motorharp | Test shoes take 1

I got to this point with my shoes at the end of July.

Some measurement of time passed and I cut some saddle leather for the sole. Saddle leather is about 3/8"(1cm) thick and difficult to work with. I cut the sole a little bigger than the pattern, in case of accidental crooked placement, and rubber cemented it on. When it dried I started trying to cut off the excess. In saddle leather. My brain and hands said "no", so I set it aside to deal with later.

Last weekend I got so bored with everything, I was casting about for something to do, and my eye fell on my shoe. I decided I wanted to try it on.

I unscrewed the last. The heel part came out fine, the instep... not so much.

"Did I last it too tightly?" "I don't think that's possible. It's fabric. It's stretchy. That's not how shoes work."

As I'm wrestling with this block of fabric-covered wood, I'm noticing the heel counters I made from layers of glue and denim were waaaay too flexible and completely collapsing during the fisticuffs.

"Is it glued to the last?" I cut a line from the front opening to the toe. Still stuck.

*wrestlewrestle*

"Is the insole glued to the last?" I started prying it off with a screwdriver.

At this point, I was sweating.

Then I see the staples. Yup, I forgot to take out the staples holding the upper to the bottom of the last before gluing on the sole. What gives! I remembered to do it on the heel! Ugh, pandemic brain!

The next test shoes, I think, will be a basic front-lacing ankle boot like the final shoes I want to make out of corduroy. And with stronger heel counters. Or maybe not. I don't normally tussle with my shoes.