Zen & the Art of Bootmaking ...
I love all thing Tolkein & lo and behold along came a very Hobbit-like, (without the hairyness!) pair of feet, along with the rest of said radiant being, wishing to be shod. (un-hobbit-like hmm??)
However, with winter approaching the need was real.
So, I set about making/finding a pair of lasts to fit, only to find I was going to have to make two patterns as these paws were much wider than they were long. So with the width of the foot and the instep as the main consideration I built up, most Heath Robinson, the pair of lasts that would accommodate the front of the foot. This was a size 10 men's last.
I then made the back part of the pattern on a men's size 8, and joined the two pieces together. This was/is a first for me as a shoemaker, and I had to undo my work many times and rethink & remake & recut. This is the boots being molded on the front side, which takes a few days to dry in our humid climate.
Then follows, the remaining stitching and molding the heel/length of the boots.
Numerous fittings later, attaching bottoms and adding a tad of earthy colour, this is what emerged.
These boots are very light to wear, Zen does fire-dancing, he is not so lightfooted on his shoes, so they returned to the mother ship for some mods and some tlc. I found these cool antique buttons to secure the side flap. Hopefully now they will take him many furlongs & may his shadow never grow less ...
#leatherwork, #leathercraft #leather art
Peace & Love & Blessed be.
Below are links to my other work ...
https://steemit.com/leathercraft/@fairyfeet/the-sun-and-the-moon
https://steemit.com/leatherwork/@fairyfeet/peacocks-the-fifth-elephant-d
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If the shoe fits..order it.
This is incredible! I've always admired people who could make and repair shoes. In fact being able to make or repair anything from scratch is not only cool, but literally sets the foundation for the kind is sustainable living we're striving for.
If everyone was versed in at least a few core trades, then things would be made to last, and the people you went to for business, were the people who did it the way you liked it done.
Landfills wouldn't be piled high because we wouldn't be merely consuming cheap crap. Instead we'd be buying for quality > quantity.
Cheers!
thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement, many blessings :)
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Real hobbit shoes!
I get it right now & zen ... thank you!
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you are amazingly talented, those are epic
thank you so much, it was an interesting project :D