Making High Heel Boots - Part 1 The lasts

After taking the measurements, we pick a suitable last with the wanted heel height. For new readers I'd like to point out that the last is the most important aspect when making shoes: it defines the size, shape and even structural elements of what will eventually become a shoe. I will demonstrate some phases in which the lasts are reshaped to fit the clients measures. After all they're bespoke, which means they're made to measure :)
The lasts I ordered from the factory are like they're traditionally made: they're made of beech, which is a very hard, dense and stable wood. Ideal for lasts!

Let's take a look:

Here's what we'll start with: The last with some markings, a pen, some files for shaping and lots of courage :D Really, They look so fine already, so it's somewhat terrifying to start reshaping them. But it's gotta be done.

We can't forget the foot shape drawing and the measurements, now can we?

The drawing serves as a good base for defining shapes. This way we'll get an approximate on how the toes will fit etc.

The original was very chesty, as you can see on the left. The right one  has it's shapes redone.

The inner arch got some new, more anatomical shapes.

And of course you'll have to shape 'em both. Here they are, ready to be modeled into patterns.

Kenkiä tehtäessä tärkein valmistuksen elementti on lestit. Lesti määrää koko kengän muodon, sopivuuden sekä toiminnallisuuden. Aloitankin pyökkilesteillä, joissa on sovittu n. 7,5cm koronkorkeus. Lestit itsessään ovat jo niin upeat että niiden muokkaaminen pelottaa, mutta ne ovat niin rintavat että kaipaavat aika rankkaa muotoilua. Kyseessähän on kuitenkin mittatilaussaappaat. Urheasti taistoon!

When a vintage heel and last meet

Thanks to everyone for voting! I was wondering about in what language I'd write this blog, and most of the voters selected the option I've currently continued: writing my blog in english with a small finnish translation at the end.

I'm currently on a three day education spree at Kankaanpää shoemaker's institute. My main focus has been on orthopaedic techniques and theory of which I'll not bore you all. Instead I'd like to share a great find I made today: an vintage high heel from the 1930's or 40's, made by a finnish factory. And it's a perfect match with the vintage lasts I've introduced to you earlier. After those, I'll show a panel I drew describing how a high heel shoe is constructed, at least traditionally since there's alot of new techniques and materials used nowadays.

And tomorrow, I'll meet a mystery person whom I wont reveal yet ;) I'll start a project with her, making her a pair of bespoke high heels. Exciting!

And here they are! A perfect match!

It's as elegant as a champagne glass :)

Here's a definite give away of it's vintage origin: the main body inside is made of wood!

The steel shell to which a rubber covered rivet is inserted, is apparent in this photo.

1) The last / Lesti
2) Lining /  Vuorit
3) Uppers / Päällinen
4) Heel / Korko
5) Heel counter & front stiffener / Kantakappi & Kärkikovike
6) Steel shell / Teräs hylsy (magula hylsy)
7) Heel rubber with a steel rivet / Kantalappu (nastilappu)
8) Steel shank / Lenkkirauta
9) Outer sole / Ulkopohja
10) Stiffener / Jäykiste
11) Insole / Pinkopohja

Suurkiitos kaikille äänestäneille! Kyselin blogini kielestä lukijoiltani, ja viidestätoista äänestä kuusi ilmoitti pitävänsä siitä että blogi jää englanninkieliseksi mutta loppuun tulisi lyhyt käännös suomeksi. Tätä olenkin itse asiassa toteuttanut jo äänestyksen aloittamisesta lähtien :)
Huomenna alkaa kolmas päivä jalkinemestarin opinnoista, joiden aiheena on tälläkin kertaa olleet ortopediset tekniikat sekä teoria enkä aio teitä niillä ikävystyttää. Sitä vastoin löysin oppilaitoksen kellarista mahtavan korkkari koron joka on 1930-1940 luvuilta suomalaisen edesmenneen tehtaan kätköistä. Löydös on esiteltynä edellä, ja se sopi täydellisesti tuohon vintage lestiin josta olen jo aikaisemmin postaillut.
Tämän jälkeen on vuorossa kaavio, jota aiemmin lupailin, eli korkkarin sielunelämä. Eli mistä osista korkokenkä noin perinteisesti lähestyen sisältää. Nykyaikana tähän löytyy mitä eriaisempia ratkaisuja teknologian kehittymisen myötä mutta pääpiirteet ovat tallella.
Lisäyllärinä huomenna tapaan erään mysteerihenkilön jolle aion aloittaa tekemään mittatilaus korkkareita :D Uuuh, jännää! Kyseisen henkilön identiteetti tullaan paljastamaan myöhemmin :)

