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!
