demanding course. And, believe me, it is very demanding - hard work and challenging new skills to learn.

Here is a selection of some of the things we did on the last day.

Inking The Heel Edge

Melting The Wax On The Heel Edge

Polishing The Natural Sole

Inking The Edges And The Welt

Drying The Soles

Burnishing The Soles

Inking The Edges

Single Lipped Iron On The Heel

Finished Shoes!

Most Of The Proud Students

Plus A Proud Teacher

The Day was finished off with a bottle of bubbly and some delicious cupcakes, followed by a visit to our friends at John Lobb and our workshop at Gieves and Hawkes on Savile Row.So, congratulations to all the students, and roll on New York in May and London in August. We still have places left on both courses and the deadline for New York booking is March, so if you are interested, do't hang about.Until next week, happy shoemaking

Week 2 Day 11

2012-01-20T20:35:00.000Z

After a frenzied day of cajoling and coaxing, we hit our target of setting the edges by 5.30, so well done everyone. It is hard work, but really worth it now as the shoes are taking their final form.

We started off by doing the last bits of rasping we needed to get the final heel shape and edges.

This was followed by glassing and sanding. We used 80, 120 and 240 grit paper to achieve a smooth finish.

Glassing

Sanding The Edge

After this we prepared the edges for setting with the edge iron.

This involved gently rasping away the lip on the sole side of the edge. And ploughing off the lip on the welt side. We also passed the fudge wheel round again to really set the stitches well.

This was followed by setting the edges with a hot edge iron after previously wetting and putting on a little soap to lubricate the iron.

Some even got on to glassing and sanding the sole and top piece.

Last day tomorrow. Finishing the soles, inking the shoes, waxing the edges and pulling the lasts. Yippee!

And just a little teaser, what am I going to do with this?

Until tomorrow, happy shoemaking!

Week 2, Day 10

2012-01-19T18:19:00.000Z

Week 2, day 10, the final push to the summit.

It's all heels, heels, heels. We have been adding extra heel lifts; cutting the seat; and putting on the top piece. The pace dropped a little this morning, but I am hoping to crack the whip a bit this afternoon and start the finishing process. Now that might sound like it is quick, but, believe me, good finishing takes time (especially because we do not use a machine to do it!).

Here are a selection of shots of what we have been doing today.

Trimming The Top Piece

Trimming The Heel Breast

Nailing The Top Piece

Rasping The Heel Edge

The Happy Class

Friday tomorrow and it will all be about making the shoes look pretty. As they are now, we could pull the lasts and they would function perfectly well as shoes, but they don't look good - they will by Saturday!Until tomorrow, happy shoemaking!

Week 2, Day 9

2012-01-18T17:57:00.000Z

Everyone arrived today with their second shoes stitched which meant that we could get into heel building from the word go. We had a very successful day and the students have caught up considerably. I am more hopeful of finishing both shoes than I was yesterday. Excellent!

Attaching The Split Lift

The Second Lift Goes On With A Row Of Nails

Cutting The Heel Breast

Marking The Heel Breast On Both Shoes

So, dear readers, more tomorrow. We will get the heels finished and move on to finishing. Until then, happy shoemaking.

Week 2. Day 8

2012-01-17T18:04:00.000Z

Well...it's all in the balance. If things go smoothly and nobody has any hitches, we could finish both shoes.

We did some sole stitching today, but we also started our heels. They have trimmed in and peened the seat on both shoes and they have prepared the split lift or rand ( the first section of the heel)

We put nails in, clipped them and punched them around the heel.

Preparing the split lift by skiving it.

Finished split lift, after hammering into a horse shoe shape on the flat iron.

I have sent them home with the remaining stitching to be done on the second shoe. Most are round the toe already. If they all come back witht them done, then it's game on. Fingers crossed!

So, until tomorrow, happy shoemaking!

Week 2! Day 7

2012-01-16T23:11:00.001Z

So here we are and the time has come to hand over the reins to Mr Ducker. I transformed into a sargent major today to inject some energy, a sense of timeliness and to try to get everyone motoring along a little bit faster.

We are behind! Can you believe it? This may be the first time when we have to say to the students that they can only finish one shoe. I know it sounds a bit harsh, but they have so many more processes to learn that this really is the best solution.

Somehow the processes just aren't going in. Usually by week two they are becoming second nature, but not this time. Disappointed does not even begin to capture how James and I feel. We love seeing a group of students complete their shoes and try them on at the end...We think that once you have skived, trimmed, stitched, used the paste and contact adhesive and done some stitching once, you really only need to keep practising to finesse your techniques and capabilities with the tools. Anyway, let's hope the energy levels lift.

After a massive final push this afternoon all soles were on and by 6pm the final student had been shown how to stitch the sole. Some brave souls even took it upon themselves to cut the channel - not easy on a first attempt (nor when you are under pressure)! But everyone has gone home happily with homework to complete so soles will be stitched by the end of tomorrow.

I'll be at Gieves & Hawkes tomorrow so I am looking forward to regular updates and hopefully the good news on Tuesday that the second sole is stuck and stitched! Good lucks guys - heads down, knives sharp and go!

Week 1 - Day 6

2012-01-14T18:14:00.000Z

I can't believe that it has already been six days. The students have done so much but today is a day for heads down and cracking on with welting, shanks and cork so that we are all ready to stitch soles on Monday... a little later than usual but nothing to panic about.

Time flew so fast today that I didn't even have time to take any pictures (sorry!). Threads are part ready for Monday and we concentrated efforts on getting the second shoes welted and making sure that the welt stitches were as tight as could be. The combination of threads and toes proved a challenge - bringing the welt in tight to the toe so that you couldn't see the stitch and so that the welt stood at 90 degrees from the side of the shoe. But the results are good and after some hammering we have decent, strong welts to move on to the next stage.

Both Godwin and Brian have found their fortes in welting I think - Godwin's for excellent strength and Brian's for clean, neat stitches. Heartening to see!

With each new process the students have realised why certain requirements were made on them in the previous stages. So a tightly lasted, smooth toe will make welting easier and neater; if you take too long to last your heel and your stiffener starts to dry out you will end up with a more bumpy surface on the underside of the heel; and a loose welt? Well, let's wait to see what Monday holds?

The students are off for a well-earned break tomorrow to rebuild their stamina (with just a little bit of homework to do).

Wish them luck for a busy day on Monday!

Spade welt/Fiddle Waist Clarifications And Day 5

2012-01-13T18:11:00.001Z

Well, here we are with week one of our January 2012 shoemaking course coming to an end. I am told that they are doing very well and should be welting before too long. I am stepping in for a day today, so I will get to see them all in action.

We had a mention in a great piece in the Telegraph about the new look Gieves and Hawkes flagship store at Number 1 Savile Row.

Another in The National about women in traditionally male trades like tailoring and shoemaking.

And a post on The Tweed Pig blog dedicated to carréducker - fantastic!

Thick and fast is how I would describe it.

Now, recent posts about spade welts and fiddle waists led to some good comments and a few emailed questions, so I am going to clarify a few points.

On a spade welt, it is important to alter your holdfast/feather at the joints and toe. You need to throw the lines out somewhat so that you can subsequently do the same with the welts. It is illustrated in the photos below. You have a normal holdfast and the lines show how you should alter them.
This mirrors the shape you will achieve on the spade welt itself.

Here is a welted shoe showing the width you need at the joint to get the right effect. On this pair, I left the toe normal in the end because it was not pointed enough to make the spade toe work well.

And so to fiddle waists. I said before that I used cork in a sample shoe, but shank leather on a customer's shoes. Well, here is an example of that. Same process, but with leather. This will make the shoe heavier, but it will last indefinitely, whereas cork could crumble away with time.

Same as before, you cut out and glue in the "lifts" and shape as you go.

Make sure the joint area is skived flat with the forepart. Otherwise your shoe will not walk right.

These last shots show how the welt looks when you cut it at the joint and the toe. Try to make them a pair remember.

And here is how the finished welt looks. This is quite an exaggerated one which is very visible when you are wearing them. It will also look better when the edges are inked and finished. I like that curve though.

And this is the leather built fiddle waist with the heel built. Looks just the same as the cork one.

Well, the day got away with me and I am posting this after the course has finished for the day, so here are a few pics. We spent the day thread making and welting which is always a challenge, but everyone is doing very well. More of the same tomorrow I think.

So, until next time, dear readers, happy shoemaking!

Week 1 Day 4

2012-01-12T23:20:00.000Z

A bench of shoemakers tools - essential for handsewn work but somewhat bemusing if you've never worked with them before. As I revealed in yesterday's blog the lasting pliers are becoming more familiar to our class and so today's lasting action looked less challenging and hopefully more rewarding as insoles, toe puffs, stiffeners and uppers were transformed into a shoe.

The toe puffs proved particularly tricky and revealed just how important a millimetre's difference in the thickness of the leather. When skiving, what seems a tiny difference when the puffs were flat, when lasted suddenly became a clumpy toe, bump or ungracious curve. Hammering, gentle rasping and some smoothing put paid to any unevenness.

The lining was lasted first, then the tricky toe puff and finally the upper, checking all of the time whether the toes match.

And meanwhile, whilst The Cafe space where we are working is a hive of industry our own Cockpit workshop looks sadly empty! Mr Ducker takes the reins tomorrow and then I will be back in the driving seat on Saturday before sending the students off with some weekened homework!

Week 1 day 3

2012-01-11T21:45:00.003Z

Another day and students, you did great today!

Yes Raymond that means you too! And Godwin for getting that waist down! Great persistence! And talk about going off from a standing start when it came to lasting pliers - never touched a pair before - well let me tell you you mastered them and painful, exhausting and frustrating though it may be, tomorrow will see you being welcomed by at least one and in many cases a pair of lasted shoes. Toe puffs still to go but I hope that all of the students will be welting by the end of the day.

Lasting is always a challenge. You are essentially using your whole body - legs, chest and knees to keep everything stable whilst your hands use an unfamiliar tool, to stretch leather that doesnt want to be stretched and then to nail said leather in place. Without it slipping, ripping or moving! Easy eh? Even I came home tonight after today's trials and tribulations and dove into a hot bath with a large glass of wine! So how the students must be feeling after a day of unfamiliar physical activity and mental persuasion, cajoling and downright bullying I don't know! But I can guess.

Week 1 Day 2 London course Jan 2012

2012-01-10T21:59:00.003Z

The lampshades in our workspace are suitably shoe-related!

Work is progressing apace in the studio as our dedicated students learn more and more about the intricacies of good knife work and keeping their 'steel' sharp. There were sighs of frustration as once-sharp knives were blunted and smiles of delight as sharp knives cut through the leather 'like butter'. Today's top sharpening award goes to Patrick, who for at least some of the day, had a knife that could have carved through steel!

I was reminded as always, about how easy we make it look, but after 15 years if we didn't, I would be worried. Like everyone else we have seriously off days too and I took the precaution of wearing plasters today, simply because my hands are still soft from Christmas and will be cut to ribbons without some protection. On that note, day 2 saw the curse of the 'has anyone cut themselves yet' question come into force with two cuts in quick succession. But at least the ice has been broken and it was nothing serious.

Tomorrow will see the group finishing their holdfasts, lasting their shoes and I hope welting...otherwise it will be homework for tired hands on Thursday night! But they are doing well and keep their spirits up and blood sugar levels high during the day so I am looking forward to another good day's making tomorrow.

Preparing the holdfast 1

Preparing the holdfast 2

Preparing the holdfast 3

January 2012 - day 1 week 1 shoemaking course

2012-01-09T19:52:00.003Z

We don't like to ease ourselves into the New Year, oh no! It's the second week of January and our first shoemaking course of the year got under way today with a great group of students from Taiwan, Canada, the US and good old Blighty!

James and I have spent the Christmas period revising, editing and refining the course notes to be much more user friendly (we hope) and our new students are going to be the guinea pigs - telling us what we have omitted, where we need to be more clear or to give us a pat on the back as and when we deserve it! It has been quite some undertaking, but we hope will bring us a step closer to finalising the content of the DVD we keep talking about. And yes, alumni students we will be sending the new notes out to you too!

Also new is our venue. We have used an art room in the past and our own studio for smaller courses, but the freeing up of a new space on our floor at Cockpit has meant we have been able to continue business as usual. The space is a long narrow room equipped with a sink and relatively good lighting. Adding a spotlight for each student and some ambient lighting makes for an attractive and pleasant work space.

So, how did our new group get on today? Well many, many hours were spent sharpening our favourite and most trusty tool, the shoemaking knife. Through trial and error the students learned where and how much pressure to apply to the knife and once it was workable, the benefit of using the leather side of the strop intermittently to keep the knife edge keen. Insoles were soaked and blocked ready for preparing tomorrow and quite a few stiffeners have been skived, so they are well on their way.

A good start and let's hope that they/we can keep up the pace! More from me tomorrow as we make the feather/holdfast, skive the toe puffs and, all being well begin lasting.

Abracadabra! Shoemaking magic!

2012-01-06T12:09:00.007Z

A piece of magic that we shoemakers can conjure up, is a few more inches in height for our customers, without anyone knowing about it. Something we've nicknamed the 'Sarkozy effect'! We can incorporate up to an inch as a lift inside the shoe and a further ¼” to ½” inch on the heel – and even more if the customer likes to wear a higher, Cuban style heel

To create the lift, we first use rubber solution to attach a thin piece of lining leather to the underside of both lasts, skin side down. (It is important that it is rubber solution so that you can disconnect it before making the shoes!).Then we use contact adhesive to attach several layers of thin 1-2mm cork to the flesh side of the lining leather - the amount of cork needed depends on the height of the lift at the heel. For this particular customer we are creating ¼” lift inside his shoes.

Once the layers have been stuck to the lining it can be trimmed to follow the contours of the last (use four nails down the centre of the cork to hold it in place, as you would the insole leather). The important thing is to blend the layers to make one smooth edge that will not show through the upper when it is pulled over.

At the inside waist you need to bevel it off (as you do the edge of the insole) to create a smooth transition from last to cork. This ensures that you do not end up with an unsightly ridge at this point.

Finally, you can also use the plough to trim the lip of the lining off at the feather edge where it meets the last (as you would the insole). But be careful not to plough away too much material.

Once everything is even, remove the nails. Sit the lifts onto your mellow insole leather, draw around them and cut out the insole leather leaving it ¼” full from the edge of the lift. Prepare the insole as usual and nail it in place to the lift/last with four nails down the centre. Now begin to nail it around the edge of the lift as usual. Be careful not to put your nails too close to the cork edge so that you damage it and space them about ½” apart. Once you have nailed all of the way around, knock the nails over and allow the insole to dry. (This may take a little longer than usual because of the cork).

