It’s always such a treat when we get to share our latest ‘Get Inspired’ collaborations, and this one is no exception! I mean honestly, check out these boots we did with Fibre Artist, @meg.spitzer!
'Get Inspired' is a series of shoe design collaborations with the intention to inspire our community to unlock different creative practices and apply them to shoes. All the shoes made in this series and variations of them can be made from home following the instructions in our Online Footwear Masterclass.
So let’s start with a bit about Meg.. Meg is a Los Angeles based fiber artist known for her vivid and playful art deco inspired tapestries. Her pieces exist where macrame, weaving and fiber sculpture collide. Each piece of Meg’s work is designed and created in her studio at home, including these amazing boot pieces she created for this collaboration.
I LOOOOOVE the colour of these boots, but honestly I think they’d look awesome in any colour. Meg was at one point going to add a macrame detail to the back of the heel also but she decided to limit the weaving to the top of the boot and I think this was totally the right call, it really allows her pieces to stand out and keeps the silhouette of the boot nice and clean too.
The leather is a mauve textured cowhide from @ghleathers which held its shape beautifully. We were a bit worried that if we used too soft leather it wouldn’t hold its shape once we stitched megs pieces around the top but we didn’t have that problem at all. Here’s a little run through of how we made the boots.
Step 1 - The lasts we had in megs size was a round toe and we wanted a more modern square-ish shape, so we built up the lasts to create that nice square toe shape. We almost always make a mock up when making boots just to double check the fit of the pattern and by some miracle this pair had no need for any tweaks (this almost never happens!).
Step 2 - Cut, assemble and stitch the uppers including getting the zips stitched into the right spot. I used a slightly different technique here where I did a full seam down the front and then have it go off to the side so that you don’t have the seam join right on the toe of the boot. This helps you get the nice curve of the boot without having to stretch/block the leather in advance.
Step 3 - Cut the insoles to size. I was about to cover them and then I decided “naaaah I can't be bothered”, so I decided to add a full insock at the end instead. Yep this is totally allowed when you’re making fully enclosed shoes and boots!
Step 4 - I lasted the linings, inserted my stiffeners and lasted the uppers. I love this stage, it’s when they start to feel like real boots.
Step 5 - I added a cork bottom filler to the base of the shoes to create a nice flat surface for my next step which was to add on a half rand and glue on the soles.
Step 6 - Covered the heels and drilled them in. Added a full insole sock to the inside of the boots i ncluding a layer of comfort foam. Last but not least - I hand stitches megs beautiful handmade macrame pieces to the toplines of the boots.
Estimated time to make = 7 hours
learn shoemaking for yourself
I created a free 40-minute online course called 'Introduction to Shoemaking' to show how easy home shoemaking can be and to give you a little taste of what I Can Make Shoes is all about. SIGN UP HERE for instant access.
If you are wanting to dive a little deeper into the world of home shoemaking, my online Footwear Masterclass is one of the most popular shoemaking courses in the world!! 🌍 (Casual brag! lol)
The course covers how to make shoes from scratch including heels, flats, boots, sneakers, sandals, and more. The thing that really sets this course apart from others is that it's specifically designed for total beginners and requires very little in the way of tools & equipment, there's even a bonus module on how to start your own shoe brand. To make getting started even easier, the course comes with a FREE Shoemaking Starter Kit, delivered to your door, anywhere in the world! 🌍
We are a tight community and regularly limit our intake to ensure the best experience for our students - so if our enrolment is closed I would recommend you sign up for our FREE Introduction to Shoemaking course while you wait.
Happy Shoemaking, Amanda xx
Pssssssst.... If you want to have a look at the shoes our students have been making, give us a follow on Instagram.
