Interview with Designer Marion Ayonote

Interview with Marion Ayonote – Accessories Designer and Creative Director of Marion Ayonote (UK) Limited

Marion Ayonote:

2002 – received special recognition award from Ovation Magazine as Africa’s top shoe designer
2002 – listed as one of the top 50 most influential female designers in the UK by the Design Association
2005 – awarded membership to the Chartered Society of Designers
2009 – won a special recognition award from BFIIN British female inventors and innovator’s network
2009 – engaged in design projects such as Knowledge Connect which was part funded by the L.D.A (London development Agency) and the ERDF (European Union Regional Development Fund), in collaboration with Prescott & Mackay

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When did you start to design shoes and bags and when did you set up your brand?
I began experimenting with developing my label since 1998,  however I set up the Marion Ayonote label in 2000.

Velukid peep toe pumps with lem gold bubbles on heel and upper. Marion Ayonote A/W 2006

How did you find factories to produce your design?
I relied on the commercial department of the Embassy (In this case Italy) and was sent a list of manufacturers and contact details. so I sent letters by fax as most contacts on the list spoke Italian and emails were not as popular.

2 part high heel shoe, velukid upper + vintage feathers. Marion Ayonote A/W2006

 

Could you please tell us the story about the Icon Bag Series and your collaboration with Prescott & Mackay?
I had designed the concept for a specific occasion and had been to a few factories to try to develop initial prototypes but they found the collection a bit overwhelming so the timing with Knowledge connect and Prescott & Mackay couldn’t have been much sooner.  

The Icon Bag Series Project

“The Icon capsule collection was developed for  the 50th independence anniversary of  the federal republic of Nigeria. I had designed a capsule collection of handbags drawing inspiration from the map of Nigeria, its borders and the river outline. The ridged edges made the Icon bag difficult to develop but thankfully, Prescott & Mackay developed the prototypes and the final samples. ”

The Icon Bag: Map of Nigeria

“We also used the aso-oke fabric (hand woven silk threads) as the main material and lined the bags with suede in contrasting pastel and bold colours. The components include Swarovski crystals, horn handles, trimmings, ribbons and beads, zip holders and tassels. I am still receiving enquiries and orders for the  IA & Heritage bags. We are currently developing the wallets from the Icon range in Italy. ” 

Black Aso-oke Clutch Bag - Tasha

Love Icon Bag - Purple Aso-Oke

Have your got any positive feedbacks/awards from this project and how did the project influence you?
The project was a success, I received a special recognition award from BFIIN( British female innovators & inventors network) in 2009.  Also, positive feedback and new market opportunities for the range.

Details of some Aso-oke couture bags

Please give some advices to people who are interested in shoes and bag design, particularly those who want to start up their businesses.
I would suggest they have a realistic business plan and sales strategy. Research their chosen market before embarking on a label launch. Use all available support. Work hard!

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Marion’s website: www.ayonote.com

If you are an independent designer and seeking a mentor or consultancy services from industry experts, please contact Prescott & Mackay via info@prescottandmackay.com, or call +44 (0)207 388 4547.

Student Success Story: Rachel and Her Savage Corsets

Rachel Savage’s fascination with corsets started at an early age.  Her Mother suffered with a curvature of the spine, so from the age of 3 she would help her into her corset and put her stockings on every morning. Of course that corset was an orthopaedic one, but she already understood how it helped shape her posture and ease some of the discomfort she was in.

After finishing school she qualified in Fashion Design at the Grafton Academy Institute in Dublin majoring in Separates, Bridal and Evening Wear. Her collections and tailoring projects always included corsets, taking inspiration from the likes of Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano & Dolce & Gabbana. She then worked as an assistant to a well known couturier in Dublin during which time she got itchy feet to move to London and pursue another passion; theatre.

Galliano's couture work that inspires Rachel

So, with a post graduate in Musical Theatre, a year or two as a jobbing actor and a yearning for the finer things in life, she took up a position in the City. Although it was pretty alien she left the creative stuff behind for a while to develop the right side of her brain. Project-managing her way through large schemes, her fashion background kept jostling for poll-position in her imagination and, inevitably, won. Rachel eventually took the corsetry courses at Prescott & Mackay – the Beginners Corsetry at the end of November 2010 and the Advanced Corsetry in March 2011 and found her niche back behind the sewing machine again.

