Soling the Velos

Quick update - I've attached the soles to the first ten pairs of the Velo shoes. I started with the duplicate sizes first, so I'm making speedy progress getting the duplicate sizes lasted and caught up with the rest.


Once all of the shoes have the leather soles attached, I'll take them to be sewn with a special stitching machine I do not have. Once that is done, they'll get their rubber half-soles and heels.

"Like" my page on Facebook to see more process WIP pictures!

Sometimes it looks like a factory

Progress progresses on the bike shoes - a person I worked for back in school is letting me use one of her machines to stand in for mine. I'm also doing a bit of work for her which I'm enjoying.

Because of the order of processes it's taking a bit longer moving between studios, but slow progress is better than no progress - yes?

And sometimes, yes, it does look like a factory - there's something satisfying about shots like this one:



I've finished the backs, so I'm ready to join the fronts with the borrowed machine and then I can finish the uppers on my own machines and start lasting:



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Since the holiday season is nigh - I'll be putting a few items back up in my Etsy store. Keep an eye out for the link to be resurrected. On a somewhat related note, I'm contemplating some additions/changes to the site... we'll see.

Bike Shoes Update 10/15/11

A very, very brief update on the bike shoes trial.

I am hard at work on the shoes - the earlier delays, as well as some others pushed the project into a period where there were some major things going on that couldn't be avoided or rescheduled.

Since the last post, I've finished making all of the sectionals on the computer, made numerous spreadsheets to keep everything organized and efficient, and begun cutting. Right now, I am maybe 85% done with cutting all of the uppers. It is going smoothly and I will finish tomorrow - assembly will commence Monday.

On Sunday (tomorrow), my studio building is continuing a weekend of open studios - while I haven't prepared anything for guests, I will be there working - come by and see the art - and see what 13 pairs of shoes look like before they start getting sewn together! The address is 3311 West Carroll Avenue, in the East Garfield park neighborhood.

Maybe I'll see some of you tomorrow.

Goodnight!

Delay, Work, Delay, Work - Yay!

Sorry for the silence - I have been plugging away at the bike shoes, but as the title implies, I ran into a lot of delays which I'm finally recovering from.

Some of the delays were the result of some back and forth with suppliers. I'm still learning to navigate resourcing materials that are usually sourced for factories - most of these places aren't really set up for working on such a small scale. As of now, I have the materials I need, but I'll have to exercise extra amounts of caution with building all the pieces parts. The next go round, it will be smoother.

The grading process wasn't as straight-forward as I hoped, due to some inconsistencies in the lasts. So I did a lot of hand-wringing before deciding on a method to proceed with.

I've been using a combination of traditional pen on paper drafting, along with experimenting with using a vector drawing program to clean and scale them to different sizes and still maintain proportions. It's been an up and down process - especially since I'm not using a program with built-in footwear/pattern engineering parameters... someday... a person can dream, right?



Patterning can be time-consuming, but the nice thing about this design is that once I'm satisfied that the patterns are good, everything can move forward very quickly. Below are two sample uppers I'm testing to see how the patterns fit on the last. These give me enough info to tweak the patterns and begin cutting the finals towards the end of the week (btw, that's the "yay!" part).



If it continues as expected, the next update will show off some of the final uppers before they go on the last.

Until next time!

Bike Shoes Update 8/18/11

It's been a while since the last update, but things are picking up speed after some delays.

The person copying my lasts for me had to delay the production, but they are back on the job now! I need to visit family next week, but the lasts should be waiting for me when I get back. Once the lasts are in hand, I'll check them over and the patterning process starts.

I've been keeping busy while waiting on the lasts. I'm still in the process of replenishing my materials and supplies, but that is very nearly completed. I've been working on sample shoes to tweak the patterns and try out a couple of additional material varieties:



Above is an upper using my Horween "rust" leather with the trim worked from one of the scrap bin leathers - it's a pretty neat combination.



The second upper is from a waxier Horween latigo with a softer hand than the original red - I bought this option for customers that need more flexibility. The black trim is the same material from the tongue and top binding.

Both of these tests use a slightly different pattern layout on the toe and backstrap reinforcing:


I welcome comments on the pattern arrangement - sometimes subtle changes bring about dramatic reactions - what do you think?

With things being delivered next week, I will become crazed with shoemaking and I'll be hitting the ground running.

For a slight distraction from the bike shoes theme, next week I'll post pictures of pair of shoes that are moments away from being finished.

Now - I have work to do!

P.S.: I still have a sewing machine for sale!

Bike Shoes Progress

Things are certainly coming along with the shoes I'm making for the Bike Chic fashion show - here's a look at them so far:


The shellac isn't as nice as the trial I did last year, but I think for now it turns out how it turns out, so they are ready for soling, which starts tomorrow.

The fittings are this weekend, so that is my deadline - maybe I'll have a chance to make up the red ones before the show?


Oh, and visit my Etsy Store and buy things!

Happy Halloween!

I have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks, and it isn't stopping. The highlight has been a trip up to Wisconsin for the annual meeting of the Honourable Cordwainers Company, where once a year, shoemakers, shoe historians and enthusiasts meet up to talk, share information and hang out.

