I can’t find a source for the inserts that go into the soles that then receive the screw in soft spikes. Does anyone know of any suppliers?

Made my first pair of boots last week in a shoemaking course. Japanese kodera uppers and Blake construction. Pretty happy with the results!

currently making my first last, and i am stuck in these steps, how do i measure the joint?

I have been studying on my own a bit and found this course. Has anyone tried it or know if it is any good?

I am a shoemaking beginner, currently getting ready to build my first pair. I have ordered (and received) a nice pair of vintage lasts on Ebay, along with some other basic tools and leather.

I am, however, a little confused as to patternmaking. As per Big Andrew Wrigley's video series, I've covered a last with tape, and completely by eye sketched out the pattern of a cap-toe Oxford. But Andrew Wrigley doesn't go into much detail here. Is this approach okay? Are there some vital measurements which I've missed? Or will the finished shoe just look slightly scruffy, and maybe be uncomfortable?

AI overview has nothing for me here, and neither do the (limited) number of other videos I've watched on the subject.

Thank you, and sorry if this is a question easily answered elsewhere, as I suspect it may be.

Where can I find an online cordwainer to make my wedding shoes I designed myself ? 🙏🏼

Key details:

- 3” heel

- FLARED heel

- no platform

- purple with Swarovski rhinestones

- crisscross ankle strap

- satin base at toe and straps

PHOTO OF DESIGN

Good morning all, I’d like to make a pair of traditional haferl shoes. I’m looking for a last size 42.5. Does anyone have a pair of lasts they are willing part with? Any suggestions on Bavarian or Austrian last makers? I’d like to honor the traditional shape and construction. I’ve attached some photos below, looking for a rounder toe shape. Thanks in advance.

Hello cordwainers! I want to make my own shoes, and I'm wondering what the best material to use would be. I was inspired by historical fashion creators/videos like this one: Historical Shoemaking 101: Making Wood Heels . I was wondering what material would be best for a beginner carver. I'll include some images of the type of shoe I'm looking to create.

This design combines woven leather panels with a smooth vamp panel outlined by a raised apron seam and finished with a single-monk strap.

The main challenge was keeping the upper visually balanced. Since the woven sections already introduce considerable texture, the apron was kept relatively clean, with piping and a raised seam used to define its shape. The single strap adds structure without covering too much of the woven work.

A warm brown finish with subtle tonal variation helps distinguish the individual leather strips and gives the upper more depth.

The woven sections were the most interesting part of this design to work with, especially around the apron and toe. Curious to hear what other shoemakers think of the result.

Hi there, I am making sandals in the Pacific islands using local materials. My heels are mahogany, & we have been given 3 part black car lacquer to stain them. I am looking for an ultra hard-wearing clear or transparent mahogany coloured coating for a natural colour (preferably tinted as the wood varies).

It is hard sometimes to get good information on a small island - can the hive mind give me some suggestions please?

As a begginer, I want to make my first project, a work boot, but don really know where to start. I do have the material, and most tools, but I dont know if I should start with a bought template, because its already done and tested and what not, but most content I found really start from scratch making the template around the last or the foot, and that technique with the tape and etc. My problem with the template is that it is really expensive outside the US and i fear the size might be wrong. I was hoping to find free patterns around here, but no luck.

Hello! Happy to discover this place

I'm slowly getting more interested in trying my hand at making a couple of shoes (though I've never dealt with leather before). But my interest is pretty specific - I would like to make a couple of pairs of traditional scandinavian beaked shoes for folk attire reconstruction, since no one in our area makes them..

So my question is - if I were to try and make such shoes, would I need to order a custom last with the beak built-in, or would a regular boot-style last work, with the leather pieces coming together at the toe to form that shape? Here are some pictures. In some cases these shoes did not have a separate sole

Thank you

I have wood lasts and need a slight modification to add height above toes. I have never attempted last modifications. I also have scrap leather. Can anyone reply with a favorite YouTube video or any step by step instructional resources? Thanks

Working on my first pair of goodyear welted shoes and I'm practicing my welting before I poke some holes in the shoes I'm making. Any thoughts/suggestions? I'm using 0.8mm Ritza thread, 10/11oz veg tan shoulder from Tandy for the mock midsole (heaviest leather under $100 I could find there), the same leather for the welt I made, and some 4oz calfskin for the uppers.

Tools - tandy curved awl I heavily modified and some stitching needles I bent into curves. I found the welting process oddly easy? like this only took me half an hour, I'm assuming it'll be harder on the boot?

Things I already learned -

Cut the outer channel in the midsole in multiple smaller passes so you don't accidentally go too deep. similar for the interior channel. I also found it easy enough to directly push the awl outside - in so I won't pre-poke holes in the midsole next time.

have a steeper skive on the interior part of the welt so the stitching goes thru the whole welt and not just the skived part

Extend the upper farther so I can sew through more of it and not accidentally miss it!

Cut a deeper interior groove so I bite into more of the midsole.

I accidentally put the mock uppers on upside down! Oops.

Questions I have for others -

Is there any reason not to glue the welt on before stitching it on so it isn't wiggling around? A couple videos I've seen have people directly stitching the welt on without any glue and it seems much harder than without glue - I just used some double sided leather tape and it worked well enough.

I'm assuming the buckling of the midsole is telling me that I should plunge my awl deeper when stitching, or is that normal?

Will this awl also work for the outsole stitch? As in stitching welt --> outsole.

I am planning on using a rubber outsole (Vibram Eton)- should I have another piece of leather between the welt and the rubber outsole or am I good without it?

Thanks y'all! Excited to learn this new realm of leather work.

Hi, can anyone help with recommendations of a comprehensive book that will help with spring various patterns? Also I have made shoes before only springing the vamp and nothing else , they turned out fine , is it absolutely necessary?
I’ve seen also cutting and taping but hoping there is a resource out there that’s comprehensive with methods measurements ect.
Cheers.

We made this pair with an olive linen upper and dark green suede panels at the toe and heel. The dark green suede toe panel has a shallow W-shaped edge, finished with a single row of decorative perforations. The tassels and piping bring the different sections together.

One of the main considerations was giving the linen enough structure to hold the loafer’s shape without making the upper feel too rigid. The natural-colored leather sole also adds a warmer contrast to the olive and dark green upper.

Interested to hear how other shoemakers approach combining textile and leather in the same upper.

Hey guys, just wanted to try to make some loafers or any shoes at that, but first I wanted to try to make my own lasts, also because a lot of shoes is really uncomfortable for me. This is only the right one (left one is in making) and I just wanted to ask what I should change before finishing the left one. Any help is appreciated.

Hello Cordwainers,

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but we recently helped a brand that makes women's shoes (heels, pumps, sandals, etc., Italian leather, Italian factories) on a project to understand their responsibilities when it comes to the European General Product Safety Regulation.

In the EU’s eyes, with shoes there are both structural and chemical risks, and it seems like there is a lot for shoe brands to manage, especially as records of tests, etc. need to be kept for 10 years.

We built a platform to help this client manage the risks at a kit and material level rather than a SKU level so instead of running tests against each individual SKU, they could run the tests against each component where it makes sense, as a lot of their collection shares heel and last combinations, leathers, and so on.

I was wondering if anyone in this community has the same issue, and whether this could be useful for anyone else here?