Once dry, trim the edge of the insole to blend with the lift and use the plough to shave off any ‘lip’ created between the insole and cork. Remove the nails from the middle, remove the insole and unstick the lift from the underside of the sole. Talc the skin surface of the lift and nail both it and the insole together back in place.

Now you can prepare the feather, last and make the shoes as usual.

When it comes to hiding a lift, this is where our approach to designing really comes to the fore. By drawing the chosen shoe design onto a customer’s last we can ensure that the proportions disguise the lift and can also accommodate any orthotics comfortably. So everything inside the shoe remains our little secret and no one need ever know! ;)

Getting The Fit

2011-12-31T19:30:00.000Z

As bespoke shoemakers, we spend much of our time finessing a customer’s lasts to ensure a good fit. The lasts do not replicate the foot exactly, but instead are an approximation of its shape and volume to accommodate this flexible limb that keeps us upright and active.

We take a series of drawings and measurements to create the lasts - the distance around the instep and the heel (this holds the foot in a shoe or boot); the measurement around the instep and arch; the width of the joint at its widest point; and the space around the toes themselves.

We also take foam impressions of the feet so that we can understand where the weight is distributed and where arch support is needed. All of this information helps to inform us as designers and shoemakers.

But what of the high street? With the big January sales well under way, how do you avoid being swept up in the moment and buying shoes that don’t fit? What should you look for? How do you know if the shoe fits?

There are so many things to consider when buying shoes, but these are our top tips to help you to get a good fit.

Never buy a pair of shoes ‘in your size’ without trying them on. Standard sizes vary from brand to brand so you do need to try them.
Some styles will suit your feet better than others. For instance if your feet swell during the day, a Derby will be more comfortable than an Oxford. This is because the front laced section of a Derby can be opened up/loosened more than an Oxford which is closed at the front. This also applies when you fly or in warm weather.
Brands from northern Europe tend to have a wider joint as standard and southern European/Mediterranean brands tend to have a narrower, slimmer fit at the joint.
Remember that one foot is usually bigger than the other so always try on both shoes.

The check list when you try on a pair of shoes:

o Is there enough space for your toes when you are standing upright and walking?

o Does the back of the shoe feel comfortable and cup your heel?

o Does the heel slip at all when you walk?

o Is there enough room on your instep (the top part of your foot)?

o Is there enough room for your foot across the widest part of the shoe, at the joint?

o Do your toes clench up when you walk? (This suggests your foot may be slipping in the shoe).

o Does the shoe support the arch of your foot?

And ultimately the main question is “Does it hurt”? I can assure you, after years of wearing ill-fitting shoes and super high heels that if it hurts when you try the shoes on, it will still hurt many, many months later!

So gentlemen beware! Please don’t use your feet to stretch a shoe to fit, enjoy the sales but choose carefully. (Words of advice from one who has been there, seen it, done it and is now paying the price with painful sesamoids not what you think – actually two small bones under the big toe joint).

We always prefer our bespoke customers to come to us through desire rather than necessity ;).

Until midnight tonight, when we wish everyone a very happy New Year and 2012!

Christmas deliveries

2011-12-23T08:00:00.002Z

Even though our clients don't often make special requests for shoes to be delivered by a certain date i.e. patent shoes for a party or the red carpet we do like to deliver to them ahead of the promised date if at all possible. (And of course there are a certain pair of magical boots that need to be ready well in advance of 25 December - but we don't name names!)

One client's shoes have been following him around the globe in an effort to deliver them in time for an event, but sadly to no avail so far. They have been to Tokyo and back to London so far. He has been to Tokyo, New York and Washington state but it is physically impossible to get them to him there by Boxing Day. So instead, we have persuaded him to wait until he is in London to collect them - we couldn't bear for them to disappear in transit!

In contrast, we were thrilled to deliver this pair to a very fashionable client this week - just in time for the seasonal festivities! They are a slightly streamlined version of an earlier design, but with a sloped toe box.
Our particular favourite detail was the client's choice of lining - a beautiful pale blue - contrasting nicely with the jet black and jutting, spade welt.

Another client project taking us through to the New Year, and a personal favourite, is this pair of hunting boots.

Already braced but with the design still being finessed, they are designed for maximum durability out on the moors and heathland.

They will also have a pair of gaiters to go over the top, but not until the client has signed off the design and fit of the boots themselves.

So that's it from us this Christmas. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and fantastic holidays...
Warmest wishes until next week

Deborah & James

The Leather We Use: Toe Puff/Stiffener Belly And Shoulder

2011-12-16T09:54:00.000Z

Greetings once more, fellow shoemakers of the world. Not long now till Christmas and a well earned break. I am lucky enough to be going to Venice for a week next Friday, which I am inordinately excited about. And a week's holiday is going to be bliss. Much as I love what I do, I am more than ready for a holiday.
If any of you know any shoemakers in Venice, then let me know as I always like to meet colleagues.

This week I am going to continue the series of posts about the leather that we use. Last time I spoke about insole shoulders, and now is the turn of toe puffs and stiffeners.

The toe puff we take from the belly of the cow. This is where the hide is split to take it off the carcass, and the two thin strips either side are the belly. This is a relatively thin, low grade part of the hide, but perfect for toe puffs which must be thin, but have some rigidity. You can imagine what it is like - have you seen a pregnant cow? Just think how stretchy and loose that skin becomes.

Again we use the Bakers oak bark tanned bellies which are natural, breathable, and locally sourced. They measure between 3 and 4 iron (an iron being 1/48th of an inch I am told). This is the thinnest leather we use in the making process.

Parts of the bellies are very poor quality. You can tell these parts as they are covered with stretch marks and when you work it, the grain is very fluffy and loose. It is better not to use these parts in all honesty, because it causes problems at the hour of shaping the toe puff.

A Particularly Poor Piece of Toe Puff belly

This is the thickness of an average toe puff belly. When we work it, we soak it ion water for about 10 minutes and that way it is easier to cut and skive.

On a ladies shoe or most gent's shoes, we use the belly for stiffeners too (the part which strengthens the heel/counter area of the shoe). This means that less skiving is required on the stiffener, which saves us work without compromising strength.

On a very robust shoe or a boot, we would use the slightly thicker stiffener shoulder. Again, this is a poorer grade part of the hide and is the upper part of the shoulder which goes into the neck. It differs from the belly in that it is a bit thicker - 4 to 6 iron. Obviously this gives a greater stiffening effect to the heel area.
It also requires more skiving to get it to the right thickness, because you have a balance between strength and weight. The more leather you have in your shoes, the heavier they are, and most customers want a light, flexible shoe.
This is the thickness of the stiffener shoulder.

On a riding boot, where a tremendous strength and rigidity is required in the heel, the stiffener is stitched in by the closer and is barely skived at all, only around the edges so that the seams can be closed. This means you have to soak the whole boot upper in water before you last them. This also helps with the lasting which can be quite tough because the leather is much heavier. We generally use reverse calf from Bakers which is the flesh side of the calf on the outside, but it is specially waxed and appears to be like a regular calf. The difference is that when you ride through vegetation and the boots get scratched, because it is the flesh side, you simply have to bone the scratches flat with a sleeking bone to return the calf to its pristine state. If you scratch the skin side of calf, it remains scratched whatever you do. But I digress. I must finish as I have an urgent pair to finish before Tuesday.

That is all folks. Have a great week, and until next Friday, happy shoemaking!

Drastic Measures

2011-12-09T10:18:00.000Z

Greetings to all of you. I hope you are having a good day, about to be made better by our tasty blog.

First off, if you are in the West End today, (Friday 9 December), I will be making shoes in the window of Gieves and Hawkes, all day with the odd break, of course. It looks really great (we are told), especially when it is dark.

Next up, a new shoe. The final piece in the carréducker Mayfair Collection. Sober, classic and very stylish. Love the chisel toe and elegant lines (like a 60s sports car).
We put some brogue punching on one of the caps, just to let customers see what possibilities are available.

New Stay Stitch

Houston, we have a problem.

We make every effort possible to make sure our shoes fit well. We always do fittings and make sure the customer signs off the final fit. At this point we make the shoes. 99 times out 100, this works perfectly and the shoes fit very well.

Occasionally, they don't. And this week, we had a pair which didn't fit. We delivered the shoes and the customer said the heel lifted at the back which is very bad. It means your toes clench to compensate for the heel slip and this can lead to problems over time.
I can only think that when we pulled the backs down when lasting, we went slightly below the desired line. It may only have been a tiny amount, but that can make all the difference

When you have finished a pair of shoes, there are always small tweaks you can make, but it is never easy and never pleasant. Much better to get it right first time!

With this particular problem, we had a few choices. We could unpick the top seam, reduce it (or put in some padding), and re-stitch it. A bit tricky with this shoe because of the counter and all the layers leather we had to deal with.

So, the option we went for is to soak the heel in water, reduce the last or trees and shrink the heel down with a giant elastic band. It is a horrible thing to do, soak your beautiful bespoke shoes in water. Especially in this case because the lining is natural veg tanned calf and will stain. So we had to make sure the whole of the lining was wet.
We soaked the heels for a good 20 minutes to make sure the stiffeners were good and wet. This allows for the desired shrinkage to happen.

Soaking the heels

Usually you would have use your lasts to do this. Luckily we had bespoke trees which made life a lot easier because it is a bit tricky getting the lasts back in once you have finished a pair of shoes.

We marked what we wanted to remove on the trees.

We then rasped off the excess wood and put the trees or lasts back into the shoes. Use lots of French chalk or talcum powder to help get them in.

The last stage is to put on your big elastic bands. In this case, we used two pieces of tyre inner tube cut to size. We stretched them on and then wedged heel lifts in there to make it tight.

Heel lift inserted to add tension to the inner tube

We made sure the rubber was over the offending area.

And this is how it looks at the end. The shoes are drying on our shelves now and we let them rest for a week. To make sure everything is totally dry and to make sure the leather has adopted the new shape in the remarkable way that leather does.

But, dear reader, do not think that this is a good solution to a problem. It was a poor fix at the last chance saloon. We hate doing stuff like this, but, at times, needs must and you have to take drastic measures. Rather do this than take the shoes apart and remake them.

Fingers crossed that the fix has worked. Wish us luck!

Until next week, happy shoemaking.

The Leather We Use: Insole Shoulders

2011-12-02T10:20:00.000Z

Another week. Where does the time go for a busy shoemaker about town? And here we are in December already. Yikes! It's nearly Christmas. Carols were on in the shop yesterday, so it really is that time of year again - bah humbug!

After the success of the living windows for St Crispin's Day in October, we are doing it again next week. From Wednesday 7th till Friday the 9th one or other of us will be in the shop window on Vigo St along with a selection of elves (unfortunately not the sort who will make the shoes for us at night, although I am ever hopeful).

Finished a particularly interesting boot this week. Sometimes you get a commission which you think, hmmm, not sure how this is going to turn out, but that when it is finished, you absolutely fall in love with. Well, this is one of them.

Chocolate brown lizard skin with natural whip snake slip beading (piping). Square waist, 3/8" sole, 5" high, natural finish throughout. We split the vamp because it is hard to find a skin large enough to make a whole vamp and it means it does not need blocking (can you block lizard?) I like the proportions and the lines, but most of all I like that lizard skin. It's beautiful. I wouldn't mind a pair...

Elegant Profile

Check Out That Slip Beading

Our Signature carréducker Crow's Foot Stay Stitch

Chisel Toe And Natural Stitching

Wing Cap And Split Vamp

And so to shoemaking. We get asked about what leather we use for what bits of the shoes. So here is a little information about insoles. Insoles are the foundation of a strong hand welted shoe. If the insole gives out, the shoe is unwearable and will fall apart.

We use insole shoulders from Bakers of Colyton, Devon, England. This is the shoulder area of an adult cow, across the shoulder from top of leg to top of leg, without the neck. As you can see, they are huge and it is staggering how much surface area a cow hide covers.

Bakers are the last tanners in England who use the traditional oak bark method. Oak bark is full of tannin (which is the stuff in tea which makes it dark). Hence tanning, which is the process of preserving the hide. It involves many stages of scraping and soaking in different pits in the ground and different tanning solutions. The leather comes out at the end preserved and durable, but still supple and breathable with its protein structure intact which allows us shoemakers to do our work. Under the right conditions, leather tanned like this can last for centuries.
Other advantages of using leather tanned like this is that it is kind to the skin; breathable; absorbs sweat; dries out well; has a natural water resistance; is abrasion resistant; and is very long lasting when in contact with the ground.
Bakers use a very traditional method which takes up to 12 months to carry out. The processes are sustainable and relatively green, as the oak bark is from renewable sources.
We love their leathers (which are of the highest quality) and like to support brands made in England.

Another reputable high quality tanner of oak bark cow hides is Rendenbach from Germany which has a larger production and is more widely available.

The insole shoulders have a natural grain to them and it is important to cut your insoles along the grain not across it. This will help your shoes last longer.

We use two weights of insole. For standard gent's shoes and for boots, we use 7-9 iron shoulders (no idea what an iron is) like the picture below

For lighter weight gent's shoes and ladies work, we use 5-7 iron insole shoulders. These are lighter and more flexible. It does make cutting the holdfast/feather more difficult though.

We buy our insole shoulders roughed which means the skin side has been roughed up taking off the top surface layer. If you buy them intact, you have to glass the surface before you start, so it saves us a job. This prevents the insoles cracking and squeaking.

The flesh side can be dense and compact or slightly fluffy like this one. we always skive off the fluffy stuff once we have welted the shoes because this helps prevent squeaking too.

So that is about all I can tell you about insole shoulders. Hope it was interesting and useful.

Until next week, happy shoemaking!

Fiddle Waist

2011-11-25T09:53:00.000Z

So, dear shoemakers of the world, another week goes by. Today sees the start of the twice yearly Cockpit Arts Open Studios. The public's chance to see our working studios and either buy or commission work from the over 90 designer/makers who work here. So if you are in Central London this weekend, why not pop in and see us. It is a great visit and you could buy some of those tricky Christmas presents

Opening times are

Friday 26 November 11am till 9pm
Saturday 27 November 11am till 6pm
Sunday 28 November 11am till 6pm

£5 in.

And so to shoemaking. We have seen recently the rise of the fiddle waist in high end men's shoes, and of course we are not immune to it. Our recent Mayfair Collection features them, and rather beautiful they are too

But I have been wondering about the origin and purpose of them. The internet did not throw up very much useful information (maybe the old fiddle is too arcane), so I went to visit my old friends at John Lobb to see what they had to say on the subject.
There were a few disagreements about the finer points, but this is what I learned.