“I learned that to make corsets you need to have a good amount of sewing experience – I managed to get back into it quickly. It is a lot to cram into two days but the teacher Andrea Moon is extremely supportive, kind and patient so with her help it’s great,” says Rachel.

Beginners Corsetry Course at P&M

It just so happened she had a surname to coincide with the plan, and that’s when Savage Corsets began. She created Savage Corsets from her home and studio in North London, specialising in made to measure bespoke Corsets.  Based on historical corsetry through the ages, Rachel has incorporated a modern edgy twist with an influence on Fashion today. Each design is unique, combining innovative creativity, luxurious fabrics and quality workmanship.  According to Rachel, a woman in a bespoke corset will feel feminine, confident and above all comfortable as the body naturally takes on the corsets shape.  “A Savage Corset is an investment piece that will last the owner for many years. Savage means beauty and the mission for Savage Corsets is that they will always live up to their name, so that the wearer of one will be Savage too, ” says Rachel.

Savage Corsets - from left to right: Galaxy Mistress, The Joanie, Catholic Guilt

 Savage Corsets recently exhibited at the Vintage Fair at London’s South Bank and proved a firm favourite with Vintage lovers. Rachel works with clients individually to create a distinctive and personal corset. 

Savage Corsets at the Vintage Festival on the Southbank, July 2011

So far most of her business has started via word of mouth and she is meeting people who are willing to help and guide her all the time.

“So being open to stuff around you is vital. I also know that people buy people, I have always retained a good network of people in my life and worked well with others. My first proper commission came from a consultant I worked with on a project. It was a birthday present for his wife and she loved it. Another interesting thing is I have a big family in San Francisco which is where the other Prescott and Mackay is based. There is a big family of Savages over there and I dream that one day my corsets will be in shops in San Francisco and London. ”

Rachel would very much like to connect with others who have done the courses or other milliners, photographers, shoes or bag designers. Please feel free to contact Rachel via her website or Facebook page in terms of collaboration, photo shoots and links sharing.

Visit Rachel’s website:
http://www.savagecorsets.com/

Savage Corset’s Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Savage-Corsets/146260082120893

Want to take a corsetry class? Check out P&M’s website here:

Beginners Corsetry – Two Days
Advanced Corsetry – Two Days

Student Success Story: Hand Painted Shoes by Mallory Musante

Young entrepreneur Mallory Musante is from Mystic, Connecticut, in the United States.  At only 21 years old she started her shoe brand in her own name in 2009 and after two years her shoes can be spotted on the runway at New York Fashion Week. Before that she studied Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Bryant University, but always loves painting.

Mallory Musante and her shoes

How did Mallory start her journey?  At the very beginning she was inspired by the movie “P.S. I Love You” and found out that she wanted to be a shoe designer making custom, handmade shoes. Then she took P&M’s Five-Day Intensive Shoemaking course in San Francisco in 2008, which helped her learn the basics of all the components that go into a pair of shoes and how to construct a pair using those components.

Mallory in the Intensive Shoemaking class in San Francisco, 2008

Recalling this experience, Mallory told us that the knowledge she learnt really helped her in looking for manufacturers.

“If I didn’t have that basic knowledge, I’m not sure I would have been able to properly communicate what I wanted with my supplier if I hadn’t taken the course, ” said Mallory, “The course with Prescott & Mackay has been the foundation of my own shoe line.  My ideas really materialized through this course and grew into the concept of hand painting the designs on the shoes.”

After the course she realised that there was a void in the footwear market for women to have exclusive hand-painted shoes. She discovered various hand-painted men’s sneakers and saw that women had few, if any, options in this market. She started to hand paint women’s leather shoes to create unique, one-of-a-kind pieces, and the shoes, loved by her friends and family (not a surprise!), finally expanded into her own shoe line.

Mallory's Bridal Collection fo Gladys Magazine in February, 2011

Mallory’s shoes have leather upper, synthetic lining and rubber sole. This combination keeps the price of her shoes competitive, with one pair ranging from $80 to $200.  Also the paint is waterproof and coated with an acrylic finish so it should not chip or crack.

Mallory believes that unique hand painted designs express a woman’s personality and personal style perfectly. Every shoe is unique, while customers also have the option of working exclusively with her to create and design a personal look to match their soles.  Here our readers have the privilege to check out her most recent new design: Maya. Inspired by the tribal trend in the US, this is her personal favorite from her newest designs.

