Here is a sneak peek into my upcoming shoe and boot-making e-book. The focus is handcrafting artisan Derby shoes and boots at home with just a few tools and no machines.
I’m so excited to finally come a bit closer to finishing it. I started working on the book over a year ago, it’s slow-going, but it will get done sooner rather than later, I hope.
What do I mean by artisan shoe/boot making? While I don’t have the ambition to make shoes that look like I bought them in a shop, I do have the ambition to make shoes and boots that look handmade, high quality and unique.
Therefore, the book will have an extensive section on the best leathers to choose from, as well as bespoke shoemaking and leather craft techniques.
Of course, just as important as it looks to me is that the shoes and boots are healthy and made with the best ingredients available with as little an ecological impact as possible.
All the shoes and boots in the book are made entirely from vegetable-tanned leather using only water-based, non-toxic glue.
There will be sections on Derby pattern making, so you can make your own patterns over the lasts you have in order to get perfectly fitting shoes and boots.
I have decided against rubber soles, as I don’t want to use plastic if I don’t have to in my life in general. So it’s leather soles, they are so much more beautiful than chemically produced soles.
I will describe interesting ways to protect leather soles. Above you see a leather sole with hobnails and metal plates, which is the traditional way of sole preservation.
Update 11/2020
My new e-book Handcraft Your Own Shoes And Boots is finally available! Find it here.
Can’t wait!
these look fantastic Am anxiously waiting for the book to be finished, as i want to make boots for my son who has a long foot (as he is very tall), and it is impossible for him to buy boots that dont cost a small fortune
These boots look great. Aren’t the thick leather soles a bit stiff? I like soft confortable soles 🙂 I’m eager to discover these new models.
I used a very thick midsole, but you don’t have to do that, a thinner leather sole is possible and most of the shoes I make do have a thinner sole. Even though the sole is thick on these boots they are still flexible and very comfy and warmer in winter than thinner soles.
Hi. I want to get hold of the ebook on boot making.how much is it ?regards Jacob
I am still working on the ebook, I will make a post as soon as I ‘ve finished with it. You could subscribe to this blog or follow me on Instagram or just check back to not miss it.
This eBook seems to be exactly what I am looking for. I hope it will be released soon so I can start making my boots. Me and my wide make hand-made leather bags so we have some knowledge about leather already but I never dared to think I would make my own leather boots.
Thanks for your interest in the book. I’m still working on it (the current situation is slowing down everything) so please, check back some time.
How much time before we can enjoy this ebook?
I’m in the finishing phase so hopefully, it will be ready for publishing by the end of the summer.
My feet are hard to fit so making bespoke shoes are needed. Recently made an espadrille, yep, just one! and it doesn’t fit. I really like tie up shoes better and your espadrille sneaker post is giving me the oomph to try it. Thanks so much for your work and I am looking forward to the new book!
Hi Tracy, I’m so glad you found the sneaker post helpful! My book on shoemaking is nearly finished and will be available soon.
Best wishes
Neda
Bonjour ,j’ai acheté votre premier livre mais je ne trouve pas le diamètre du fil ,de l’aiguille et des trous .est-ce que vous pouvez me le ? Merci
Hello, the thread I use is Tiger thread 1mm. I use the smallest size available on the rotary punch tool. Check out this blog post where I describe how to use chisels to punch holes, it’s another option. I hope this helps!