The essential elements seem to be a pulled in waist and the Y shaped ridge up the middle (some thought this was not essential, but the consensus was that it was).
Most seemed to think that the origin was on women's shoes with high heels where the waist becomes very important for the integrity of the shoe.
Most also thought that it was basically a decorative addition without much structural significance, but that the Y shaped ridge adds strength to the waist, because the higher the heel and the more pulled in it is, the more strength you need to support the weight of the wearer.
Most also thought that they were not generally used in men's shoes. However, if the main use is aesthetics, then they are permitted in any shoes, men's included.
One person said they thought they were used in equestrian boots and cowboy boots, but was not entirely sure.
Any feedback about this would be greatly appreciated.
As for the name, it is because the waist looks like a violin (fiddle), but, frankly, I don't see it. Ho hum.

And here's how you do it.

Start with a welted shoe with a shank and cork filler. Welt trimmed and ready to prepare the sole. You can do this with a square waist or a bevelled waist in this case.

I like to draw the line of the Y shaped ridge.

Usually you would make the fiddle with leather for strength and durability, but as these are sample shoes and will never be worn in anger, I did it with cork.
Cut out a piece of cork to cover the whole area and glue both surfaces (contact adhesive or rubber solution).

Let it dry and glue it in place.

Skive the edges down with your knife. I forgot to say that the cork/leather should extend back behind the heel mark so that the finished ridge disappears in to the heel.

Make another piece of cork but narrower this time to start building up the ridge. Glue both surfaces and let them dry.

Glue it in place.

Again, skive the edges to build up the ridge.

Repeat the process with a third piece of cork, but narrower again.

This is my final piece, but for a bigger, bolder ridge add a fourth piece of cork.
Start to rasp the cork into shape. If you use leather, use your knife to shape the ridge.

You should be aiming for a sharp pointed ridge all the way along which splits to form the Y shape.

At the joint, there will be a big raised platform of cork. You have to blend this into the fiddle waist with your knife.

Then rasp it into shape.

And then the fun bit starts. You have to make the other one and they have to look the same! I do each process on both shoes at the same time s that I can match each stage to make a pair.

This is how I would normally prepare my sole on a normal shoe.

But on a fiddle waist, you want the Y shape to be accentuated, so I always skive away right across the waist area like this. This thins the sole and when you glue it on, it is easier to get a nice ridge.

Once the sole is glued into place with rubber solution, you have to use your hammer to shape the waist. Gently tap the leather along the contours of the Y shaped ridge. Be gentle, tap it rather than bash it. This really helps define the shape because the leather is still mellow (a little wet) and is easy to shape with the hammer.

The results can be lovely. I like the fiddle waist a lot.

And that, as they say, is that. For this week at least. We wish you all a good week, especially our US friends who have a big holiday right now.

Until next week, happy shoemaking!

Handmade? 2

2011-11-18T10:00:00.000Z

Greetings to all you shoemakers, apprentice shoemakers, self taught shoemakers, shoe lovers, and general footwear aficionados. And if that doesn't cover you, a special personal hello to you too.
Welcome back. Another action packed week in which we featured in London Time Out (a what's on magazine) in a feature on commissioning bespoke work. How to do it and not be intimidated. It's easy with us, we are friendly, down to earth and cuddly.

Also featured in Pomp magazine, a new publication about the luxury market in London, aimed at visitors to the city. Lovely article about trends in English shoemaking for men. Riding the wave.

Starting next Friday at 11am and continuing till Sunday at 6pm is the Cockpit Arts Open Studios weekend. We will be here in our studio along with 80 other designer/makers covering all craft disciplines, from jewellery to ceramics, furniture to weaving, it's all here. It is a fascinating visit and the perfect chance to buy those unique Christmas presents you struggle to find.

Continuing on from last week on the theme of handmade, something else we get asked a lot is "Why don't you use a machine to do that? It would be much quicker". Or "There is a machine to do that which would save you lots of time".
Well, the answer is this. Because we make shoes by hand, using the ancient and traditional techniques passed down from master to apprentice. The obvious part of this process is the handing down of the shoemaking skills and knowledge which generations of shoemakers have built up and developed - how to make a shoe. This is a fairly rigid set of skills, but each maker can adapt and alter them to his or her particular way of working. This is how small changes and adaptations can evolve, especially with the development of improved materials.

There is also another aspect to the process of learning like this however. When a master shoemaker teaches you how to make shoes, it is not simply one person handing on their own knowledge to you, but also the person who taught them and the person before that, building generation upon generation going back five hundred years or more. This is how we preserve the tradition, and we feel that we owe respect to previous generations of shoemakers by sticking to this tradition. We have been handed the standard and it is our decision to carry it faithfully and to pass it on. This is another reason why we stick so closely to our traditional skills, use our hand held tools, and avoid cutting corners by using machines.
The courses that carreducker runs is another way to express this responsibility that we have. And one day, we will take on apprentices full time to continue the cycle.

This is a responsibility, but it also gives our work an authenticity and integrity which is important to our clients. Some argue that people are less concerned with these things nowadays, that price is the most important factor, but I disagree. Experience tells me that our clients care passionately about our craft and that they are willing to pay for it. This is a significant factor that drives the luxury market. After a certain level of income, price becomes less of a priority and other factors influence buying decisions, such as craftsmanship; authenticity; tradition; quality of materials; provenance; a personal relationship with the maker; personalisation/customisation; longevity. And working the way we do confers these things to our bespoke shoes.

There is also this to consider. If you put in the hours and perfect the skills you need, the time you spend doing one task is really not much longer than setting up a machine and using it to do the same step. I can build and shape a heel with a knife not as quickly as I could with a machine, but not far off. And with all the advantages that making by hand confers, I would always prefer to do it this way.
I have seen people spend time and money on machines, some of which work and some of which prove to be of no use at all. It can become a distraction from sitting down and making shoes.

Another advantage to just using hand tools is that, once you have assembled your tool kit (harder and harder these days, I know), you are set up for life. You can travel anywhere and set up a workshop in an hour, in a few square metres of space. If you become reliant on machines to make your shoes, if your circumstances change, or they break and you can't use them, you have a problem.

For our practice, starting to use machines is a slippery slope. How far do you go? And, going back to last week's post, at what point does the shoe stop being handmade?

We describe ourselves as hardcore craftsmen, and you may think it rigid and dogmatic, but also consider that this way of working simplifies your life. You have a set of skills which work and can always be improved. And you don't have to worry about anything else. Simple.

I look forward to hearing what you think - always open to debate here!

Until next week, fellow shoe freaks, happy shoemaking!

Handmade?

2011-11-11T09:31:00.000Z

"So, James, what do you do?"

"I'm a bespoke shoemaker."

"Really, that's amazing. Handmade shoes then."

Yes and no. Handmade is a murky term. You see it applied to cemented shoes from China; Blake stitched shoes from Italy; and Goodyear welted shoes from Northampton. What makes them handmade? The fact that they have been touched by a human hand? That's not quite enough in my eyes.
At what point do factory made shoes become handmade? How mechanised does the process have to be in order to drop the 'handmade' label? A shadowy area indeed.

I think my favourite ready to wear shoes are Edward Green. We visited the factory in Northampton a couple of years ago and were mightily impressed at the skill of the workforce; the quality of the materials; and the dedication of the MD to improve the manufacture. They are the most manually constructed factory shoes I have ever seen, but they are still made on industrial machines. By very skilled workers, it must be said, but are they handmade?

Not in my eyes. If you look at what we do at carréducker (and the other West End shoemakers in London), this is handmade. We make the shoes at a bench, with hand held tools from start to finish, no machines. There is a simplicity to this, a clarity, no blurred edges.
When people ask us are they handmade, we can say, with all honesty, that they are.
The only thing that is done on a machine is the closing, and even then, there is often an element of hand work, like the stitching on the lake/apron of a loafer, or the stay stitches on a Derby.

We steer clear of the term handmade for these reasons, preferring handsewn or hand stitched. Handmade is too much of a blanket word. It is so widely used that it has lost its meaning, so ubiquitous that the spectrum which it covers is virtually any shoe, made anywhere in the world, using any construction method you like.

But back to shoes. Very interesting piece in the Financial Chronicle online about the link between luxury brands and craft based companies like carréducker, using the collaboration between us a Gieves and Hawkes as an example. Worth a read.

I was sent this image of a pair of shoes that I just love. Very James Bond villain, a beautiful, semi-aquatic one. Excellent in their madness nonetheless.

It has to be the orange pair, don't you think?

This video was posted to me on Facebook and it made me chuckle. Do I want a pair? Not if I have to dance like that in them. And listen to that terrible music all the time (yikes, I sound like my Dad!).

Starting the final pair of our Mayfair Collection, the Derby. Black again, with the pulled in fiddle waist. Very elegant, conservative and cool (is that possible in one shoe? You better believe it!).

So, until next week, happy shoemaking!

Making movies

2011-11-03T17:59:00.009Z

No red carpet or flashing bulbs...but we starred in two new mini movies last week. The first was our own little production showing something of the making process.- the film played on a loop on a '70s style TV during our in-window experience in Vigo street - and the second was created by photographer Nick Hands - he of the beautifully detailed photography for the Balvenie Award nominees - as part of his 'smallworks' series.

Our own movie is a snapshot of the many stages of shoemaking and can now be seen on You Tube. Editing it has whetted our appetite for producing our own shoemaking DVD.

So, fellow shoemakers and shoemaking fans what do you think? Would you be interested in a DVD that takes you through each stage in making a shoe and shows you how to hold each tool and use it to maximum effect? Please let us know whether you think it would be helpful...perhaps to supplement the intensive courses we run or, for those unable to make it to New York or London, to replace it...distance learning for shoemakers? Why not? We could even do specific masterclasses for certain techniques like a bevel waist, blind welt or storm welt.

So many of our students say how much easier it is to learn to make shoes by watching us and then doing it for themselves that perhaps this is the ideal way - a virtual one-to-one - and then we could provide support via Skype or email....hmmmmm food for thought. What do you think?

Nick Hand's photofilms (see above) feature a variety of craftspeople from across the country including yours truly. The images and interviews were collected over a period of time as Nick travelled around the British coast by bicycle (see the pics above) and, more recently, as part of his commission for Balvenie to capture the nominees for the 2011 Masters of Craft.

The images he captured on his bike tour form a wonderful photo exhibition and highlights from the people he met are now available as soundslides on his website and in a wonderful book entitled Conversations on the Coast. My personal favourites are the tools series of images - unsurprisingly there is craftsmanship in the tools themselves - and the photofilm of Will Brown Outfitters in Norfolk...a lovely business producing simple, beautifully made clothing...and somewhere I would like to visit.

Fear not... we will be catching up on a few shoemaking projects next week so until then, happy shoemaking!

St Crispin's Day 2011

2011-10-28T14:43:00.000+01:00

With the arrival of St. Crispin's Day, we at carréducker thought we ought to celebrate the patron saint of shoemakers' feast day with an event (and before I forget, it must also be said that our own St Hugh sits happily alongside St Crispin as another patron saint of shoemakers, hence the name for our tools, St Hugh's bones). So we decided to have a week of live shoemaking demonstrations in the window of the Gieves and Hawkes' flagship store at Number 1 Savile Row.

With the window dressed as an old time shoemakers' workshop, complete with low table; vintage tools; leathers; lasts; and a few of our finest bespoke shoes of course, Deborah and I have sat in there making shoes and entertaining the passing shoppers. Although the weather has not been entirely kind to us all week, passers-by have shown a huge interest, with crowds, 3 deep at times, peering in and stopping for long periods.

We started on Tuesday which was St Crispin's Day itself, and to get into the spirit of the window, Deborah dressed in vintage clothing, rounded off with a splendid top hat from Bentleys. She looked quite Dickensian and turned many a head.

Here she is lasting a pair for a fitting. As you can see, the space is tiny, but we shoemakers can make a little go a long way.

I love this shot with the three people ghosted in the reflection. The public really enjoyed the show. It is not often they get to see a traditional craft such as ours at such close quarters.

Deborah also made a twenty minute black and white video of us working in the Bloomsbury workshop. This is running on a loop on a vintage TV which looks fantastic, complete with silent movie style captions and shaky camera work (not sure if that is deliberate or not). It runs through all the processes an fills the time when we are on breaks from the demonstrations.

This is the view of the whole window from across the street. More pictures can be seen on the retailstorewindows.com website.

All in all, it has been a great week for us. And I think St Crispin and St Hugh must have also enjoyed the celebrations and smiled down upon us because we have had a bumper week of orders - excellent!

And that, dear shoemakers of the world, is a wrap. We hope you have enjoyed the week and we look forward to meeting up again next Friday. Until then though, happy shoemaking!

October '11 Trunk Show Part 2 - New York City

2011-10-22T00:05:00.001+01:00

So after a great few days in Chicago (great city,by the way), we went last Sunday to the Plaza in New York for Round 2. Recently renovated, we had a super luxurious suite on the 12th Floor - gorgeous. As you can see, the room looked wonderful.

We saw plenty of customers, both for fittings and new orders, so, all in, a successful trip. Can't wait for March when we return.

Met a couple of aspiring shoemakers on Tuesday evening which was good. Keep up the good work - you know who you are!

There was talk from various old students and others of doing a masterclass of some sort when we are there next May for the regular class. To do something advanced like a bevelled waist or Norwegian welt. So just sounding out a potential audience, are there any of you out there who would sign up for such a thing? The format is uncertain. It could be a practical class where you do it, or a demo where we show you how it's done.
Let us know what you think.

Wednesday morning at 10.30 saw the last customer appointment and then we packed up and went home. Spent a great afternoon with our friend Jesse, including a trip to Evolution, a great store in Soho which specialises in bugs, butterflies, skeletons, fossils and taxidermy. I love that stuff! And a trip to The Morgan Library And Museum rounded off the afternoon. French drawings from the Louvre at the time of the French Revolution. The kind of mix of high art and popular culture you only get when shown round a place by a local.

And so to JFK for our flight home. Unfortunately we had a 4 hour delay, so I am now a tripped out space cadet who is just waking up as midnight approaches. So much for melatonin. No escaping jet lag people!

But back home I am and very pleased too. It was a great trip, met a lot of new customers and I believe it will be the start of something big for carréducker.

Next week will be service as normal (if I am not still in la la land). So, until then fellow shoemakers of the world, happy shoemaking.

History Of A Shoe Part 2

2011-10-18T22:21:00.007+01:00

I know that James will want to tell you all about his travels in person next week, so for this week's post I'm going to catch up with two shoemaking stories we have been following over the last few posts...and to remind you to come along to say hello when we are making in the Gieves & Hawkes flagship store window next week, to celebrate St Crispin's and St Hugh's Day.

