I’VE MADE SOME REAL LEATHER BOOTIES!!! (screams hysterically and with a certain stunned disbelief)
And I’m sooooo happy with them, finally 🙂
Leather; I bought both the olive/tobacco brown leather and the coloured leather strips for laces from a leather shop in the Nippori district in Tokyo, pictured on the top, above with my other Nippori treasures. Do you like the variety of shoelaces? They’re pretty fun, yeah? I bought three different colours, hot pink, golden yellow and caramel/mustard. I’ve also got some store-bought, bog-standard black ones for them (below).
I like all of the colours, simply cannot decide on a favourite. Oh ok, of course I can! for now, I’m digging that bright pink, sorta unexpected, like lipstick on a pig 😉
oink oink!
Pattern; In shape and style they look just like my previous paprika suede desert boots, and so they should because I used the same pattern! The heels on these are lower than my paprika boots; that higher heel looks a little more refined whereas a lower heel is casual which I reckon is better for the slightly grittier tougher look of this leather.
they fit with socks too
Thoughts on construction: I did find the leather both easier and more difficult to work with… easier, because leather really is a far superior material to work with than synthetics; it does mould and form far far better to the shape you want it too, plus it “skives” beautifully, whereas plastic leathers and that paprika upholstery fabric does not. However, and paradoxically; I also found these shoes to be more difficult to make than my paprika ones, because my leather was actually quite thick and less pliable than ideal. It was harder to sew; my sewing machine coped fine with it, but it was so stiff as to be difficult for me to manouvere it around the sewing machine while sewing it. and stretching it over and around my lasts took more effort and grunt-power too. Being a leather shoe newb, I did not fully appreciate that it was not ideal until I was halfway through making the shoes, of course. Anyway, I think I managed to wrangle it into submission eventually.
The shoes are fully lined with chocolate synthetic suede, bought from the Fabric store in Melbourne during a past trip, and all topstitching was using chocolate brown Gutermann’s upholstery thread. I constructed the heel counter and toe puffs using stretch cotton denim and PVA glue, and the soles are black rubber sheeting from Bunnings, which I cut up to make stacked heels and the sole. Like all my other shoes, these are sanded down before glueing together with contact adhesive, and the heels are nailed to the soles inside, as pictured in a previous pair here. Also as usual, I made the liners using foam inner shoe soles from Coles, cut to size and covered with chocolate suedette using PVA glue, so they match the interior.
Excuse the picture overload. I’m just so happy and thrilled with them, I’ve been excitedly threading and re-threading with the different coloured laces and prancing about my house, taking pictures of them. I LOVE all the laces! In fact, I’m just in love, full stop!
The only laces I’m meh on at the moment are unsurprisingly the store-bought black ones… which, simply because they are boring, paradoxically will probably become the most useful and worn ones. Or not. I think maybe I should stop being boring, I need to break out and wear the fun stuff more often.
And that’s it! Ahhhhh, I feel like I can hang up my shoemaking hat, or should that be lasts? for the moment, since I think I’ve covered my basics and probably have enough essential shoes to last me for this winter now. Although, of course I am not. In fact I’m already started on my next pair of footwear…. mwahahahahaha. eeek! I’m addicted! SO much inspiration to be had, and so little time!
they are brilliant and I am so jealous of your stitching (I top stitched some mock suede two weeks ago… not quite so evenly…) brilliant make
They’re terrific! I vote hot pink laces all day, every day!
They are fantastic. Well done! I’m not suprised to hear you’ve already started some more – you’ll soon have a wardrobe full of handmade shoes – I’m in awe!
You should most definitely be blowing your trumpet over these, they are amazing! They do not look at all handmade and are really lovely. I think I like the pink laces best.
Fabulous! You amaze me!!
Well done! These look so professional and so, well, amazing! In awe.
You are too amazing! Wow! They look great.
I’m amazed by your progress with each pair you make! These are great!
The weight if your leather is pretty ideal, actually. It’s very, very normal for it to be hard work to pull the shoe leather over the lasts. Fingers, wrists, forearms, shoulders all get pretty sore until the muscles build up. Be sure to stretch often during the process!
Also, I’d reccommend lining your shoes in leather in the future; something nice and thin, of course, to back the thicker outer leather. Two layers of leather will play nicer than a leather and a synthetic- although, as you have obviously discovered here, you can get great results either way.
Also, maybe a dumb question since you might already know this, but did you soak your shoes in distilled water before pulling them over the lasts? Wet leather is much more squishy and pliable than dry.
Glorious shoes, btw!
fantastic and I can picture these worn with all your corduroy pants – so nice
Those are ah-mazing! They look just great!
Wow, beautifil! I love them with the red laces 🙂
Well now its official: you’re genius! A pair of leather boots! And they look so neat and great and everything, I totally get your excitement! You made some reeeaaally beautiful pro shoes! Genius!
Ha ha, I love that you have been threading and rethreading them. I would probably do that too, given all the pretty laces you have. The shoes look really great.
These are AMAZING! The pink laces look wonderful with them!
Beautiful! they look so comfortable!
OMG ! It’s so amazing !
Bravo !
These are seriously amazing! Gah I just love them with the pink laces – what a fun touch. Great job!
I can feel you joy on the west coast, congratulations on the perfect looking desert boots. Love all the different coloured laces, have lots of fun.
I am in awe! Way to go on the shoe-making.
Yet another pair of masterpiece shoes! More photos, more! You are too humble. These are magnificent. Works of art. You MADE them. Now you WEAR them. I’m in awe of your skills.
Great job! I urge you to hiff the black laces (by hiff, I mean recycle or reuse of course, not throw out… 😀 ). Life is too short to wear laces, of all things, that don’t make you squeal when other options do!
You have done it!!! I knew you would. These look fantastic. I have read that making leather shoes takes a lot of grunt (I was curious about what you were letting yourself in for, so read up about making shoes!). I guess over time you will learn a lot more about how to soften things, mould things, what tools to help make the job less heavy. Looks like you have found another lifetime learning project.
You rock! These are awesome. But then you knew that. 🙂
Your shoe making has improved exponentially in such a short period of time! LOVE these!!! The pink laces especially….. ! 🙂
They look so good!
Incredible! Real leather shoes which are chic!
Love these – the yellow laces are my favourite. I wear similar RTW boots all the time, so impressed you made these
well done on the leather! they look wonderful! i love how you have a variety of shoe laces… you could change them up from day to day to get more options.
YAy! YOU DID IT!!! jo X
The toes are looking really good. Did you soak your leather before molding it? I *read* it helps (no first hand experience).
thanks alina! and yes, I wet the leather, not really soaked it though. It definitely helped 🙂
Seriously awesome boots! Congrats on the first leather pair!
Brilliant! This booties look really good. I don’t know much about shoemaking so for me your journey it’s really fascinating to watch especially because you are not using any pre-made parts!
These are amazing Carolyn. Great work! Looking forward to what’s coming next.
thanks so much Shelagh!
They are amazing. I want a pair! Love the hot pink laces.
These look great!! Thank you for taking us on our incredible shoe making journey 🙂
* your not our………
Looking fabulous! I especially like the yellow laces. 🙂