May Update and Projects.

In addition to new commissions, I am continuing with the Velo shoe development - I need a minimum number of orders to do another trial run - so send me an e-mail if you're interested either!

Through my Etsy store, you can get in touch with me for my small leather goods and request custom variations on those pieces.

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Since I've finished my recent commissions, I've been busy working on personal projects and trying out some shoe ideas. Two personal projects I've just finished are a bag and an experimental pair of shoes.

This bag is for my mother - I found this plaid fabric that looks really great with the green Horween leather I have on hand:

 

 

It doesn't photograph well, but it has a facing layer of leather on the bottom that wraps up in the back and sides.   

 

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When I bought the chestnut leather as a potential substitute for the rust - I got an idea for a casual shoe on the Chris last that would use some of the features I'm using in the Velo shoes.

I've been wanting to do something with the Chris last and I happened to need new shoes, so I took advantage. It's an experiment - they're a bit more rustic than I envisioned and some technical details I need to work out, but still fun. 

These are an unlined skimmer in a stitchout construction - veldt to heel. The midsole runner is also the insole the seat is lasted and cemented to. It has a very slight leather wedge that doubles as shank stiffener, and then finished up with a rubber sole

Thanks for looking and don't forget to like my Facebook Page to follow my works in progress!

Prototype Bags and Gifts

For the holidays, I made gifts for my family.

For my Dad, Sister and Brother-in-law, I made bags. The original pattern was one I found on Burdastyle, but I made significant changes to it, adding in elements and finishing techniques I like to use. I was using these pieces for prototyping - I'd like to be able to make these for sale now that I've gotten a sense of what worked and what needs to be changed. I had to use a machine at the school to do the finishing, so if I want to continue to develop this bag, I'd like to invest in a new sewing machine, so it will probably be a while.

All of the materials were things I had on hand, except for some strapping (that I kept running out of) and some interfacing. I made one for myself, so I could get first-hand sense of how well they work. All leather with a fabric lining:


For my Dad, I used leather for the back and flap (in one piece) and a fabric with a similar feel to waxed cotton for the front body and lining:


For my sister, I used leather for the front flap, and felt for the body. It is lined in a purple cotton twill:




For my Brother-in-law, I used a navy blue garment leather I'd been hoarding for years and black trim. Since they were the colors of Cobra from the G.I.Joe comic, I decided it was time to use a patch I picked up from a comic shop many years ago:


All of them have a drawstring to prevent water from getting into the body when the flap is down, but they can open up wider for ease of access.

As they are now, the bags are one big compartment - I installed snaps for combining accessories like pockets (to be designed later).

For my Mom, I knitted this hat - it's another of the first hat I knitted for myself. I'm kind of obsessed with some of the elements in the design:


I've been continuing to knit. With my energy level low for a while, I spent a lot of time knitting various personal projects. I've really become addicted to it - I haven't started designing original pieces yet, but I'm getting confident that I can start putting to paper some ideas I've had floating around in my head.