The first shoemaking story is our new offering of rubber-soled bespoke shoes and the first pair of bespoke shoes with rubber soles, due to be delivered to our customer next week.

We prepare the shoes as usual by hand but when it comes to welting we welt all of the way around the shoe creating what is called a welted seat at the heel. Our welts come pre-cut so we have to attached an extra section to complete the welt. where the welt sections are joined together, the ends have to be bevelled where they overlap so that they create a single, even thickness welt all the way around.Then the shoes are sent to a specialist company which attaches the sole and trims, stains and finishes it. We are really excited to be able to offer customers an alternative to leather soles and to be able to offer a more flexible choice of bespoke styles. Crepe soled, nubuck desert boots anybody?

Rather handsome don't you agree? Already a bespoke customer, our client wanted a pair of walking shoes for the weekends and chose a traditional English grain derby for the uppers. the sole is a Dainite sole (our favourite) which is sturdy enough for a good country walk, but not so cleated that the wearer ends up with half an inch of mud stuck to the bottom of his shoes.

We hope that he is thrilled as we are when we deliver them to him.

The second part of this post continues James' 'History of a shoe' post. Once made, the all-white shoes were sent with a watch strap as inspiration to be antiqued. Unfortunately they look quite blue in the pictures but are actually a subtle combination of purpley grey and black.

They have been stripped back and layer upon layer of dye has been applied to achieve this wonderful patina...

The same wonderful polisher transformed our acorn brogue oxford and loafers... gorgeous aren't they?

Don't forget to look out for us in Gieves window next Tuesday if you are passing. Until next week then, happy shoemaking and happy St Crispin's Day!

One down one to go!

2011-10-16T09:22:00.004+01:00

So word from the USA is that Chicago was a great success with new orders taken and our new Mayfair collection and the offer of rubber soled bespoke going down a storm.

Mr Ducker will be heading off to NY today ready for two and a half days in the glamorous surroundings of The Plaza on Central Park (who says a shoemaker's life is all hard work and no fun?) Yes, he'll be working but I think that the view alone will be worth it! Wish us luck in New York - remember to put word about to the bespoke fans out there!

In the mean time here are some shots of the styles we showed in Chicago - elegant styles in what is a very beautiful city by all accounts...can't wait, my turn next time!

Chicago

2011-10-14T07:31:00.008+01:00

With Mr Ducker off to far shores on our first ever joint Trunk Show trip with Gieves & Hawkes, it's my turn to take up the blogging mantle for a couple of weeks...hence it is a little late!

We are really excited about the trip. Chicago, where he is at the moment, is a new City for us but we already have two clients to see for fittings and many more new bespoke tailoring customers to meet and to introduce to the wonderful world of bespoke shoes. Timing was everything getting ready for the trip and we are really fortunate to have some very good suppliers...trees turned up, our new rubber sole samples arrived and, sighs of relief all around, the boxes of bespoke sample shoes arrived safely in Chicago just ahead of James.

So he is set and raring to go. Wish us luck! And if you have any bespoke fans in the wonderful City that is Chicago please tell them about this wonderful opportunity. Top to toe bespoke in one appointment - it doesn't get much better than that if you're a busy gentleman!

Whilst we've been getting ready for the trip we have also been preparing for our living windows event in late October. As I am, sure many of you know Tuesday, 25 October is St Crispin and St Hugh's Day - both patron saints of shoemakers (French and English respectively). St Crispin is the more commonly known.

The day is more commonly given over to revelry so we thought that it would be fun to bring some theatre to Gieves' windows. James and I shall be taking it in turns from 25 - 27th October actually making in the shop window on Vigo street. We want to attract as much of a crowd as possible so please tell your friends! We will be in the window at 10.30, 12.30 and 3.30pm. And when we are not in situ there's a short film on the telly that tells the story. But if you can, come by when we're live to say hi!

We are also getting our Christmas gift packaging together so lady customers visiting Gieves have an easy decision when it comes to treating the man in their life...whether he is 'the man who has everything', the 'man impossible to buy for' or the 'man who is worth it'! Our lovely Promises are now packed in beautiful new boxes, ribbon tied with soft grey tissue paper...perfect for the main event or a stocking filler!

Gorgeous I am sure you agree!

Finally to the Mayfair collection...here's a quick snapshot of the new range...classic, understated, conservative and with the finest bespoke waists and detailing. We designed the collection to appeal to new customers who want something that will easily compliment their personal style and lifestyle. What do you think?

Well until next week - when I'll show you the preparation for a rubber soled bespoke shoe, happy shoemaking!

History Of A Shoe

2011-10-07T09:37:00.001+01:00

Welcome back, dear readers, to another post from carréducker. I know a week is a long time to wait, but, I think you will agree, the wait was worth it.

This week we finished the second shoe in our Mayfair Collection, a series of all black classics, including a straight cap Oxford; a wholecut; a wingcap derby; and a saddle loafer. There are slight differences to the left and right shoes to give the client an idea of the options available. The Mayfair Collection is the more sombre side of our design ethos, showing the customer that, with sleek curves, timeless toe shapes and a beautiful waist, carréducker can deliver you to work, not only in comfort, but in understated style too. You sold yet?

Punch detailing is available on the toe.

And so to making, this week I am going to take you through the genesis of a pair of shoes from start to finish. And I have picked a fairly interesting shoe to do it which has a few surprises.

These are for one of our favourite clients who always chooses interesting styles and colours. Remember those lovely pigskin Derbies?

And the Norwegian welted grain boots?

Well, here are his next pair. Starting off with blocking the insole. Soaked insole shoulder. Glassed the skin side. Chalk on the skin side and ready to go.

He has arch support, so we left it full on the inside waist.

All blocked and ready to rock.

Cut the waist support (insole up in waist) to the mark and do both lasts.

Skive away so that it is smooth but still has substance.

Draw the line of where the cover will reach. It must go under where the sock will eventually be.

Make a paper pattern with an overlap onto the other side.

Cut two pieces remembering to reverse the pattern for a left and right.
Skive as in the picture.

Cover with contact adhesive. Also the insoles, which you have taken off the lasts at this point.

Glue the side where the sock will be first along the line you drew. Then turn it over and make some notches in the leather.

Fold down the kid. Don't you just love the grape coloured lining?

Nail the insole back in place on the last.

Prepare your insole as normal.

Insert your stiffeners between the upper and the lining. Noticed the colour of the upper yet?

Last the forepart as normal, leaving the heel about 1cm above the top of the last.

Pull down the back and nail in place. White uppers! There is a surprise here though.

Undo the forepart and last on the toe puff.

Shape it with your knife and a rasp. Then glue in the side linings. Shape them too to get a smooth transition.

Re-last the upper at the front and welt the shoes.

Leather shank and cork filler in the forepart. Looking good.

Trim the welt to the desired width, in this case, a regular welt.

And that was the first day. More in 2 weeks because I will be in Chicago and New York next week and the lovely Deborah will be blogging next time.

Wish me luck at out trunk shows.

So until we meet again, happy shoemaking!

Thread Wax

2011-09-30T08:50:00.000+01:00

Preparations for our trunk shows in Chicago and New York are in full flow. It is not long now and we are very excited. If any of you wish to come, or know anyone who might like a pair of our bespoke shoes, then please spread the word or make an appointment. Carreducker needs you!

Over the last couple of days, our friend the Shoe Snob has been polishing the shoes we are going to take. So they are gleaming, And today we started packing them. We are really looking forward to this trip - can't wait!

We were asked about the wax we use on our threads. I did do a post on this but I am going to repeat it for those newer readers amongst you.

The threads you use are very important. You can buy ready made, pre-waxed threads which work fine, but they are not made of natural fibres, I have been told. Being very traditional shoemakers, we prefer to use a natural fibre like linen or hemp. As a result of this, we need to use a thread wax to coat and preserve the threads. The wax penetrates into the fibres and stops them breaking or rotting.
We make this wax ourselves. And here is how.

For the natural colour wax, you will need colophony (distilled turpentine), beeswax and tallow. We buy ours from the marvellous LCornelissen & Son, artists suppliers. Love the packaging!

If you want black wax, substitute tar for the colophony.

So here is the recipe.

200g colophony

300g beeswax

a tiny fingernail of tallow

This is a winter wax, so I added about 20g more of beeswax. This has the effect of keeping the wax softer in the cold weather. In summer, add about 10g extra of colophony.

Place all the ingredients into a pan and place on the heat. Continue until all the ingredients are liquid. This gets quite hot and smells a bit, so open a window.

Next pic is about half way, with some melted and some still solid. It looks like liquid honey when finished.

The next stage is the fun bit. I don't know why you have to do this, but you do. It will not work if you don't. It stays brittle and unusable.
Get a plastic washing up bowl, put it in the sink and nearly fill it with cold water.
Pour the liquid wax into the water. It disperses a bit. You have to push it together with your hands. Be careful as the wax is very hot. The water helps stop it burning you. Turn the tap on when you start touching the molten wax. When you have a ball, start kneading and massaging it for about a minute. This makes it mix properly.
This next bit is a video, so don't miss it.

Now divide the ball into smaller ones, about 5 for this amount.

Having just watched the video, I think there is a way to improve the process. I think if you stir the water in the bowl round with a big spoon and when it is spinning really fast, pour the liquid wax into the middle, it will stop it dispersing so much. Like doing a poached egg. If any of you try this, let me know how it works. I am curious.

And that, my dear readers, is a wrap. Have a fantastic week, and until next Friday, happy shoemaking!

Walk 10 miles in our shoes...

2011-09-27T20:41:00.003+01:00

Blog fans it is time to dig deep and to do a little giving. I am taking a 10-mile stroll along the River Thames riverside on Saturday night all in the name of charity - a very important charity that helps children with disabilities in Russia.

Anyway, to make things more interesting I will be doing the walk in a pair of our carreducker shoes (whilst my fellow walkers will no doubt be in trainers with gel pads, cushioning, wadding etc.)

My money's on the leather shoes - is yours? If you would like to find out the results of our footwear experiment and to show some soul whilst I am wearing through my sole, please sponsor me. http://www.justgiving.com/Deborah-Carre

I promise to post pictures from the finale at Tower Bridge.
Taxi home anyone?

US Trunk Show Dates and The Leather We Use

2011-09-22T20:24:00.002+01:00

First off, a piece of very exciting news. We are going to start doing trunk shows in the States with the head cutter (and her under cutter) at Gieves & Hawkes. This means that you can get your bespoke shoes and bespoke suits in one place, two birds with one stone and all that. As far as we know, this is the first time that both services have been offered at one trunk show in the States. So it really is going to be a head to toe service at this unique one stop shop.

We will be going three times a year starting this October (then further trips in March and June). Our first visit will be to Chicago and New York. The dates are the these:

Chicago, The Intercontinental Hotel, Michigan Avenue
Friday 14th and Saturday 15th of October
From 9am till 6pm

New York, The Plaza Hotel, 5th Avenue
Monday 17th, Tuesday 18th, and Wednesday 19th of October
From 9am till 6pm (9am till 11am only on Wednesday)

This is a very exciting project for us and we would be very happy to meet any of our fans over there, whether it is to get measured up for a pair of shoes or to discuss the courses we run.

If you want to come and see us, please email us to make an appointment, cd@carreducker.com
It will be busy, so please don't turn up unannounced.

We will have a series of sample shoes for you to look at, along with leather samples and other shoemaking paraphernalia, so we will be able to design you the shoes you have always dreamed of.

We look forward to meeting you!

This week we saw a notable article in the September issue of The Rake about the refurb at Gieves and Hawkes flagship store at Number 1 Savile Row by Permanent Style creator Simon Crompton. He wrote at length about ourselves, with particular emphasis on our crocodile loafer, which we are very pleased about, as it a shoe we are very proud of.

Notice the matched scales (2 large skins needed); the way the hand stitched lake continues around the back; the military ribbon tug; the matte finish on the skin; and the purple lining. Yes, I'd wear those.

On to all things shoemaking. We often get asked about the leathers we use for making our bespoke shoes, so I am going to start an irregular series of posts on all the leathers. Starting with the rough stuff, which is the name given to all the cow hide we use for the insoles, soles, heels etc. This leather is from adult animals, and as a result, is very thick and dense. We buy ours from J & FJ Baker & Co Ltd which is the last tannery in England which uses the traditional oak bark tanning method. Their hides are extremely high quality and used by all of the West End shoemaking firms in London. Very durable and hard wearing

So, first off is the toe puff belly. We use this for toe puffs (obviously) and heel stiffeners. You can also buy shoulders, but we prefer the bellies. Many shoemakers buy a heavier iron (4-6) leather for stiffeners, but we find that the toe puff weight (3 - 4 iron) serves very well for most shoes. If we are making a heavier shoe or boot, we will use the thicker skins.

The belly is very long and thin, as you can see, and is the thinnest part of the cow hide. It is also the worst in terms of quality, stretch marks and blemishes. But this does not matter as we skive it and it is an internal component.

Here you can see the surface. Many stretch marks! Yes, other animals get them too. Imagine what a calf does to your belly.

And this is the typical thickness of a 3-4 iron belly.

Next time, we will look at insole shoulders. I know the wait will be unbearable, but contain yourselves.

Until next week, happy shoemaking!

Antiqued Pigskin

2011-09-16T10:04:00.001+01:00

Greetings fellow shoe nerds of the world! Another week passes and we at carréducker have been very busy little elves. Are we older? Certainly. Wiser? Doubtful. But we are still as passionate about our beautiful trade and happy to share our knowledge with you. So here goes.

Just a little plug as India beckons for our bespoke expansion. Check this article out, but be patient, or just skip to the end if you can't contain yourself.

This week we started an interesting pair of wholecuts. The principle interest is the upper leather - pigskin.

A few months ago we made a handsome pair of derby shoes in the same pigskin and they were universally liked. This new client saw the shoes and decided to have his new pair of bespoke shoes in the same leather.

His choice of style was a wholecut and the last shape he chose was this:

So you can imagine how the shoe is going to look - pretty striking, I'd say!

But let's start at the very beginning. We have the lasts and the upper leather.

We started with a tan pigskin. First we deglazed it. This allows the dyes to take better on the skin. We use Fiebings Deglazer and rub it with a cloth. The harder you rub, the paler the effect on the skin.

You can see that the leather has a natural grain to it which is the secret to achieving an interesting result.

Now comes the colouring process. Leather dyes are not good if they contact the skin, so please wear latex/protective gloves.

We use Fiebings dyes which are very good.

We start by applying the darkest colour and for this effect we use a cotton cloth to apply it.

Continue to add the dyes layer upon layer. We used Mid Brown, Light Brown, Mahogany, Dark Red, Yellow, Orange and Red.

