Shoe making course New York - days 10 - 12

After 12 days of hard work and a final onslaught of rasping, glassing and sanding five pairs of very handsome shoes were finished!

sustained by goodies from artisan chocolate makers Mast Brothers....and the odd beverage or two once the knives were put away.

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Congratulations class of 05/14! You should be very proud...we are. Until next week and news of James' visit to Istanbul, happy shoemaking!

Shoe making course New York - days 7, 8, 9

We started the week further behind than we've ever been before...only two had cork and shanks on, others had cork still to complete and they all had to skive and rasp them smooth.

Somehow, with heads down and great effort by the students, they all had a shoe to take home to stitch Monday night. Phew!

It was a late one for all of them, apart from Aijaz who breezed through his stitching homework. Tuesday morning eyes were bleary but one shoe was well on its way to completion. Heads down again and by the end of Tuesday heels were being peened.

By Wednesday, today, everyone has split lifts on and even a couple of heels built. There is nothing like seeing your shoes taking shape! 

I'm looking forward to a couple of lovely days of finishing and some great results!

Pattern Making for Shoes - New York - Day 5

Today began with a lovely social visit from two members of Carreducker's intensive course alumni - Hesper Shin and Wesley Knight. They stayed for a while to share their experiences - Hesper has studied at Ars Sutoria and Wesley has launched his own bespoke spectacle business.  

After much chat and discussion, thoughts and hands turned once again to patterns as Jesse took the group through the oxford lining. There was a test at the end - they had to complete the last piece without Jesse's help.  It was a good test to see what had actually been learned and they mostly succeeded - so something had stuck!.

They got the lining drape done, and fitted into the upper drape.  Then, with a bit of time left, Jesse showed them how to make the pattern for a whole cut.

Unsurprisingly conversations turned to design, but that is another topic entirely.

The spirit of pattern making is essentially problem solving using the basic information you have on the last and a mix of common sense and knowledge to solve the puzzle of each last. With the pattern making skills the group now have, they can go off to explore whether or not their designs will work and how to recreate them as good patterns.

The five busy days finished with questions, feedback, home made cake and Prosecco! Congratulations everyone! 

Now over to James to kick off the handsewn shoe making course at Brooklyn Bespoke on Monday.

The Parachute Collective

If you found it difficult or expensive to get your hands on the right machinery, tools and equipment when you first started shoemaking then a new arrival in London's East End could be the answer. 

The Parachute Collective under the railway arches in Bethnal Green, aims to provide aspiring shoemakers with access to machinery and know-how. The Collective was founded by Thomas Rowe, and, as well as being a studio space and showcase for the four young shoe designers based on its lower floor, it offers a number of work stations with a variety of closing and footwear making machines for hire on the upper floor. 

As the website says; 

"The Parachute Collective is a London based community of shoemakers and leather artisans. It is set out to support independent creative artisans and offers a retail platform for Cordwainers from around the world. The workshop is fully fitted to support all your shoe making needs and a retail area is available to members who wish to display their creative works".

Leathers

Space for clicking and pattern making

Machines

Displays 1

Displays 2

Shoemakers unite at the launch party

If you are interested in using this resource please email info@theparachutecollective.co.uk 

Until next week, when we will be blogging from the Royal Academy, Crafted Makers of the Exceptional, happy shoemaking!

Setting up a shoemaking work space

First off congratulations to Frances, Marco and Mathilde who finished their two-week intensive last Saturday. There were some beautifully finished edges, so much so, that one student was allowed to do a natural finish! See the results for yourselves. 

 

 

 

More and more students want to keep on making, but how much room do you need to set up a shoemaking bench? Well. when we first arrived at Gieves & Hawkes we luxuriated in the 'goldfish bowl' on the shop floor, giving visitors to No.1 a glimpse into the world of Cordwaining. Three years later, we now have a beautiful display of bespoke shoes on the shop floor and we have joined the cutters in the heart of the store's tailoring workrooms.

It is a great working environment and we were fortunate to have a bright, airy space purpose-built to our needs. In terms of space, you really don't need very much, but it is good to use walls and ceilings to their utmost. Good light, ventilation and a sink are a must.

Space wise, you need room to open your arms to their maximum and space to sit behind a low table. Our new space measures some 3m square and incorporates rails overhead to carry our clients' lasts and bends of leather...

a desk for stationery, packing materials, our measuring kit, first aid kit, laptop and telephone. (Underneath is room to store leather samples and laces).

A workbench and chair, standing some 75cm high, with tools in pots and hung from the table edges, a spotlight for close work...

and less-often used tools and materials stored in the antique drawers to the side. Purpose-built shelves to the opposite side, house some of the work in progress waiting to be delivered and for fittings.

Our contact adhesives and burner are stored in a special fire-proof/chemical store cabinet...and other tools and templates are hung on the wall partly as a display, but also within easy reach from the bench.

Hand-held tools are an important part of the storytelling around our brand and product - after all,  they are what we use every day to make our shoes - so it is irksome when other brands try to claim a handmade element in their marketing. The example below is case in point. Can anyone guess which brand these 'handmade' shoes are from?

You'll know what we mean when you see them in reality...fortunately we think that most customers are discerning enough to recognise the authentic from the inauthentic.

Until next week, happy shoemaking!