Has anyone ever made their own shoes? I just did a search on old threads about this and saw that libby had threatened to learn how to do this. (I can find shoes that fit sometimes, but usually I get the deer-in-headlights look from clerks when I ask what they have in 10W.)

Here's a link to a recent book about this at amazon:>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1579901921/qid=1014392934/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/102-2499395-4507345

But I was wondering if anyone else had actually tried it.

Dawn

I've made sandals. (old car-tire soles, leather strips for the top.) they were comfortable and lasted forever.... but were kinda a pain to make. (the materials are a lot harder to work with than fabric.)

OK - I'm a big wimp! I have not attempted shoe making. I am intrigued by the idea but envision a long, painstaking, physically and mentally challenging task when I ponder the idea of actually doing it.

Also, I wear shoes for pure comfort (not some big social statement here, it's just due to a physical problem with a hip that results in a lot of pain when standing or walking for more than 20 minutes at a time or so) so my wide,t hick feet are most often found in Birkenstocks or Munro's. More often than not in clog-styles (something about the shape of the back of my foot/heal that makes full shoes usually uncomfortable). Since I am doubting I can replicate a Birkenstock fit, I don't think I will be making shoes anytime soon. Heck, if I did, I'd prob be making them for somebody else's feet and I just can't see that much time and effort for tootsies other than my own! ;^ )

--Libby

I am fascinated with the idea of making shoes and have played around with it a bit. The hardest thing for me is attaching the sole to the top. I'm not interested in making 70s leather hippy sandals, I'm more interested in stylish 40s & 50s era shoes.
Anyhow, mostly I just do a lot of shoe paintings and prints...I am a bit obsessed.

I just returned two books to the library on the this very subject! They were both from the 70's. "Custom-make your own shoes and handbags" by Mary Wales Loomis were ladies heeled shoes - not '70's styled at all, very lady like. She teaches you how to make your own lasts so you made shoes fit perfectly. You could totally customize the style to your liking. It looks labour-intensive but easy, she goes step-by-step. The other on was "The make-it-yourself shoe book" by Christine Lewis Clark. That one was more sandals, etc....

I've been wanted to make shoes for a while now, I even have a jigsaw for cutting out wooden platforms, Unfortunatly, i don't have a garage or shed, so the jigsaw's just sitting a the bottom of my closet. I have no tips for you, just wanted to vent! i have that Mary Wales Loomis book. it is an amusingly "Nicey-Wifey" read (I like the part where the guys at the supply store tell her ladies can't make shoes because the materials are too tough for their delicate lady hands!) But it does tell you how to make a cheapo plaster last for molding your shoes on. I would rather use leather than the tacky "Mom" fabric and buckram she uses, but the process would be the same. However, you might want to check out materials other than plaster to make lasts with. I know there's a type of orange modeling stuff that is used like plaster but drys to a wood finish, so that you can stick push pins in your lasts, the same way you do whn you mold a hat. That would make it much easier to position and hold down things while you work! if you know how to use the castin' craft resin, you can also make some pretty snazzy heels and platforms with that that can be attached with screws to the shoe.

Oh yeah, if you want to attach the shoe upper to something hard like wood, you should use cobblers nails (big suprise right!) these are very short (1/4 inch or less) with a very thin shaft and a flat wide top. Make sure to put some glue on the shaft and the bottom of the head of the nail to make sure they hold well! You can often get cobblers nails at the leather supply store or at hardware stores.