Build the layers.

This is a detail of how it looks. You can see that the pits of the grain do not take the dye.

To get the dye into the pits of the grain, we use a thinner to wash over the top. This also has the effect of mixing the dyes to soften the antique effect. The more you do this, the more uniform the colour.

And this is now ready to send to the closer. What happens from here is that as the uppers are handled by the closer and ourselves during the making, a little of the colour comes away from the surface, so that the pits of the grain are dark and the surface in between is lighter. The effect is very pleasing.

Really looking forward to getting the uppers back and getting on with the fitting process. We will keep you updated on the progress of these shoes.

And that is that for this week. So, until next week, happy shoemaking!

Finishing The Sole

2011-09-08T16:26:00.001+01:00

Isn't life funny. There is me telling you all last week about putting in a sock and some foam in the heel. Well, the lesson was on me. This week we received a pair of shoes back from a client because the nails in the heel were showing through and hurting his feet. Ouch! And not good on our part.

We have put in the foam and sent them back, so it has all ended well, but it just goes to show how important all the stages are in making bespoke shoes.

We have had some contact from an aspiring shoemaker and this week he sent us his first shoe. Considering he is self taught, with some help from our blog, the result is very impressive. So, to all of you shoemakers out there, you too can do it!

Matt (who made the above shoe) asked us to do a post about finishing the soles. Your wish is my command! So, here goes.

Here you have a shoe with the edges set and the heel finished. Time to finish the sole.

First off is to glass the sole. This takes off the top layer of the skin which is hard and impenetrable and would stop the ink staining the sole black.

You have to hold the glass at an angle of about 60 degrees leaning forwards and scrape in short movements. Over the channel near the edge, there tends to be a little ridge, which can make the glassing difficult. Also, depending on the leather, you can end up with tiny lines on the surface. Like this.

In this case, glass across the ridges 90 degrees to the direction you started with. Use a light touch and the lines should disappear. It is important that you get all the skin surface off.

The area around the heel breast is tricky and you need to use the pointed tip of the glass.

Glass the top piece too.

Next comes sanding. I like to use the 120 grit aluminium oxide paper that I used on the heel because it is a little less abrasive than a fresh piece. Sand lightly and concentrate on the parts where the lines are. I tend to sand in one direction, backwards and forwards. Others sand in circular motions. Experiment and decide what you prefer. A light touch is essential.

As you sand, all the blemishes should start to disappear.

Next comes two more grades of paper. We use foam sanding blocks available at DIY stores. These have 2 grades and are very useful. Also, as you use them, they get less abrasive and achieve a better finish.
Again, a light touch is needed.

It should look a little like this.
Note, however, that you can sand too much, and if you do, you will not get a good finish from the next stages. So don't do it too much. What is too much? Hard to tell you. Keep going till it is smooth and even, but stop when it is.

Next comes the ink/dye/stain. We use Quick Black or Brown made by WH&B from Algeos. I would be interested to hear from you about what other people use because they have changed the recipe and we don't like it as much.

Paint it on in even strokes with a fine paint brush. It has the effect of smoothing and hardening the surface.

Let it dry thoroughly and then apply a generous layer of shoe polish. Rub it in and let it dry for 5 minutes.

Next we burnish the polish with the heel iron. But it must be heated on your burner, but remain relatively cool or else you will get marks in the polish. Move the heel iron over the polish in even movements. It has the effect of making it shiny. It also prevents the polish coming off on people's expensive white carpets.

This is how it will look. The toe part is done, but the rest isn't.

You can see the little marks where the iron has been.

Now apply a regular coat of polish and rub it in hard. You want to generate some heat so that all the ironing marks are removed. The heat will do this. You will start to get a shine. We usually do 3 layers of polish but the more you do, the better the shine you will get.

Finally rub the surface with an old pair of tights or pop socks. This gives a final lustre to the finish.

It should look a little like this.

Next time I do one, I will show you a natural finish on the sole.

So, until then, happy shoemaking!

Put A Sock In It

2011-09-02T10:14:00.001+01:00

Right, you have finished your shoes. Done the seat wheel and the single lipped iron and everything is looking rosy. You feel exhilarated and excited and can't wait to get the last out and either wear them yourself, or deliver them to the client. But hold on a minute, there are a few things to do yet.

Well here are a pair of our signature Half-Cut shoes in just such a position.

First thing to do is to remove the laces. Carefully with a knife is what I do.

Lasts can be with a cone or a spring. This one has a cone, so the first thing is to remove it. Undo the screw and take it out.

Now you are ready to pull the last with a lasting hook. We made this one. Put the foot rest on the floor and the hook through the hole in the last. Holding the heel with both hands, pull the shoe up towards you. When you feel the last out of the heel, start pulling the shoe towards yourself and slide the last out. Be as quick as you can, to avoid creasing the waist of the sole.

And the last should come out easily, if you have used chalk or talcum powder.

If you have built your heel strongly, a few of the nails should be sticking up through the insole. This is no bad thing as it means the heel is strong and will not pull away from the shoe. But you need to get rid of them as they will hurt your feet.

Any really long ones, clip them off with nippers, and then hammer them flat with this special hammer. Hit them hard to sink them below the surface.

They should look like this.

In theory you could wear the shoes now, but they do not look great, so we put a sock in them. You would be surprised how much difference a sock can make to the fit, so use either a through sock (all the way to the toe) or a half sock. Use the same leather as the lining.
You will need to make a paper pattern with the last. Cut it out and test it inside the shoe for fit.

When it is fitting correctly, cut out the socks in leather. Remember to turn the pattern over to get a right and a left. You might need to make two patterns if the lasts are very different.

You will need to skive the end of the half sock to avoid an uncomfortable ridge.

We generally put in a piece of foam at the heel for extra comfort. Glue it in with rubber solution.

With the sock, we do it in two parts, the forepart first then the heel part. Put a generous amount of rubber solution onto the insole and also on the sock. Put it in straight away while the glue is wet. This allows you to move the sock around and position it correctly.

Like this.

Now lift the heel part up and put rubber solution on both surfaces. This time, let it dry for five minutes.

Glue it down, and, hey presto! The sock is inplace. It looks much better now. If the client has problems with his foot slippiong within the shoe, you can use the reverse of the leather to give more grip.

This shoe is now ready to be sent back to the last maker for the bespoke trees. This will take a couple of weeks, and then we can deliver them to our client who is very keen to get his feet into his beautifully finished bespoke shoes.

That's all folks! Until next week, happy shoemaking!

1 New Shoe

2011-08-26T09:47:00.002+01:00

After the madness of blogging every day for 12 days between us during the course, I have been taking stock of the blog and how it is going. I must say that we are delighted with it. When we started it in 2008, it was a real step in the dark, we had no idea what to expect. We wanted to share our passion for handsewn shoemaking, but did not know how to do it particularly.
And when I read the first posts now, I can see how little direction we had, but soon enough a pattern emerged and the format of doing mini photo essays on very detailed aspects of making bespoke shoes became the norm.

And I think we have had a great response. The validation of our readers is what makes it worth it. Blogging is a very democratic format - people vote with their mouses (mice?). If nobody reads it, then it's just a vanity project. But we are just about to pass 100,000 hits, which feels like a milestone, I mean wow! That is a lot of hits for such a niche subject.
And we get a lot of contact from aspiring shoemakers around the world, both comments and emails, so we know that people are being inspired to pursue our wonderful trade - it's really fantastic.

So, a great big thank you to all of you who are reading this.

As it happens, we had a very satisfying thread started on Style Forum this week, which gave us some very positive feedback. Check it out.

http://www.styleforum.net/t/262343/shoe-making-blog-very-good-one-carreducker

I especially like the quote from the eminent bootmaker D W Frommer II, "the blog is the best one devoted to shoemaking on the Internet". How fantastic is that? We will certainly be quoting that from now on.

I am not trying to blow my own trumpet (well, just a little), as much as emphasize that blogging can be a bit of a lonely activity, so all the feedback you get spurs you on to continue.

This week has been a case of back to the grindstone. Catching up on all the stuff we didn't do while we were teaching.

I finished a rather elegant pair of shoes which are for a wedding. I really like shoes which combine colours and textures, so the navy suede and black calf combo really works for me. And I like the slight twist on a classic design. Being critical, I wish we had blacked the edge of the calf on the vamp and the quarters. This is usually done at the end when you polish the shoes. It would have improved the look. But you always learn something new.

The other thing we did this week was some repairs to shoes we made way back in 2005. It is always good to see how your work stands up to wear, and I was pretty pleased with these shoes. We replaced the top pieces, put on toe plates and gave them a thorough clean and polish. The results are good and the shoes have a lot of life left in them.
It was interesting to see designs we had done years ago. I still like them, it must be said.

The patent shoes had glitter all over them which was very difficult to get off as it sticks to the surface. I had to take it off piece by tiny piece.
And you can see from the last photo that he has unusually curved feet. Some people really need bespoke shoes!

Well, dear readers, that is all for this week. have a great week and, until next Friday, happy shoemaking.

PS I have rectified the little white edge on the vamp and quarters with a pen and a steady hand - nerve wracking!

Final Day (12) - Shoemaking Course

2011-08-21T13:30:00.000+01:00

One thing I did not mention in the Day 11 post was our afternoon visits. First we went to see our good friends at John Lobb Ltd, where we saw all the processes in the making of bespoke shoes. Last makers, clickers, closers and makers. It was a fascinating visit, much appreciated by all the students.
We then went to Gieves and Hawkes where we saw the carréducker concession, the 'Goldfish Bowl'. Again a very interesting visit and the chance for the students to see our handiwork.

And so the end came. The final day, a mad rush to finish everyone's shoes.

We started with setting the edges. This involves getting rid of the lips formed by the sanding, re-fudging the stitches and passing over a hot edge iron. This gives the edges a smooth finished look.

Then we had to finish the soles and top pieces - glassing followed by 3 grades of sandpaper.

Next came inking - black all over for a black shoe

Then came a layer of polish which we burnished with a cool heel iron to set it in place. This stops the polish marking carpets!
Two more layers of polish and a lot of elbow grease to give a lovely high shine.

The final furlong is wax on the heels and edges. Three layers on the heels put on cold and ironed in. One layer on the edges put on hot and ironed in.
Take it all off with a cloth to give a shiny surface.

Seat wheel round the seat to give those characteristic little lines.

Single lipped iron on the heel edges to set them hard (can you feel the rush?)

Then a quick (or slow if they had the time) clean and polish and that is a wrap.

We pulled the lasts, put in the laces and tried them on. Fantastic! The work this year was of a very high standard, as you can see. So a very big congratulations to all the students. Nice job!

High Shine Polish

The Happy Group

And the rewards of their labours were not only a wonderful pair of handmade shoes to keep, a tool kit of shoemaking tools and the knowledge to continue making shoes, but a delicious cup cake washed down with a glass of champagne. What more could you ask for?

So well done lads (yes, all men this year, come on women of the world, you too can make shoes). A thoroughly excellent twelve days work.
In fact, there was a little sadness at the end of the day that the course was over, which meant that they all had to go back to normal life and work.

It makes me think - I love my job! How lucky Deborah and I are. The jolly shoemakers, ho ho.

If you feel you would like to do one of our courses, the ones for 2012 are advertised on our website

www.carreducker.com/courses

So take a look and sign yourself up. You won't regret it.

Until next Friday, happy shoemaking!

Day 11 - Shoemaking Course

2011-08-19T17:53:00.000+01:00

Finish, finish, finish. This is what your shoes will be judged on. Most customers do not know about welts, stiffeners, fudge wheels, the quality of your lasting etc. What they see is the finished shoe and that is what they judge. So it matters!

Today the students rasped and sanded till it hurt. Lots of huffing and puffing, but they got there. The results are great.
We use three grades of aluminium oxide paper (80, 120 and 240) in succession to achieve a glassy finish. we use a sanding block on the heels and a rolled up piece of paper on the edges. This gives a slightly concave finish which marries perfectly with the convex body of the edge iron.

Sanding the Edge

I think the results are fantastic.

Glassy Finish on Heel

Some of the students went on to finishing the edges with the edge iron. This involved cutting off the lip on the top of the welt with a knife; re-fudging the stitches; rasping off the lip on the underside; and ironing away with a hot iron.

Setting the Edge

After this came glassing the sole and the top piece ready to sand them. Again, three grades of paper and a peachy smooth finish.

Glassing the Top Piece

The really speedy ones even inked the shoes with black ink. They really look good now. Unfortunately, this is the stage when any imperfections on the finishing will show up. One of the hard things about doing something complicated like making a pair of shoes is that you don't know what you are aiming for or why you are doing something in a certain way, or what consequences doing something badly now will have further down the line. But that's life folks!

Inking the Sole

Black All Over - Lovely!

Last day tomorrow, can't wait. I am a bit anxious about everyone finishing, but we should be fine.

Day 10 - Shoemaking Course

2011-08-18T18:25:00.000+01:00

So, day 10 arrives and the students are finishing their heels. Most of the day was spent on this and everyone finished building them. Final lifts; cutting the heel breast; putting on the top piece; and cutting the seat.

Cutting the heel breast

Nailing the top piece

One very important step is to check the level of the heel using a glass board. Put the top piece under and check how the heel is sitting. We also check the heel spring at the toe. The tip of your finger should just fit under the toe.

Next comes rasping, glassing, and sanding.

Rasping

Glassing

People ask why we don't use a wheel for this. Well, there are two things. One, it is traditional to do it this way, and we sell our shoes as a traditionally made craft product, so we should do it properly. Two, if you are making shoes on your own, it will take a long time to make buying an expensive machine worth it, assuming you can afford to buy it in the first place.
And anyway, we don't shy away from hard work - ask the students!

Tomorrow will see finishing start in earnest. Some speedy students are well on the way to finishing this already, but most will start tomorrow. The final push to the summit!

Day 9 - Shoemaking Course

2011-08-17T18:27:00.000+01:00

Ok, Day 9 was all about heel building.

With the split lifts on, everyone got to cutting out their heel lifts. Four in total, two for each shoe.

With the skin side roughed or glassed, they proceeded to attach the first lift with paste and nails. Three in a triangle in the middle to secure it and then a row around the edge. These they clipped and punched as before. Next came trimming, peening and hammering smooth.

Then came some skiving to flatten the heel lift. The object is to achieve a flat stable contact with the ground on the top piece. This is done by skiving a bit of each lift.

Next came the second lift. Same procedure - paste; nails; trim the edge; peen with the French hammer; and hammer the marks out. All followed by some more skiving.

Once on, they had to shape the heel. Here the convention is straight on the sides and slightly pitched under at the back. This was done with the knife.