What happened after Inari? Well, more Handicrafts

After I got back from Inari in 2003, I was happy to live in Vantaa and Helsinki again. During those years I mainly did some odd jobs here and there before I discovered shoemaking. Meanwhile, I did manage to make some nice pieces of handicrafts. For order, mainly.

A pair of cute Dragon earrings for my cousin.

Being more like a decoration, rather than an object of use this tablet was an order to be given as a gift to a yoga group in Taiwan. That decoration in the middle took some serious carving!

A anniversary gift order. A kuksa.

Tässä vielä muutamia tekeleitäni vuosilta Inarin jälkeen. Ylimpänä korvakorut serkkutytölle, sitten taulu joka tilattiin lahjaksi Taiwaniin sekä hääpäivälahja kuksa.

Making Ballerinas - Part 4 Fitting & Fixing

Fitting is quite an exciting moment: the shoe with it's basic elements get to be tested on your client and you'll get a more wholesome view on how the shoe will look and work while worn or walked with. When making bespoke shoes, it's rarely that one gets a perfect fit on the first try, so it's common that some small adjustments have to be done. In this chapter I'll show you some phases of fitting and fixing.

The fitting showed two main problems: the small toes are squashed on the shown area and the nail of the big toe needs more space.

The inner side of the ballerinas. You can see the needed toe space to the left and some changes to the uppers that I marked with red lines. The inner arch looks very fitting nevertheless.

So it's back to building! I took some 3mm rubber-cork mixture sheet and cut it to approximate size for the needed areas. Then both the last and the corks were glued.

And here they are, glued to the last.

After some careful shaping this is what I came up with.

The added shape is quite unnoticable, but will make a huge difference once the shoe is worn.

With the last fitting, the client is happy with the changes and we're ready to go!

Next up is the making of the actual uppers. See you in a few days!

Eallin

The leather soles came out great! Thank you Christian Loboutin for the idea ;)

OOps! The left stiching went baaad.  Well enough this was a test pair, and not a client work.

This is the vision I had, when I heard there was going to be a fashion exhibition in the Sámi Museum in Inari, in 2010. Back then I had just started to be very anxious and interested in high heels and the aesthetic possibilities they'd offer, so I had just a couple of months to design, draw patterns, make the uppers, last them and finally build a heel and glue the leather outer sole to them. These were also the first high heels I've done.

The uppers consist of two very exotic items; traditionally tanned reindeer leather called sisna and reindeer leg fur. Sisna is commonly used by the Sámi in clothing and accessories (bags, pouches), and sometimes for footwear too. This sisna had it's fur removed, vegetal tanning with willow bark, softening and oiling all done by me. It was part of the education program in the institute. Sisna has also a very fragile surface atleast for shoes, but a nice texture to it.
The leg furs are pretty amazing too, coz they're with a very short and smooth hair, a rare item of a summer reindeer. The leg part of the fur is traditionally used to make winter footwear called "nutukkaat". Got all my leg fur from a dear friend in lapland.

I shaped the heels from two blocks of oak which I got from slöjd detaljer. And added pieces of actual reindeer antlers to create a nice whitish effect to them. They were in the Reindeer Fashion exhibition for a few months. This was the first exhibition for me, and quite exciting!

-Otso

Yenni

As my first official post, you see a pair of shoes that I made to a friend. They're truly bespoke, with full leather lining and uppers, wooden leather covered heel that I sculpted and a leather sole. This was a visionary project given as a surprise birthday gift to a friend <3