New Design: Maya

Talking about current opportunities and future plans,  Mallory said that she just opened a temporary pop up store in Providence, Rhode Island and will be participating in StyleWeek Providence as well.  She hopes to be able to do these pop up stores round the New England/New York areas and then eventually open a permanent location.

We can’t wait to see her next collection and wish her very good luck. If you like her shoes, send us your encouragement to Mallory or leave your comments here!

Learn more about Mallory and her shoes via the Mallory Musante Website

Learn more about P&M’s 5-Day Intensive Shoemaking course, available in the UK, USA and Australia

Jane Scheinmann and her slippers

 – interviewed and written by Florrie Juan Huang

If you have started up a shoe business or are going to do so, you might find the following story of Jane Scheinmann, a past student of Prescott & Mackay, helpful and inspiring:

P&M's past student: Jane Scheinmann

Jane describes herself as a “complete shoe-aholic”. After studying hotel management in Switzerland she worked in the hotel industry and then as an event organiser. But after a couple of years her independent nature and market sense pushed her to do something more creative. Having a business concept already to mind, she found the Prescott & Mackay shoemaking course via the internet in 2001 and took the Beginners Shoemaking course over a weekend.

Her idea was clear and simple: handmade, fashionable and comfortable slippers. She wanted her customers, who were into shoes just like she was, not to have to get back home after a hard day’s work and face a pair of brown and boring slippers. “At that time, no matter how funky the shoes were in the world, slippers were always very granny-like: nothing fashionable; nothing colourful; nothing new or different” says Jane, “it was either old-fashioned or bright red marabou-style – I wanted to do something in the middle.” 

When the weekend had finished, she found herself “totally, totally inspired by the class”. With tutor Melissa’s help, she sourced the slipper material – sheepskin – on the south coast of England, designed the slippers, and used Melissa’s contacts to find people to cut out the soles and uppers, and sew and bind them for her. She managed to complete more than 30 pairs of handmade slippers and attended that year’s show – House & Gardens’s ‘Spirit of Christmas’ – at Olympia, marking the formal launch of her slipper business – all these things happened in the three months after her first class at P&M, a truly Herculean effort!

Jane Scheinmann's first Ruby slipper collection for 2001's Christmas fair

She named her company “Ruby Slippers”, inspired by Dorothy’s slippers in The Wizard of Oz. You can’t help stroking these slippers when you hold them – they are all handmade, all leather, so soft and very, very cute.  They received a good response at Olympia from trade professionals despite their high cost, and she received two orders, one of them from Fenwick’s.

a closer look to Ruby slippers the first collection

However, this was when Jane encountered her first big obstacle – her orders were too small for the manufacturers to want to get involved. Although she finally fulfilled them, the business couldn’t go on without the problem being solved.

The following year, she was attending a footwear show and happened to get talking to someone who – unbelievably – turned out to be one of the biggest producers of slippers for supermarkets in the UK, including Next, Asda, and Marks & Spencers. His company was called ‘Ever Direct’ and they joined forces to launch their first collaboration branded ‘Ruby+Ed’. With several production lines already set up in the Far East and financial support from her new business partner, Jane was able to sit down to work on her designs and the first collection of Ruby+Ed’s was a huge success: Brown’s ordered the most expensive style (pictured below) with a retail price of £150, and a large amount of other styles were ordered by House of Fraser.

Ruby+Ed first collection: style Cobi

As John Lennon once wrote: “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.”  Jane was finding that her vision of using only the highest-quality leather for her hand-made slippers was coming under pressure from competitors who had started making similar-looking alternatives with synthetic materials at a fraction of the cost. Right at the moment when she was confronted with this all-too-common situation, Jane discovered that she was pregnant, and in 2004 she decided to sell the brand to her business partner. She is now the proud mother of three lovely little girls.

some styles from the first collection of Ruby+Ed

When looking back Jane seems to have most enjoyed the conceptual aspect of the business, “the initial set-up was my ‘thing’. I am more interested in creating a product and seeing it go to the market. Ruby+Ed is still going and now you can find much more funky slippers in the marketplace than before – we kind of started a trend… We started up a business and the reaction was what I hoped it would be, that was enough. I have no feelings of regret.” 

