motorharp | Shoes - heels and skiving

The heels are on, more or less. I'm not sure if they are centered, since you aren't supposed to try on your shoes at this point. The chalk outline I used to line them up is still visible, as well as flecks of debris all over the shoes. I'll be happy to get to the point where I can clean them and see what they really look like.

Skiving is shaving the edge of the leather to a thin dimension in order to reduce bulk. It can be done with a special skiving knife, or if you are on a budget, it can be done with a utility knife as explained here.

I chose the utility knife route since I had one, and practiced on scraps. I thought I had it, but then, of course, gouged a chunk out of my sole on the first go. I think it's fixable, though.

I finally got the hang of it, and took a nice, long, smooth cut off one side, then immediately started having problems. The knife wasn't cutting anything and I realized it was dull. My knife sharpener did a good job of bringing it back to working order and I had to sharpen it once more before I was done. Leather is hard. DSCN2190