The meetings are always fantastic, as it is the one place I get to be surrounded by others engaged in the trade or practicing the craft - which is truly inspiring. Unfortunately I've only been able to make it to the gatherings that are hosted by a friend just over the border to the north - the last two were in entirely different parts of the country, so I really, really needed to make the connection this year.

I am very happy that I was able to attend this year, plus I was pleasantly surprised when I found that three of my former students were in attendance!

In the studio, I've let a lot of non-shoe and leather projects invade, so I've been doing some organizing and paring down to regain my focus- the Cordwainers meeting has me pumped to work!

What else have I been working on? Well, my major projects are still in development, so they aren't making any money yet- and won't for quite a while. I am working on a few commissions, but they aren't enough to pay the bills I've been accumulating, so I'm out there looking for a job- hopefully there's at least some seasonal work for me.

In my off-time, I've been learning to knit! I've always liked knits and fibers, and a number of my students have incorporated knitting, crochet and weaving into their footwear projects, plus my sister's been knitting for a while. It was only a matter of time before I gave it a try.... Over the summer (or was it late spring?) I took a class, but I put it aside until I got interested in a project. When I was helping my sister find some yarn, I found a hat pattern I thought was pretty cool. The hat is just about done and my hands are sore... I'm actually looking forward to the next project!

I'm thinking of writing up a blurb describing my aesthetic influences and interests to incorporate into my about page and I'm digging out some more old work that might make appearances in the portfolio pages. Don't forget to check out some of the blogs of interest in the sidebar- there's some pretty cool stuff! New to the list is the Blog from shoemakers CarreDucker- they describe a lot of traditional shoemaking techniques, and have mentioned a former student who is doing some amazing stuff in grad school.

I have to get to the studio now - I hope to see some of you next week. Here's a picture of a shoe I made several years ago when I was playing around with variations on "monkey boots":

Deadlines, Samples and Updates

(Edit: I've changed the e-mail associated with this post and site!)

No pretty pictures this post - I've had to put priority on some computer work for the last couple of weeks, so not much time in the studio- I'll be sure to post some of the results.
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The new last and fit models

This week I'll finish the samples on the flat last, so starting this weekend I'll be needing two to three volunteers to try out the new last:

There are multiple stages in the fit process:

1) Determine if a candidate is suitable as a fit model. This involves measuring and evaluating a persons foot - persons who have known issues should inform me of those prior to the "interview" with your feet (please keep in mind that the lasts I design have a fairly generous foot-bed at the ball). If a person falls within the needed range, we move on to step 2.

2) collect data by trying out a fitter shoe/sample on multiple fit models to be used in adjusting the sample last.

3) After a base fit is established, follow up sessions will be used to evaluate individual shoe styles.

My sample size is equivalent to a ladies size 8 in a medium width. I get about by bicycle - If you are within eight or so miles from Garfield park or downtown Chicago, I will travel to you (if you are in close proximity to a CTA train, I might travel further). The initial measuring and evaluation process should take under an hour, and subsequent sessions will likely be only a few minutes depending on whether there are multiple styles to evaluate.

Compensation will be discussed on an individual basis. If you are interested in taking part in this, please send me an e-mail at this address:

curious@riotgeer.com
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Update on the bike shoes

After the previous post I mocked up an insole with fiberglass and epoxy reinforcement. It's been many years since I've experimented with composites, so I was expecting some learning curve.

I need to consult with someone knowledgeable in composites to help nail down the process. In the picture there are significant voids in the laminates and I'm not sure where the problems were introduced. Yes, that is a popsicle stick embedded in the fiberglass:



I'm not at all comfortable with my dust collection system in regards to grinding fiberglass - I'm going to have to put this element on hold until I can solve it.

Last update and progress on the cycling shoes

Last week I received the new last samples as expected and I've been working working steadily with those. I've also been making significant progress on the bike shoe last and sample shoes. So, kind of a long update!
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I am so far pleased with the pointed flat last (it really needs a new name!) - it seems to only need mild tweaking. I am working on some samples for fitting (more on that after the pictures).



I do need people to test this last on (three, preferably) - size 8. If you are in Chicago and you think you are a good candidate with healthy size 8 feet (6 1/2-ish in mens') please contact me at: erickw (at) riotgeer (dot) com to discuss the particulars. I'll make a dedicated post after I've made some samples up.
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The Guntons' (which I was very excited to work with again) are being vexing - and need some extra work. I like this toe so very much, so hopefully I'll be able to shake out the issues soon.



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The cycling shoe last has been going very well - I made some final tweaks to it after the last fit model, so I'm confident to have copies made for use. Until then, I've remodeled it's mate and I'm working on a working sample:




I've only cut and assembled a single shoe, since I want to check for surprises. This orange leather is something I've been hoarding for a number of years - I think it will be difficult to get more of it (sorry for the tease). On the other hand, this shoe might be a good candidate for the crust leather I was experimenting with last spring. The temperament of the crust was too firm for what I originally wanted to do with it - but perfect for this, I think!

I am continuing the external stiffeners from the last mock-up - I should have this reasonably close to finished this weekend. One of the guys at my bike shop fits this last, but I'd love to try it on additional people - if you are interested and wear a size 10 medium width (11 1/2-ish womens'), please contact me.