Photo credit: Amy Hunter Photography

Photo credit: Amy Hunter Photography

Photo credit: Amy Hunter Photography

Photo credit: Amy Hunter Photography

Photo credit: Amy Hunter Photography

There is alot of math involved in shoe patterning. It is very important to getall of the measurements and angles correct. This is a photo of all of the measurement for patterning a pair of derbys. 

This is what the finalized pattern pieces look like. Beside them are the leather cut outs that will be sewn together and lasted for my mock- up. 

For this particular shoe I decided to paint on leather dye. In order to do this a pourous leather that will hold the dye is  a must. In this step, I practice using the dye to see how the colors will appear and mix together on the leather. 

These are two mock- ups that I painted. From here I was able to get a better idea of the direction I wanted to take the shoes. 

After making three mock-ups and practicing with the dye, I decided to go with a nicer leather for the vamp of the shoe and use the dyed leather only on the quarters. The above picture shows my pair of shoes stitched up and ready to be lasted. They are laced with thread so that once they are lasted they will not become warped. 

Before lasting the shoes the sole must be nailed into the shoe last. This is a pre made last so the shank of the shoe is already inserted. 

Once the sole is nailed into the last, the leather is ready to be lasted. 

Lasting a pair of derby's. 

These are called toe caps. They provide structure to your shoes. The same material is also inserted into the back and quarters of your shoe; it is called the counter stiffner. The counter stiffner is applies before the shoe is lasted. It is located between the leather and lining. 

Once I finished lasting my shoe I added cork to fill in the shoe. 

After adding the cork the sole of the shoe is applied with master cement. Next. each layer of the heel is cut out, glues, and sanded. In this detail shot you can also see the pink piping at the top of the shoe. 

One of the last steps is sanding the sole of the shoe so that you have a nice polished edge. After I sanded my pair of shoes on the machine I used sand paper to smooth it out a bit more. The last step is to take a piece of material and rub the sole in the same direction to give it a nice shine.