Now her youngest daughter is two years old and Jane wants to start something new – working as a fashion image consultant. “What I’m interested in is working with individual people who are a bit lost with the image they are presenting, especially women who have children, their self-image changes after they become a mother – the image they portray doesn’t feel right for them. I want to help them to find themselves and make them feel comfortable and happy. It has nothing to do with celebrities or people with a bunch of money- I would like to shop with them from Evans to Yves Saint Laurent. ” Jane has already had four clients and got very positive feedback; she also plans to help ladies with breast cancer boost their confidence after treatment.

I then ask Jane what she considers to be the highlight of her career. “Definitely launching the slippers!” she says with a smile, “that’s a huge achievement but without Melissa’s help it wouldn’t have happened. The course really inspired me. It was very detailed, quite physical, and I really really enjoyed it. It’s a challenge and I definitely would like to do it again just because it was such a creative process and so intense – you have a weekend to produce a pair of shoes, and all the time you’re busy thinking about what you are doing – it’s a nice feeling especially when you have children; you can temporarily get your mind away from them!”

What advice would she like to give to our students? ” Definitely take a course, because it’s a real insight. If I had done Melissa’s course in my early twenties… ” we both laugh, and she continues, “but for starting up a shoe business, you’ll have to really, really want it. Shoemaking is particularly hard to actually ‘crack the nut’. It needs a lot of time. If you can find something not available in the market, then you’ll enter a place where competition isn’t so heavy. And think carefully about the aim of your business: are you in it to satisfy your own creativity, or to make money, to survive, or break-even?”

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Is Jane’s story inspring for you? Please leave your comments below.
The course Jane took is the Two-Day Beginners Shoemaking Course
For image consultation, wardrobe clearance or shopping guidance, please contact Jane Scheinmann via 07770755098 and jane.s@me.com

Prescott & Mackay in Finland

Finnish students’ work after the 5-day class

These shoes are made by students who took P&M’s Five-Day Intensive Shoemaking course in Jyvaskyla, Finland this summer. Well, we haven’t started a satellite course in Finland yet – it was Jamk University Of Applied Science, School Of Business And Service Management who invited Melissa, our principal, to teach there. We are thrilled by the finished shoes: they look so well finished, original and creative. 

JAMK in Jyväskylä region and Central Finland

If readers don’t know about Jyvaslyia, here is some background information. The city is the home town of Aki Choklat –  one of our lecturers at P&M. Aki is so successful in the footwear industry that he is a household name there. Once the University heard that he lectured with Prescott & Mackay, 2 years ago they invited him and Melissa to give a short presentation to the students about P&M’s work. They then invited Melissa back to teach the 5 day intensive shoemaking class this summer. Aki also held a session there on Slow Design.

Students at the course

The course was open to both University students and non University students so there was was quite a varied mix of people attending. Some with fashion training and others with more broader craft skills. But they were all very accomplished makers one way or another so each brought their own skills to the task of shoemaking, even though  none had done it before. So the standard was very high and as a consequence they pushed the bar as far as the general level of work they produced during the 5 days.

One student's work: vintage effect

The students were all very creative in choosing what materials to use. Jyvaslyia is 3 hours north of Helsinki and availability of leather and woven fabric is not as wide as perhaps somewhere like London, so many of the students breathed new life into vintage pieces by recycling the leather from clothing or picking off details to use as surface decoration on their shoes. The effects were very original and inventive. 

The course content was very much the same as the Intense Shoemaking class that P&M runs in London and San Francisco (and soon to be Melbourne, if you don’t know yet, check the class schedule about how to make shoes in Australia here) apart from the course started at 8am – very early! But according to Melissa, it gave her plenty of chance to explore that part of Finland which is fascinating and make full use of the warm hospitality the Fins extended to her. Apart from Aki, Jyvaslyia is also home town to another famous Fin – Alvar Aalto – who designed some of the most architecturally recognised buildings of his era and spent much of his career working on projects based in the surrounding area. “So that in itself added an extra touch of interest to what was for me a very pleasurable trip to Finland,” said Melissa.

one student's work: taking advantage of vintage material

What do you think? Leave us a comment if you like our Finnish students’ work! 

 

The Hidden Hide Merchant-Interview with J.T.Batchelor

Photos and text by Florrie Juan Huang at Prescott & Mackay 

We live in a digital age. It’s easy to forget – or hard to believe perhaps, that there are businesses growing strongly within this environment which depend simply upon word of mouth.  J.T. Batchelor is one of these businesses. They have only one webpage on their website – and never do any advertising – but still everyone in the leather industry knows of them.  