After shaping, they had to put the shoe on a flat board and put the top piece under the heel. This is to check how the shoe sits on the ground. It must be flat and stable. No rocking. If the shoes rock or are not flat, more skiving of the surface is needed.

Some of the more speedy workers, managed to trim the seat. This is the part where the heel meets the upper. They drew a straight, flat line, wet the leather and cut carefully, avoiding cutting the upper.

This then had to be trimmed using a bit of plastic from a ruler to protect the upper.

Once the seat was trimmed, they wet it again and peened it close, followed by a gentle hammer to give it a good shape.

Tomorrow we will concentrate on getting the top pieces on and starting the finishing. Rasps at the ready everyone.

If any of this is not clear, please feel free to ask a question. We are happy to help.

Until tomorrow, happy shoemaking

Day 8 - Shoemaking Course

2011-08-16T21:47:00.001+01:00

Good progress today.

Everyone finished their sole stitching and they have all moved on to heel building.

We had a comment asking if we use any form of nail or peg to attach the sole around the heel. We use nails to do this.
We use 20mm nails, knock them in to half way, clip them and use a nail punch to punch them under the surface of the sole.
Some makers use wooden pegs, but in England, we use nails.

And so to heel building. First up is the split lift or rand which goes around the edge of the heel. It helps to level up the curve of the heel and make it flatter.

The students had to skive the split lift down to nothing.

Next come five notches and then some hammering to get it into a horse shoe shape.

Now to attach it. Again the students used paste and nails.

Once on, they had to trim with the knife and peen with the French hammer.

Some judicious skiving to flatten the surface followed, et voila! Attached and ready to go.

Next came the first heel lift, again using paste and nails.
Same routine, trim, peen and skive. This time, however, they started to shape the heel with their knives. At this stage the shoe begins to look like a real shoe. It's an exciting point to reach.

Two students are attaching the heel lifts, so we will review this stage again tomorrow when the rest catch up.

Another good day's work everyone!

Day 7 - Shoemaking Course

2011-08-15T18:15:00.001+01:00

So week 2 arrives and I take over teaching duties from Deborah. I was happily surprised at the general level of work and also how well everyone is progressing. So far all on target, and a few of them well ahead.

I have said to them that they have to finish stitching the soles by the end of play tomorrow.

Today we were principally getting the soles stitched on. This starts with glueing on the soles. On the course we use neoprene/contact cement for strength, but when we attach soles ourselves, we use rubber solution in the middle and neoprene on the edges. This to avoid pulling out the shank and the cork when you repair the sole.

Once attached, we trimmed the sole to the welt - sharp knife essential.

After this we cut the channel. This requires a steady hand and a courageous heart. This is a flap of leather which covers the stitches on the underside of the shoe. After stitching, it is glued down again.

Next came marking the stitches with a hot fudge wheel - sorry no photo, but it leaves a series of lines on the welt which mark the stitches.

Now comes the stitching. A three cord thread this time with a bristle at either end. And a different awl too. Much easier than welting they all said.

After stitching both shoes, we flattened the stitches with the bone, closed down the channel and hammered it flat. This gets rid of all the creases.
We then opened it up again, glued it with neoprene, let it dry for 10 minutes and glued it down. Some gentle hammering was followed by smoothing the whole sole with a sole smoother (an old chair leg, sanded smooth).

And that was eight hours in class. Tiring but satisfying is the general view I think. More tomorrow.

Day 6 - shoemaking course

2011-08-13T20:49:00.005+01:00

What a week it has been! I've loved teaching this summer's group and have been so impressed with the camaraderie (although I did have to get a little 'school marmy' today to calm them all down as a shoe debate heated up!)

Ian skiving his shank...

Alex smoothing his sole...

Matt straightening up sole edges...

Simon cutting his channel...

A couple of students have proven particularly adept and worked with speed AND accuracy. As they have shown their ability we have increased the challenge, with '11 to the inch' fudge wheels to stitch their soles.

But Alex has already finished his first shoe and Simon is well on his way (and that's despite some left vs right handed stitching technique confusion!)

But it's unfair to imply that it has been plain sailing or wrong to measure them against each other. They are all well on target and, as we say with every course, for some lasting is their forte, for others it's the skiving and for others the stitching. Yes, some do just have a practical aptitude but with anyone, a moment's lapse in concentration can lead to disaster in these later stages of the making process.

Some great, straight stitches!

So who is to say how next week goes? All I hope is that the energy levels stay high (Roberto's constant supplies of cherries, cookies and sweets is helping), they stay enthused, that we encourage their passion for handsewn shoemaking and that they come away feeling that James and I have taught them something new and wonderful...

I dearly hope that, under Mr Ducker's exacting eye, they put in the time and effort to create beautifully finished shoes they are proud to wear.

Sadly I won't be here for the final day as August is proving a very busy month. After three weeks of teaching (including two weeks lecturing in accessories design and marketing at University of the Arts) I am taking a shoemaking break, sneaking off on holiday and to move house!

Day 5 - shoemaking course

2011-08-12T20:49:00.006+01:00

Today saw lasted shoes begin to turn into shoes that you could actually think about wearing as the welts were sewn on and cut to shape.

It is a good stage to learn from mistakes - why it matters that the bevel and channel on the welt are even, why you need to follow the edge of the last as you welt and to keep the welt taught as you work.

When you learn something new for the first time it is sometimes difficult to pick it up again the next day. A night away from the threads had previously adept welters tying themselves in knots this morning as bristles came off, twists came on done and threads were snapped. In fact threads were snapped quite a lot as some of the guys had to re-learn their sensitive touch!

One of the students today made an interesting comment about the pictures we had posted of previous classes. He was amazed that he was actually making something that he could wear and which would look like a proper pair of shoes...and said that the pictures we have blogged and on the website don't really do justice to the standard of the shoes that the students make.

(Dick Turpin aka Ian - an unusual look for a shoemaker)

We promise to rectify that from this course onwards and will try to post close ups of the finished shoes (as we did for the New York crew) showing just how excellent the finished work is.

So soling tomorrow. Alex already has one sole on (a first for the courses at this stage) so for him it will now be about making sure that his work continues to be excellent - difficult as tiredness and information overload sets in.

Until tomorrow and my last day with a great bunch of blokes...and of course, the valiant Sue who has kept Morph on track all week.

Day 4 - shoemaking course

2011-08-11T19:36:00.006+01:00

After yesterday's great lasting success we started the day with most shoes looking like these..lasted over and ready to welt.

It seems that this shoemaking malarkey brings on quite an appetite and the guys have had a steady supply of biscuits, sweets and coffee to get them through what is, in effect, quite a workout - especially for certain dormant muscles. I know I suggested a small 1" shoemakers tummy was a handy thing to have - to tuck your apron under and your shoe into as you work on it - but I think that they've taken getting one a bit too literally. Any partners reading this, I apologise for any unseemly weight gain!

Talking of weight, today we discussed the merits of the course as an alternative boot camp...it certainly tones the areas men's magazines are always banging on about. Just think if we measured triceps, biceps, six packs and forearms before and after the two weeks, I wonder what the impact would be?

But in fact today has not seen too much banter. The levels of concentration needed when you tackle welting for the first time cannot be underestimated; making sure that your welt sits on the edge of the last, your threads don't knot, the bristles go through smoothly, your last doesn't slip etc.

The results of such great concentration are very pleasing (see above) and two students have already welted both shoes! Unheard of in the many years we have been doing the course.

A couple of the guys found it a little more of a challenge and have taken their first shoe home to finish, but I expect that they will all be ready to fit shanks and cork before we start tackling the soles ready for Saturday.

Exciting times tomorrow. (Please note that other brands of chocolate are favoured by shoemakers and that inclusion of the above image should not be seen as an endorsement of any kind. I actually prefer Lindt 70% so there!)

Day 3 - shoemaking course

2011-08-10T20:57:00.004+01:00

This is going to be short and sweet, middle of the week! (And a bit rhyming).

All of the guys are lasted or finishing lasting the upper so we turn to welting tomorrow.

Welts have been prepared and threads are being made in anticipation. Ian, whose wife did the course with us earlier in the year, has been sharing the downside of welting - snapped threads, stuck bristles, knots and the like - but I actually have to confess that I love it.

The perfect combination of skill, strength and when it goes well, rhythm - on a good day it's almost hypnotic.

We shall see whether our students share my enthusiasm tomorrow - bristles at the ready guys!

Day 2 - shoemaking course

2011-08-09T20:17:00.007+01:00

Well, it may have been rather lively for our students in London last night but, despite the best efforts of a whole bunch of feckless thugs, they all made it in to the studio safe and sound today. Shoemakers are resilient creatures.

We are embarrassed that London has nothing better to offer our overseas guests - perhaps it is time to introduce compulsory shoemaking apprenticeships...it would soon sort the men from the boys!

Talking of men, the guys cracked on in class today and all have started lasting their uppers (one or two are nearly finished!)

There were some accusations that the shoe knife fairy had been wreaking vengeance first thing, as sharp knives were found blunt this morning. But I have no real explanation. Unfortunately a couple of students' knives never quite returned to their former sharpness so, although there were some beautifully crafted holdfasts carefully cut and skived today, some left much to be desired. (Comparisons with the Grand Canyon were not beyond exaggeration being craggy and deep!)

But lessons have been learned and the value of a truly sharp knife is now appreciated by one and all. There is no point struggling on with a blunt knife - it is dangerous (you are more likely to slip and damage either you or your shoe) and demoralising - when a few minutes on a strop can make all the difference. Anyway, there will be some studious sharpening tomorrow morning me thinks.

Gradually, as we go through the different stages in the handsewn process each student is finding their own pace and learning their capabilities with the various hand tools that we use. Ian is still getting to grips with the lasting pliers whilst keeping Roberto's knife sharp is an ongoing challenge! I will have to spend some more time watching him sharpen it to see where it's going wrong. Fortunately, creating a strong holdfast and lasting seem to be his forte (see picture).

So some are faster and more accurate with a knife, others are fantastic at lasting or using an awl...

Welting tomorrow will be another test of patience, dexterity and skill for everybody...luckily the air fan will help to keep them cool as they battle with threads and bristles. Alex's shoes below, ready for toe puffs, mark the end of a very good second day.

Day 1 - shoemaking course

2011-08-08T19:45:00.009+01:00

So it's the end of day one of the course and our seven students have made great progress. Knives have been sharpened, toe puffs and stiffeners have been skived and insoles have been blocked ready for tomorrow.

The first morning is always something of a challenge - spending hours to get your knife sharp may seem excessive but as any shoemakers knows - and as our students found out this afternoon - if your knife isn't as sharp as it could be, every other step is a struggle. There has been some mutinous talk of skiving machines, grinding wheels and even elfin staff but so far the students have all stayed on course. The reason we don't use machines is that they are very expensive and so we try to teach how to make beautiful shoes with as few tools as possible. We think that a skilfully handled tool is just as fast and accurate as a machine and sometimes is better!

That said, we do actually start the knives off by putting them on a grinding wheel, but then they are finessed on a strop with sharpening paper on one side and jewellers rouge on the other. Our students worked really hard this morning learning just how much was the right amount of pressure to put on the knife blade to get rid of any burrs and to create a smooth bevel, parallel with the blade edge.

Sharpening the knife helps the students to become familiar with the knife, how to hold it safely and effectively and how to use it confidently. Today's only hiccup was that we have two left handed students so the bevelled edge has to be made on the other side and somehow one poor left-handed student ended up with a right handed knife. Thankfully nothing a swift five minutes on the strop couldn't sort out.

We soaked all of the leather we were working with today, but the hot weather (and the fan) really played havoc with it. Even though we bagged it as soon as it was soaked and tried to work on it fast, we still needed to keep applying more water so it could be worked easily. Unfortunately August is set to stay sunny - the forecast for the week is even more heat - so I think we will be bringing in another fan to keep leather, glue and students cool. ..especially when the welting starts. It could get very hot otherwise!

What I love most about our courses is just how diverse the students are - backgrounds, countries and capabilities - and how, given something totally new to learn (in many cases), they seize the challenge and get on with it, helping each other and encouraging each other along the way. One student on this course is profoundly deaf and his mother is helping him to do the course by signing and taking notes through what is a challenge in so many ways. But he is very determined, keen to learn and is really enjoying the experience...a great example of going after what you want. We really hope that he does well, as shoemaking would be such a good job for him...

Anyway, tomorrow we will be preparing the insole, creating the hold fast and lasting...so look out for the next installment.

The carréducker Handsewn Shoemaking Course 2011

2011-08-05T10:12:00.000+01:00

Greetings to all you shoemakers (aspiring or actual) out there. Hopefully you have all had a fantastic week. We have certainly been busy at the shop making shoes for our dear customers. Unfortunately, the summer heat arrived and we were all burning up in the workshop. I hope the delirium hasn't made my stitching go wonky.

First of all, let me give you the good news. Remember that pair of lasts I was adjusting in last week's post with the troublesome heel and top edge? Well, the guy came in for a fitting and has signed off the fit and we are good to get making. The adjustments were spot on and he was very happy. The closer just has to undo the back strap and re-stitch it 1/4" smaller to give a bit of tension back to the leather. Then we are good to go. I think this client will order a lot of shoes if he is happy with this first pair, so we are pulling out all the stops to get it right.

This is something we always say to clients, that it is worth putting the effort into the first pair to get them right and then it is much easier and quicker to do subsequent pairs. We can even do them by email as long as it is not too long since the previous pair.

I have been in touch this week with a master patina artist in Paris called Paulus Bolten . This guy is a genius and will colour your shoes in whatever manner you wish. We have a client who wants a specific grey/green colour and we could not find the leather, so we will make the shoes in white or pale grey and Paulus will do the rest. The service costs from 60 Euros for the simplest of patinas upwards, depending on what you want done. Imagine the life you could punch back into a lifeless old pair of shoes - awesome! I mean, just look at these puppies!

Monday sees the start of our summer shoemaking course where our students make a pair of hand welted, hand stitched shoes from scratch. Deborah and I have decided to do a mini post each day to give all you interested potential students a real insight into how the course works and what is covered. The day by day update will mean that you can see absolutely every stage.

We have 7 students this time (a full class). We do not take more as we believe that we should have enough time to dedicate to each student on an individual basis. We try to keep everyone at the same place, but people inevitably work at different speeds, so 7 is the maximum number in any one class.

The classroom is here at Cockpit Arts in Bloomsbury, London. It is big, light and airy. Plenty of room for everyone. We arrange the tables slightly differently, 2 to a table usually.

At the start of the course, we give the students the following things.

