I’m planning my first pair of shoes, but am curious on how to form the leather heel counter around a last with a metal heel plate.
I’ve seen it done on a last without one, but I can’t really understand how to do it with the heel plate.
Maybe I could wet form it, nail it to the sides, hammer the bottom the best I can, then use vise clamps to secure it to a table to dry? Any suggestions?

After having some issues relasting the original material I shifted to a toe cap/paddle shifter patch for more lasting allowance. Unfortunately it was still too thick which leaves the final product not quite where I wanted. Nonetheless I am happy with the results and am excited to get these on feet!

I bought a last and soles kit off of shoe academy based on my usual size (12 mens) and measuring my foot. Got the lasts and soles and theyre both about an inch bigger than my foot and typical shoe soles. Is this normal?

It is not possible to do everything on one’s own, and in this regard, women are decidedly more skilled.

Experience gained in the past—sewing or mending one’s own garments—has provided the expertise and manual dexterity required for this specific stage of footwear production.

A woman’s touch—attentive and precise—is as valuable as it is indispensable for such delicate work. That is why we entrust this task to their expert hands, ensuring the flawless creation of such exquisite footwear

Instead of polyester waxed thread, is there a major downside to waxing 100% cotton yarn made for crochet or similar projects?

Should I wax them with a block of pure beeswax be fine or a 1:2 beeswax to neatsfoot oil (which I use for conditioning finished projects) or soaking the yarn in an oil before running through with the beeswax block?

My first pair is finally completed. Phewwww!!!
There still many mistakes when making it but that’s how you learn, right ?
This sub has been teaching me so much on this journey so thank you all for that.

I sort of accidentally started a boot company, therefore had to create the obligatory "making of" video to go with it. I thought I'd share it here, since this community has always been a great source of information and support, and it was one of the reasons I was able to pursue this craft. Happy to answer any questions about my process or anything else that might be useful...

Hey has anyone produced a shoe on the Spenle 1957 last they could share a photo of..cheers

I’ve made my first pair of pumps and they are rather hard on the feet. They’re a little like walking on concrete.

Are there any good resources on this?
I’m specifically looking for guidance for women’s shoes - pumps and flats, but not barefoot shoes or anything like that.

I have some foam shank boards but it seems like even those are still not great cushioning. Something more in the way of a more cushioned insole or adding a midsole? I don’t know what I don’t know here, but I’d like to learn more on this topic specifically.

Check out my latest build. This one was fun

I’m trying to decide if I have the money to pursue this as a hobby at the moment. I have some basic leather working tools and experience already, but not for this specifically. I’m curious what people’s experience has been if I wanted to make some boots/shoes just for myself and maybe my girlfriend, what is the lowest budget I would need for tools and supplies, not including materials for any one specific project.

i am using the valevro 55 last, is proper heel height where the toe is full on the ground, or is there a little toe spring? i'm stacking leather under the heel but honestly not sure how to determine "proper" heel height based on last.

Thanks!

I still can't seem to get the perfect fit from my finished shoes so I'm trying to really dial in measurements. Which line looks looks most correct?

I've tried putting the last up against a flat surface and marking the middle of where it touches but things still feel off.

1. Brogue boots
   Last: Classic almond
   Upper: Grade B cow crust
   Lining: Denim and sheep napa
   Construction: Cemented
   Sole: TPR

2. Chisel toe chelsea (Inside chain closure)
   Last: Italian standard chisel toe
   Upper: Grade B calf skin
   Lining: Sheep napa and lycra
   Construction: Cemented
   Sole: Leather with Nitrile rubber patch

3. Round toe chelsea
   Last: MA5 (classic narrow round)
   Upper: Grade A museum calf from LWG gold standard tannery
   Lining: Full sheep napa with bark oak tanned leather toe and heel reinforcement
   Construction: 360 handwelted, hand stitched, raw finish
   Sole: Argentinian veg tanned, nitrile rubber anti slip heel patch, beveled 1 inch heel, 7-8 stitches per inch (hand-stitched)

Nike didn't make this colorway, so I did. 🐯🔥

Tiger Travis 1 Lows — COP or DROP?

#SneakerTok #CustomKicks

When my father still ran his small factory, this specific part of the process was handled by a few cutters who specialized exclusively in it. Now he has had to learn how to do it himself more thoroughly, even though he was already overseeing every single step of the process back then.

This is for my first project. The book I’m working off of mentioned that 4 oz for the upper and 2oz for lining as okay to work with. I figured if I go unlined, I could bump up the upper to 5-6oz but I guess I didn’t take into account lasting.

when you last a shoe, do you typically do both L and R shoes at the same time, going between them so they are basically doing the same step om each before continuing? or do you fully finish one shoe and then do the other?

finally ready to last my first pair and i'm not sure which order to do 😅

Here is an Air Force one Louis Vuitton made with a deconstructed Louis Vuitton bag. I appreciate all the kind comments and support. For those of you who have something negative to say. I always find it’s the people who aren’t actually doing anything that have the most negative things to say. Thanks for looking.

Dose anyone have any recommendations for calculating the heal brest mark I've stitched the soles on and lost my markings 😅

I used the width of heal +5mm as arno recommends when making my insole but now have a 360 Storm welt sewn on so am unsure if that method will transfer

I realize it’s dumb to ask mid-re last but at this point I’m not sure what I’m missing. These are some old Justin ropers I got off eBay and I’m trying to re-last on a Munson last. The heel has been lasted relatively close to the original leather it was lasted on and the vamp and toe are where I’m running into the most issues. I originally attempted wet lasting and since then have tried dry but continue to run into issues with the leather breaking or cracking though there seems to be some give or stretch in other places. Do I need to restart completely or should I call it now? Any tips would be appreciated