The Entrance of Batchelor's

  

 On a breezy afternoon in the middle of June I pushed open the door to their premises – a rather humble-looking building located in a quiet corner of Islington, London. The people I am going to interview today are Jag, the owner of the business, and Rochef, the store manager. Along with their colleagues, they are standing behind piles and piles of leather, busily looking after customers.   

I hear one customer express his thanks as he leaves the shop with a satisfied smile, and another two customers come in. “Are you always that busy?” I asked Ted, one of the longest-working staff in the store. “Well we have quiet moments, but when that happens we have loads of mail orders to deal with.” Ted explains patiently. He was as an apprentice upholsterer in his youth, joining the business 25 years ago, and he and the shop have grown old together.   

J.T.Batchelor: The Shop

  

You can find everything in Batchelor. If you are a craft lover or a designer, you would feel like you were standing in the middle of Aladdin’s cave. Besides skins from sheep, calf and pig, they sell all kinds of fittings for leather goods like buckles and D-rings; knives and stamps; and natural leather dyes – one of their most popular types of product.   

J.T.Batchelor-products

  

J.T.Batchelor: buckles

  

As well as selling leather-related goods, Batchelor also hires their machines out and it’s not unusual to see customers using a few simple tools in the shop – I even mistake a customer for a member of staff, as she seems so at home in the corner using the pressing machine on her leatherwork.    

Batchelor specialises in vegetable-tanned skin, which uses only the infusion of tree bark, twigs, leaves and water, taking much longer than chrome tanning, the other widely-used tanning method in the shoemaking and bag making industries.  They don’t stock exotic skins such as crocodile, fish, snake and ostrich, and no animals have been killed for their skin – they really seem to try to be as ethically aware as possible.    

J.T.Batchelor: materials to select

  

They are patronised by a wide range of customers – from fashion and design students to industry professionals including fashion houses and film companies. Although much of their trade is with the fashion world, Batchelor as a company doesn’t really follow fashion trends. ‘We tend to not stick with fashion. We sell more traditional, classic collections. Fashion always changes. People publicise future trends, but we don’t follow them’, says Rochef.    

A lot of their customers are suppliers to big retailers such as Harrods, Selfridges, and Liberty. As Jag tells me, ‘My customers are doing different projects every day. If you give them machines they will say “no, I’m gonna do it with my hands only” – that’s how they are. Some of the stuff they make you won’t see in the market. For example, one of our customers makes costumes for a lot of pop singers; the others make things for catwalks.’    

I find myself able to imagine what the customers’ finished products might look like – and how much they will end up costing if they contain such a high proportion of crafting by hand. Rochef agrees, ‘I have to say that most of our customers are very high-end. It has to be high-end. You can’t do a quantity production here – you can’t get the price for it. You have to be very, very specialised.’    

J.T.Batchelor: pendant

  

So they may not be fashionable, but they do have their style. They share common values with us – and many other people in the fashion industry – among them, a strong respect for tradition and craftsmanship. Many times I hear them state that they are not a high street fashion shop where people and trends come and go. Time seems to move slowly here – this is a place where energy is spent carefully, in pursuit of craftsmanship.    

J.T.Batchelor: leather working tools

  

I am a bit surprised that they tell me they don’t have competition. What do they mean exactly? To understand this we have to understand what’s so special about the market they serve. First, their customers have all kinds of design projects and none of them are the same. Secondly, many leatherworkers don’t order big quantities because they need to test their ideas in the market first. Moreover, their customers only come here to make their own dreams come true, and they have to work hard on it, so the competition is between the design ideas, to see which one finally wins the market buyers’ hearts, and there’s no standard solution for them. To serve this market the leather traders can’t depend upon lowering their price or doing PR events, they have to satisfy all these different requirements in one shop.    

This is how Batchelor does it. On one hand, it has a wide product range and its staff encourage the customers to explore the shop freely and try to advise them as much as they can. ‘Certain leather industries won’t let people search through leather, or choose leather, but we don’t mind. Obviously, YOU have to choose your own leather’, says Rochef. Furthermore, they treat all the customers the same no matter how small a quantity they buy, because they believe today’s one dozen can be tomorrow’s hundred dozen, and that their success is based on the customers’ success.    

On the other hand, if they haven’t got what the customer is looking for, they will suggest other suppliers. They don’t see other leather traders as rivals, as Jag puts it, ‘There’s nothing like who supplies to whom. Some of our customers are also wholesale leather suppliers, we supply them, and sometimes we buy from them as well.’    