A pair of black, derby uppers in calf. Everyone gets the same thing. Remember, this course is just the making part, no design, pattern making, or closing.

A pair of standard lasts in your size. We can make you a bespoke pair of lasts, but we need some time before the course starts to do this. It costs an extra £350.

A making pack with all the rough stuff which the leather you need for the insoles, soles, welts and heels. This is all English oak bark tanned cow hide, so it is the material we use in our bespoke shoes - only the best for our students!

Finally you get a tool kit to keep with the basic things. These include lasting pliers, welting awl, stitching awl, flat knife, tape measure, silver pen and sleeking bone.
While this is not a complete kit, we feel that, to keep costs down, it is better to keep it basic, and for those who decide to continue after the course with shoemaking, we can help get the rest of the shoemaking tools you will need.

The last thing we give the students is a folder with our notes on the various stages of making the shoes. We always encourage them to take pictures themselves and make their own notes. We also include a glossary of terms and a list of suppliers who can help with all the materials you would need if you want to make a pair of your own bespoke shoes after the course.

And, that is pretty much it.

Deborah will start the daily posts on Monday about each day's progress. It should be interesting, and shoemaking immortality awaits our seven intrepid students! Good luck to one and all.

So, until Monday, happy shoemaking!

Adjusting Lasts After A Fitting

2011-07-29T09:58:00.004+01:00

Greetings fellow shoe freaks of the world. I hope this past week has been fruitful and full of shoemaking. It has been a bit of a manic one for me because I was making a pair of our classic Saddle Boots for a wedding and the deadline was Monday. It all turned out fine and the guy is very happy, but I do not like working under pressure. That feeling that if your knife slips, it could all be over - "Sorry Sir, but I sliced up your wedding boots with a clumsy slip of my knife. But there are plenty of shoe shops in the area." Not what you want 2 weeks before your wedding.

Anyway, it was fine and they fit very well. Look pretty good too. He wanted a slightly retro look, so we fiddled with the facings to make them look a bit like spats. Nice huh?

We also featured last night on a programme called "A Nice Pair of Handstitched English Shoes" on BBC Radio 3. We were the experts (ha!) brought in to share our wisdom on all things shoe. It was actually a really interesting ramble through the cultural significance of shoes in global civilisation, well worth a listen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b012rbr4/Twenty_Minutes_A_Nice_Pair_of_Handstitched_English_Shoes/

This week, I have also seen a client who is proving very hard to fit correctly. He has painful feet and oddly shaped ankles. The forepart is fine, just a few lumps and bumps to accommodate, but his heel going forward to the joint is proving to be a nightmare. Luckily he is very patient and wants to get this right, so does not mind coming in for fittings.

Here is the adjustment I made to his last after this week's fitting. We had tried various things to accommodate his painful heel, foam padding being the main one, but it hadn't worked, so we are trying a different approach.

These are his lasts after the fitting. The pen marks are places where I have to take wood off the last, and the circle with the F is where I have to put a fitting. At the back, I want to off a whole lot to the line.
I like to mark work to be done on the last during he fitting. I take notes too, but I find the last easier to work with. The denser those pen marks, the more wood needs to come off.

One big problem was the fit along the top edge - way too loose and baggy, so I want to scoop away a lot of wood so that the shoe grips tighter.

A lot to take off on the heel.

Small fitting to put here.

Another very small fitting here.

Work starts across the joint on the top of the last. The sides of the lasts were fine, but there was a lot of excess leather across the top, so this is where it had to come off. If you leave too much leather on the top you get ugly creasing when the person walks and you also risk this creasing digging in to the foot and being painful.

Next I started rasping off the sides. It is not an exact process for me and it is a lot of feel and look, so keep checking what you have done and look at the sawdust on the floor. Use a vice with soft jaws if you have one, but I tend to do it in my lap.
I use a tool like the one in the pics, but also use a surform and rasps.

Rasps, surforms and circular surforms.

I was trying to get a steep scoop on the last.

Then the other side.

Now the back of the heel to that line I drew. Work hard!

Not a good shape here. It has to slant more so that his heel is gripped by the shoe so that it does not slip out of the shoe when he walks. This is very important. If your heel slips in your shoes, then your toes grip to keep your shoes on and it can lead to big problems with your toe joints.

Compare the two. You can see how much I have taken off.

Same process now with the other last.

See those lines made by the tools I use for taking off the wood. You need to sand them away to get a smooth surface on the last. This stops marks on the lining and pulling the lasts.

Fittings. I use toe puff belly generally because it is quite thick and you can put a big bit on and skive it off to your specifications. Cut it out; glass the skin side; skive the edges roughly; and glue it with neoprene/contact adhesive - strong glue anyway.
Let the glue dry for 5 minutes or so and glue it on

Skived edges.

I also use thick calf for thin fittings. This one is for the side of the last on the toes, so one edge is not skived.

Once it is glued on, you can start to shape it with your knife. Always try to make the transitions smooth so that you don't get massive lumps sticking out on the finished shoe. Generally, cut the fitting too big for the lump, so that you can blend it in to the last.

Nice blending, jimmyshoe! Sorry, I go a bit crazy writing this blog sometimes.

When I am done with fittings, I always cover them with a layer of the glue and let it dry for 12 hours. This way, the leather is not so rough; will not mark the lining; or stick when you pull the lasts.

The last little trick I used in this shoe was a cut out on the heel stiffener. This client has a sore lower heel, so cutting away the stiffener allows a bit of softness for this area. You can cut away like this wherever you have sensitive areas of the heel or toe, for that matter. I quite often shorten the toe puff to avoid sore toes.

And that, as they say is a wrap. Adjusting lasts is fun and requires a bit of intuition. It is hard to be precise about it, and the more you do it, the better you will get.

This took me about an hour and a half all in, but it was quite a lot work. Normally it does not take this long.

Well, dear readers, that is all for this week. I hope you enjoyed the post and I welcome any comments you may have.

Also, if you are a regular reader, I would really appreciate you becoming a Follower. Thanks

Until next time, happy shoemaking!

Cutting A Sole To A Specific Thickness 2

2011-07-22T10:08:00.000+01:00

This week we recorded a radio programme for BBC Radio 3 called "A Nice Pair of Hand Stitched Shoes". It will be broadcast next Thursday the 28th of July on Radio 3 at 7.50pm until 8.10 during the interval of a classical concert at the Royal Albert Hall. It is a documentary style programme about the history and cultural significance of handmade shoes and they came to us as the experts, which is very gratifying. we recorded a whole lot of stuff. Quite how much of it they use is down to the editor,but it should be interesting.
Great publicity for us too

Our summer handsewn shoemaking course is fast approaching and, this week, I prepared the making packs for the students.

Unfortunately, one of the students has broken her leg and has had to pull out, so if you want to, and can, do a two week intensive shoemaking course starting on the 8 of August, then contact us and we will give you more details (cd@carreducker.com).
We have also published dates and prices for the 3 courses we will be running in 2012. Check here for details

Ok, so left you last week with your sole hanging above the void, hammered but not fully skived. Fear not, though, dear readers, here is where you have to go with it.

The sole is hammered and you have an accurate pen line of the outline. Now is the time to cut to this line. It is really important to be precise here, and make sure you hold your knife straight up and down with no angle.

Once you have cut it, place the welt back onto the sole and check the line. You will probably find that the sole flares out somewhat. Holding the sole and welt together, carefully cut away the excess leather from the sole.

Finally, check that the sole is correct all the way round, perpendicular and even. There is no margin for error, as you will see.

Now comes the measuring part to check the sole/welt combined thickness. Before you do it, it is a good idea to beat the welt again to compress it and I always run my thumb nail around the skin side edge of the sole to flatten it and give you an accurate measure.

Place the two parts together and measure the thickness. Do this at various points around the sole. You can see that my measure is 3/8". I want a 1/4" sole so I need to lose 1/8" (2 of the little bars on my ruler for all you metric people). However, if you remember from last week, at this thickness, the final sole thickness will reduce, so I have to leave half a bar (1/32") extra to allow for this.

So, on my sole, I draw a line which is 3/32" wide. This all seems very precise and it is, which is why I recommend that you only try this is you have made a few pairs of shoes first. The other thing you need to watch out for is the variation in thickness along your edge. This you need to account for when you draw your line

Now your line is drawn and you should be happy with it.

Skive off the excess, bevelling the cut to about 1/2" wide (see below). Be even with your cut. The last thing I do is glass this cut to even out any lumps and bumps you might have left with your knife.
This is the point where it becomes apparent how important cutting the sole EXACT to the welt is. You have skived off some leather here and you have done it on a sloping angle. This means the edge is exactly the thickness you want it. If you now glue it to the welt and stitch it, but after discover that the sole is too wide, you would have to cut it off. This would mean that the exact thickness would change. It would get thicker and you final thickness would be the original 1/4" plus the extra you have trimmed off, ie, not the thickness you (or your client) want. So be accurate and precise!

The last thing is to measure your final thickness. If it is a full 1/4" (in this case), then you are ready to stitch the sole on. If it is not, then continue to skive until it is perfect.

I hope that is clear and I would happily answer any queries you may have.

I hope you all have a fantastic week and, until next Friday, happy shoemaking!

Cutting A Sole To A Specific Thickness

2011-07-15T10:05:00.000+01:00

Good morning fellow shoe nerds of the world. And what a wonderful morning it is, the sun is out, gentle breeze, a balmy 20 degrees. Perfect for an informative blog post on cutting your sole to a specific thickness. Contain your excitement people and read on!

When we teach students in our handsewn shoemaking class about attaching the sole, we simply give them a welt and a piece of soling leather and, at the critical moment, we get them to cut the sole roughly to size and glue it on with rubber solution prior to stitching it. This method works fine if you are making shoes for yourself or for friends/relatives, but if you are making shoes for a customer, you have to agree a thickness for the sole (a combination of welt and sole). This is what bespoke means, bespoken, spoken about, agreed between craftsman and client.

Now this presents a challenge to the shoemaker. How do you make sure the sole is the same thickness all the way round? Well, here is how you do it.

There are some general points to bear in mind when you are doing this. A critical sole thickness seems to be 3/16" (5mm). This is a thin sole and very rarely do I make a sole any thinner than this (except on ladies shoes) but the principle applies nonetheless. When you stitch a sole, the thickness you skive to before you stitch it can change once the stitching is finished. And, unfortunately, the thickness can increase or decrease, depending on the thickness you aim for. Quite why this happens I am not sure. It definitely has something to do with the thickness of the thread; the density of stitches; the shape of the hole the stitching awl makes; and the way you finish the edges. There is conjecture about this and I welcome comments, but I am more concerned with results than reasons.

This is where the 5mm threshold comes in. If you stitch at 5mm, the sole thickness before and after stitching will remain the same. If you stitch at more than 5mm, the sole will be thinner after you stitch than before. And if you stitch at less than 5mm (not recommended, try cutting a channel in 2.5mm of sole leather!), the sole will be thicker after you stitch than before. This is significant.

People have said to me that you can buy sole leather and welts so that they will be exactly the thickness you need. This is true. However, leather is an organic product and when you buy a sole bend, it might not be the same thickness all the way through, which will affect your edges - there is nothing worse than wobbly edges, after all!
Also, if you use a thicker piece of sole leather and skive it at the edges, you will have a thicker, more long lasting sole at the part where the customer walks. This means the sole will last longer and you will have a happier client. This is especially the case on thinner, dressier soles.

So, enough of theory, here is how to achieve perfect, even edges of a desired thickness.

You have welted your shoe; put in a shank; and put in cork filler on the forepart.

You have also trimmed the welt (evenly with a very sharp knife) and are ready to attach the sole.

The sole must be mellow (soaked in water for at least an hour and then dried to about 80% dry). This way it is easier to work.

Place the shoe on the sole and carefully draw around the welt and the heel. Try to make sure the shoe does not move. It helps if you tilt it at the front and lay it flat for the joint. The inside waist can prove difficult, and sometime I use the tip of an awl to trace the line of the welt and then fill it in with pen after. Especially on shoes with a very pulled in waist.
Give your self plenty of room round the heel, you will cut off all the excess later.

When you have made a final check that the lines are correct, cut to within about 1mm of the line. You can be rough about this at this point.

Now you need an iron to hammer the sole on. I use an old clothes iron with a flat surface. I also use a London hammer which I have ground flat on the grinding machine. This avoids making dents on the sole surface.
hammer the inside part of the sole up to about 1/2" (12mm) from the edge. Hammer all of the heel area. This is an important step because it compresses the sole leather and makes it harder and more durable. If you don't do it, the customer will be back before you know it for a resole. And they won't be happy!

At this stage I like to put the shoe back on the sole to check the line has not changed. Depending on the nature of the sole, the hammering can make it spread out a bit and you may need to remake your pen line.

Unfortunately, fellow shoemakers, time has got the better of me and I must stop here and make my way to Gieves and Hawkes to make some shoes and see a client at 11.

I will continue with this next week, bringing another invaluable photo essay to a conclusion. So, until that time, have a great week, and happy shoemaking!

3 New Shoes

2011-07-08T10:15:00.000+01:00

Greetings fellow shoemakers of the world, I hope the week has been fruitful and invigorating. As you know I have been away to the sunny delights of the Cote D'Azure, and finding myself back in a cool and rainy London has obviously addled my brains.
I had prepared a wonderful photo essay on cutting soles to a specific thickness. I uploaded the photos to the computer and now cannot find them. They are on here somewhere, but I have exhausted both my patience and places to look. And being a super brainy shoemaker, I deleted the files on the camera when I uploaded them.

So, in view of this slight misfortune, I am going to show you 3 pairs of recently finished shoes which I like.

Before I start, we had a visit this week from 2 eminent shoemakers from Sweden and the USA. Carina Eneroth of Skomakeri Framat AB and Lisa Sorrell of Sorrell Custom Boots. It is always a pleasure to meet fellow makers and widen the shoemakers network. Any others of you ever passing through London must come and say hi - we are very friendly.

First up is a pair of rather summery deerskin and canvas Derby shoes which we designed and made as part of our capsule collection for Gieves and Hawkes.
The back story is interesting. The canvas is what the bespoke tailors use for the body canvassing on the jackets and coats. I think it rather lovely in its own right, which is why we decided to use it.
The deerskin is roe deer from Scotland which was being culled every year, but the carcasses were being thrown away. So an enterprising tannery up there decided to tan the skins and the results are very good. The leather is very soft, but it also has subtle colour variations and the odd blemish (insect bites, scratches and scrapes).
Rather handsome!

I really like the three hand stitched stay stitches on the facings.

We used one of their military ribbons as a tug and the stitch detail on the back strap is taken from a military jacket in their archive.