These are the reasons why Batchelor seems to immune to the economic downturn – they tell me that their business is not influenced at all when the past two years have been so tough for the economy. Isn’t this amazing?    

J.T.Batchelor: studs with a dog motif

  

It’s finally the time that they should close and I wave them good-bye and already plan my next visit. On my way home I can’t help thinking what the mysterious charm of this shop is. It is staffed by happy and relaxed people, who think their company is a likeable one, it has no hierarchy and everyone works hard. The shop doesn’t create anything, but it gives the customers the biggest freedom to create whatever they want. Rochef sums up Batchelor in three words: variety, helpful, established – I couldn’t agree more.    

External link – J.T.Batchelor’s website: http://jtbatchelor.co.uk/
Batchelor’s address: 9-10 Culford Mews, London, N1 4DZ
Tel: 020-7254 2962       020-7254 8521
   

Shoemaking Evening Course, Week 9

Caterina is on the penultimate week of the Shoemaking Evening Course at Prescott & Mackay this week. Her shoes are coming together and you can feel the excitement in the air at Warren Street.

Week 9

Last week we didn’t have the class so today I’m really looking forward to going across London after work to the Prescott & Mackay studio for our 9th class.

We are all so excited because all of our shoes are almost finished and honestly we better crack on working because this is the second last lesson of our evening course…

Today everything is about the most important part of the lasting process for me: the lining.. you see, if you last the lining not in a smooth and almost flawless way your upper will appear all wobbly… so first lasting pincers and tacks, then trim down the excess and then finally comes the glue. Let it dry while you start to last the second shoe…that’s the plan. When you last the second shoe you have to make sure that your pair looks pretty much alike…

After three attempts my lining seems alright and I decide to glue it down.

I can’t believe I had the time to apply the toe puffs too…There wasn’t much time left in the class and I still have a few things to do next week, deciding if I want to use a stiffener for the heel of my shoes and eventually apply it, lasting the uppers, making the socks…

I’m looking forward to seeing my project finished next week, I hope.

Links:
Evening Course diary week 1, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, and week 10

Shoemaking Evening Course, Week 7

After a really busy day at Black Truffle, Broadway I’m looking forward to going back to the Prescott & Mackay studio in Warren Street and cracking on with making my blue shoes.

I still have to finish the piping in both uppers and then close both the uppers to sew them together with the lining and see how it actually look!

I did manage to finish closing uppers and lining together and I think the color combination works pretty well. I still have to make some adjustments, but am pretty happy so far.

I’m looking forward to arrive to the making process and starting to see the 3D result!

Links:
Evening Course diary week 1, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, and week 10

Shoemaking Evening Course, Week 6

Week 6

After a long day at Black Truffle and I was so tired, that the thought of going to the other side of London didn’t fill me with joy. But as soon as I thought about going to the Prescott & Mackay studio to crack on with making my shoes I didn’t feel so tired anymore!

Unfortunately I have a busy schedule and I doubt I will be able to finish my uppers today. Let’s see how it goes…

The atmosphere in the class was really great, as we all relaxed into the 6th week of the course. Excitement was buzzing aroudn the room, as we all reached different stages in the process.

At the end of the session, I managed to finish the piping (really difficult) in both uppers and sew the lining but next time I will definitely catch up with all the students who are with their uppers ready or already pulling their shoes into the lasts they’ve chosen…well done everyone!

Links:
Evening Course diary week 1, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, and week 10

Shoemaking Evening Course, Week 5

Here is Caterina on Week 5 of the Shoemaking Evening Course at Prescott & Mackay, the sister company of Black Truffle.

Week 5

Finally it’s Thursday again and I can go back making my blue shoes.

Everybody is very focused on their uppers during the class…after 5 weeks all of us feels much more confident around the workshop.

I’ve decided that my lining will be in a yellow pig skin, because you never go wrong with matching blue and yellow! I’m still struggling to decide if I should use vintage fabric on the socks…

I’ve managed to cut all the pattern pieces of my lining. It has been challenging because the pig skin is as usual very thin and wasting leather because of a wrong cut is not the best.

Going back to an industrial sewing machine has been grand and I’ve already done some work on my lining and upper.  I have decided to put some piping on the seams, and have been really happy with the result so far.

Looking forward next week to finish to close the uppers and lining ( I hope!! )

Links:
Evening Course diary week 1, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, and week 10