The overlapping tab at the end of the facings was also taken from a detail on a great coat in the military archive (could have been slightly bigger?)

Just a word on proportion - I think the facings are slightly short for such a plain fronted shoe, but there you are. You often only see these things after the shoe is finished.

Next up is a very simple straight cap Oxford in black box calf. Some of the feedback we have received is along the lines of 'really beautiful designs, but do they make work shoes?'. The answer, of course, is that we do - we can make any style a customer could want. It's just that given a free reign, we tend to give our design aesthetic a lot of space. We enjoy designing and with samples, we try to give customers the idea that the sky is the limit.
But because we listen to feedback, we are developing a new collection (The Mayfair Collection?) of shoes aimed at the work/office/suit market.
We are going to put our spin on the classics, so an Oxford, a Derby, a wholecut and a loafer. We are going to concentrate on simplicity, beautiful last shapes, small design twists, and a kick-ass waist (which seems to be the part of a bespoke shoe which marks it out as such).
So first up is the carreducker Mayfair Oxford in black box calf.

We have elongated the cap slightly.

Notice the modern chisel toe and flat toe box.

Very high military shine on the cap and counters.

And the kick-ass waist - very pulled in; bevelled; and with a fiddle waist. The black finish all over is simple and clean. The only branding is the stamp on the waist and heel top piece. New nail pattern too (not 100% happy with it though).

Last up is an old favourite. Our classic Go-faster Stripe in black lizard with snake piping. A bold choice that will get you noticed. The client said something really interesting about shoes. He is a wealthy man and said that he had tried spending money on cars, watches, etc, but that the only thing that gives him that real excitement when he opens the box is shoes (and clothes, he has a lot of bespoke suits too). I share his sentiment entirely. He loves these shoes.

We used natural snake and darkened it with polish.

We also used Tejus lizard which has more variation in the size of the scales. It really shows up on the sides.

And that, as they say is a wrap. 3 beautiful shoes which we are very proud of. More next week, but until then, happy shoemaking!

A good 'awl'!

2011-07-01T07:43:00.002+01:00

So with Mr Ducker tanned and relaxed and safely back at the shoemaking bench, I have a little more time to show you how to tackle those ever-shrinking waists!

In a recent post, James showed you how to really bring in the scoop of the waist so that you end up with a lovely narrow waist on the sole. But as I mentioned last week, getting a good curve on your welting awl is all-important to stitch the bevel waist at that point.

Here is an example of my usual welting awl and my new small but perfectly curved waist awl. As you can see the lower awl has a much tighter bend on it, which allows me to scoop right in at the waist, especially on the inside waist where the curve of the last is much steeper anyway. How did I do it? A hot flame and some significant breath holding!
Heat your awl blade over your burner until it blackens. Now using a pair of pliers hold a good length of the end of the awl and gently - VERY gently - apply pressure to it to bend it. The rule here is a little at a time. Keep putting it into the flame and as you apply pressure you will see it gradually begin to curve.
Top tips are: don't hold it to close to the end of the awl or it will snap; don't bend it too hard or it will snap; don't bend it when it is cool or it will snap...you get the picture a little at a time.

But it is worth the effort because it makes stitching those beautifully curved bevel waists so much easier!

Short and sweet this week. Pictures of a certain someone's holidays from the South of France next week no doubt (yawn yawn) possibly interspersed with a little shoemaking...

until then have a great weekend, happy bending and happy shoemaking!

Blowing our own trumpets

2011-06-27T11:50:00.001+01:00

Apologies blog-fans Mr Ducker may be off lounging by a pool in the south of France for a few days - so no there won't be any shoemaking posts this week I am afraid...I've been just too busy getting shoes ready for fittings and finished for customers...

but we are still basking in the glow of our recent Balvenie Masters of Craft award win. You may have spotted a certain Other One in the Life section of the Sunday Telegraph recently?A great day to see British craftsmanship being recognised....

and we wanted to share one of our books with you showing what some of the fuss was about!

Normal service will resume later this week, when you can look forward to a post on tool making. After Mr Ducker's recent posts on creating a beautifully slim and curved waist I'll be giving you some top tips on making an especially curved awl to get into that troublesome inside waist! A necessity for the wedding shoes I welted last week!

Bespoke Shoes & Boots by carreducker at Gieves & Hawkes | Make Your Own Book

Happy shoemaking and try not to think of Mr Ducker in the sun - I am!!

All About My Insoles

2011-06-17T10:18:00.000+01:00

Greetings fellow shoemakers of the world. I hope the week has been bountiful. Unfortunately some might say (me), the Other One and I had to work this weekend as we were taking part in the twice yearly Open Studios at Cockpit Arts - where we have our main workshop and office.

This is a chance for the public to visit, buy and commission work from over 90 designer/maker businesses based here. It was a special one this time as it is Cockpit's 25th birthday, so there were plenty of events going on. Over 3500 people visited, so it was a successful weekend. We sold Winkers and our Limited Edition goodyear welted shoes.

As you can see, we spruced the studio up somewhat, and made it look presentable. And we put out on display all of our considerable recent press.

Winkers On Parade

Limited Edition Shoes

As you can see, it was a busy weekend.

And so on to all things bespoke shoes. I recently had a conversation with a fellow shoemaker about insoles. My conclusion, after much discussion, was that you have to treat the top side which touches the foot differently from the bottom side to which the welt is attached. This has big consequences on the shape of the waist. Treat the two sides as separate entities and you will be ok.

After you have soaked and blocked the insole and it is dry, you are ready to begin. All the first stages are about the top of the insole and its relationship with the foot.

The last has a feather edge which marks the transition between the upper part of the foot and the sole of the foot. This is crucial when preparing your insole. It is sharp and defined, apart from in the inside waist.

After taking out the nails from the dry insole, I trim the edge in line with the feather edge all the way round except for the inside waist. I make sure that the angle of the knife matches the angle at which the last comes down to the feather edge. On the sides it is usually vertical. At the toe it flares out and at the heel, it pitches under. If you do this, the insole will not show through the upper after lasting.

The last part to cut is the inside waist. The insole has to support the foot inside the shoe, and this area of the foot is very mobile and changes as we walk. It is also where the arch of your foot is which curves up off the floor. You may need to incorporate arch support (insole up in waist). As a result, the last is a bit vague here. Sometimes there is a trace of the feather edge and sometimes not. So cutting the line of the inside waist requires judgement. But be generous and look at the starting points of the curve at the front and back of the waist. Draw a line on the insole and match it on the other last so that they are a pair.
When you are happy, cut the line.
At this point, we are still concerned with the insole and its relationship with the foot, giving support and fitting well.
Also, remember to cut off the little lip on the top side with your knife or a plough. Otherwise this can dig into the foot and cause pain.

From this point on, we are going to prepare the under side of the insole and this is now about the shape of the waist and the aesthetics of the shoe and has very little to do with how the foot stands on the insole.
Start by marking your heel points and waist points if you are doing a bevelled waist.

Next mark the 1st line of the holdfast/feather, apart from in the inside waist. I do 3/16" from the edge.

The toe I do more because of the toe puff and angle of the awl. I also straighten the line to give more room to work and a stronger holdfast.
These measures are personal and arrived at through trial and error. They vary from maker to maker and you have to experiment. Some people throw the line out at the joint to stop the welt disappearing, but I prefer not to do that as I like the result better. It's personal choice.

Now, the waists. You can do any curve you like here. It can be really pulled in and dramatic, or lightly curved giving a sturdy look. It can be an even curve or, as I like to do, pulled in more at the joint end than the heel end. I think this gives a pleasing bevelled waist.
You can see that it does NOT follow the line of the insole I have cut for the foot to stand on - the two are not connected.
Draw matching lines on both lasts.
For a square waist, I pull the waist in much less because it makes getting the awl in for stitching the sole much easier. And avoids getting nasty indents on the upper from the awl haft.

I like to pull the outside waist in too because it marries better with the curve on the inside waist. It also means that as the waist transitions to the heel, you get a lovely "in and out" curve which allows you to build a beautifully curved heel top profile, especially on very wide waists. You can end up with ugly triangular shaped heels (when seen from the top), where the widest point of the heel is at the heel breast (very ugly) if you don't curve in the outside waist. Especially true on square waists.

Next I use a pair of dividers set to 3/8" to draw the inside line of the holdfast/feather. I also go around the heel with this line because I stitch the upper to the insole around the heel rather than using nails or pegs - I just think it's an elegant solution. All methods work just fine.

I then cut a groove with my knife. No deeper than half the thickness of the holdfast. I wet it and run a screwdriver through it to open it up.

The inside waist again! This is where it becomes apparent that the two sides have different purposes. I skive the bottom side so that you don't get a line in the finished shoe. See though, that the top side is anaffected. The foot will still be supported by the insole and sit fully on it. However, the bottom side, where the foot doesn't touch is all curved in. This means you can do any shape of inside waist you like.

A word of warning! If you want to pull the waists in for a really dramatic look, make sure you have enough lasting allowance on the upper to achieve this. It is embarrassing to prepare your insole and then find out your upper won't fit.

Use a knife or feathering knife to cut away the leather for the holdfast.

If you have curved in the outside waist, repeat the skive.

Et voilá!

Repeat process for the inside of the holdfast. This time hold the knife at a 45 degree angle towards the outside of the shoe to give extra strength to the holdfast. Wet and open with a screwdriver.

Because of the 45 degree angle, I cut this side with my knife. Cut away!

Finally, make holes with your awl, between3 and 4 to the inch.

And that is a wrap. I hope that all makes sense.

Please feel free to comment and contribute.

Until next week, happy shoemaking

Velvet Slippers 3

2011-06-10T09:39:00.000+01:00

So here we are again. Making shoes and in the press. This week it is the conclusion of the creation of the velvet slippers and, to kick things off, a bit of coverage in July's UK Esquire magazine. Great article on Gieves and Hawkes and a lovely half page piece on carreducker within it. Excellent!

This weekend we have our Open Studios here at Cockpit Arts, the public's twice yearly chance to see and buy direct from the over 90 craft based businesses which make up the place. It really is a fantastic visit. This year is extra special because it is our 25th birthday and there are lots of events going on, And it's FREE, so get down here if you can.
It starts tonight from 6-9pm, and then runs Saturday and Sunday from 11-6pm. I am doing Saturday and The Other One is here on Sunday.
We are having a stock sale of our Winkers Resort Shoes at £150 (normal RRP £275). Many sizes and fabrics.

Back to those slippers. Once the sole was on, the really tough bit for me was over. The rest was heel building and finishing, which is pretty much the same as on a normal shoe.
Put the split lift or rand on first with paste and nails. Trim, skive and peen it.

With a slipper, you have a low heel, in this case 7/8", so you need to get the first lift really flat because you might not get another one on depending on your leather's thickness.
Same as before, trim, skive and peen to get a flat surface.

At this point, before putting on the top piece, I draw the line of the seat and cut it. With a brutally sharp knife of course.

Cut it off and trim in a very narrow seat. Shape the heel to fit.

I needed a second lift in this case to reach the desired heel height. You do this by placing the slipper on a glass sheet with the top piece and checking how it sits and its height.

Put in nails and punch them.

With a house shoe, you always do a blind top piece. Traditionally, this was done by banging in a load of nails all over the heel; clipping them off to just less than the thickness of the top piece; putting on a load of paste; and then hammering on the top piece. In fact, this is how I was taught to put on all top pieces, but, because I am a bit radical, I never do this now - I just use contact adhesive. It sticks fantastically well and the argument against it was that it leaves a tiny line of glue on the finished heel edge. But I can't see it myself. So there!

Next comes rasping all round heel and sole edge.

Glass it, sand it and finish it so it is perfectly, glassily smooth. Very important that it looks great at this point.

Now to set the edge with an edge iron, the same one you would use for a bevelled waist, but thinner, 1/8".
I did a natural finish, so it was important to use a very cool iron so as not to mark, mottle or scorch the leather.
Wet it with water, put on some hand soap and iron away. You should create a smooth curved edge.

The finish was with mid tan polish and a very cool iron.

Finally the customer wanted a non slip finish so I simply glassed and sanded the sole and top piece, leaving a peach skin finish. I like how it looks.

And that was the genesis of a shoe from start to finish. Sorry it took so long, but I have been away and teaching. Hope you enjoyed it, and, until next week, happy shoemaking!

Winners of the Balvenie Masters of Craft Awards - Leather

2011-06-02T08:23:00.010+01:00

We returned from New York to some amazing news - we are finalists in the Balvenie Masters of Craft Awards!

With Mr Ducker lounging on a beach somewhere in Spain (no really he does take a holiday sometimes) I stepped up last night to receive the Masters of Craft in the Leather category. After a hard day at the workbench preparing shoes for a host of fittings next week, it was off with the dusty jeans and on with the vintage frocks for a night to remember!

Caption: As Nick Hand, craft photographer for the Balvenie noticed, many of us were unrecognisable out of our studios frocked, suited and booted.

The Balvenie Awards are a rare treat in any craftsman's life and we would like to thank them for launching these inspired awards. With the backing of the Sunday Telegraph, they aim to help to raise awareness - and we hope attract much more patronage - for the many highly skilled craftspeople building flourishing businesses across the UK.

And the Awards are a perfect match for Balvenie. Balvenie produce the finest whisky, are family owned, raise their own raw materials, train up their team over decades and as with craftsmen their products improve with age! A 21 year old malt was proof of that!!!

Caption: One of the highlights of the evening, nabbing Balvenie judge Mr Kevin McCloud for a photo! I couldn't help myself. We are such huge Grand Designs fans and his is such a familiar face that I am afraid I did that classic over-familiarity thing and treated him like an old friend...

Fortunately he is as charming, gentlemanly, enthusiastic and engaging in person as on the box and generously posed for a pic. It was good to hear too that he is a fan of Trickers' shoes, a brand close to my heart as their Northampton factory is where I first caught the shoemaking bug many, many moons ago.

Caption: Showing that he hasn't lost his craftsman's touch, Mr McCloud rolled up his sleeves to have a go at cooperage (building a barrel)!

All in all a fantastic night for carreducker and our beautifully crafted award now sits proudly in the studio at Gieves & Hawkes.

Schools out

2011-05-30T22:59:00.005+01:00

Before we close the page on this year's course in New York we just wanted to show you the high standard of work that the students achieved. Now this is unusual, but we think that it is because each of the students on this year's course not only had some previous experience of shoemaking but a natural aptitude for working with their hands.

The results were impressive, as I am sure you will agree:

Lauren finishing her heels

Phillip's sole pattern

Tom's sole pattern and single iron waist detail

Natural heel edge - polish and a warm iron

Lauren

Gia

Tom

Phillip

Nearly there...

Tired but happy!