From 8-10 July 2024, myself and workshop assistant Kate, hosted one of our coveted 3-day shoemaking workshops and welcomed the lovely Sarah, Nel, Parisa and Natalia into our London shoemaking studio.
Our 3-day shoemaking workshop is an intensive course where you craft your very own pair of shoes from scratch. There are 15 styles to choose from and the course is thoughtfully structured to provide a comprehensive understanding of the shoemaking process.
Find out more about the 15 shoe styles you can make HERE.
Natalia's Silver Ballerina Slingbacks
Natalia lives in Berlin and travelled to London to attend the workshop. She works in corporate advertising but is considering a career change and maybe even starting her own shoe brand!
Natalia chose to make a pair of silver ballerina slingbacks. Before the workshop, the lasts and patterns were prepared - so the first step for Natalia was to cut out the leather for both her lining and uppers. Once these were cut out, they then needed to be stitched together and the sparkly buckle needed to be inserted on the strap.
Once the upper and lining were stitched together, the insole boards needed to be prepared so that the lasting process could begin. Natalia then lasted her lining, inserted her stiffeners and then lasted the uppers.
Once the upper of the shoe was completed, Natalia could move on to creating her soles out of 4mm beige resin soling. The soles need to be cut extremely neatly and any rough bits need to be sanded down. Once the soles were ready, Natalia attached them to her shoe upper to complete the ballerina slingbacks.
Nel's Snake Print Mid Heel Mary Janes with Wobble Buckle
Nel travelled from Netherlands and came to the workshop just for fun! She has bunions and wants to make her own bespoke fitting shoes. Fun Fact: Nel has been doing foot aerobics online to correct her bunions without surgery and thinks it's working really well.
Nel chose to make a mid heel mary jane shoe out of beige snake print leather. We have a selection of buckles to choose from in the workshops and Nel chose the wobble effect buckles - one of my personal favourites! I used them on my Mesh Ballet Pumps.
Like with all the shoes for our workshops, we prepared the lasts and patterns beforehand so that we can account for any width additions and build ups. Once the leather and the buckles were chosen, Nel could get going with her mid heel mary janes. She first cut out her upper and lining leathers and stitched them together.
The next step was to last them over her built up mid heel lasts. Once lasted, she could get started on creating her soles and screwing in her heels. The final step was to create a comfy padded insock for the inside of the shoes.
Sarah's Lavender High Heel Court Shoes
Sarah came from Auckland, New Zealand and used to live in Bethnal Green. She has just finished a PHD and wants to wear the shoes to her graduation. She chose to do quite a simple design so that she could paint them when she gets home - I personally can't wait to see the end result. She's also a member of our Online Course and wants to make shoes that no one else has.
Sarah picked out this gorgeous lavender colour leather for her uppers. Her pattern was prepared for her before the workshop as well as her built up high heel last.Sarah traced her patterns onto her upper and lining leathers before cutting them out and stitching them together. TOP TIP: When stitching leather together, instead of using pins to hold the leather in place, use water-based glue.
Once the uppers were stitched together, Sarah could continue the shoemaking process by lasting her shoes and attaching the soles and high block heels. I can't wait to see how these look once she paints them!
Parisa's Snake Print Mid Heel Mary Janes with Sparkly Buckle
Parisa travelled from the US and has already got a little bit of experience as a maker, she even made her own watch strap! Before the course even finished, her husband already put in his order for a pair of handmade shoes and she is really excited to start making shoes for her family.
Parisa and Nel both picked to use this gorgeous beige snakeprint leather for their mid heel Mary Janes. However, Parisa chose to use a sparkly buckle on her Mary Jane strap instead. The making process was the exact same as Nel's process. I love how versatile this design is and how you can customise how they look with the addition of a different buckle.
Book your spot now
The 3-Day Shoemaking Workshop is designed for complete beginners, and teaches the step-by-step process of making a shoe from start to finish. We maintain small class sizes to ensure personalised attention from our dedicated instructors. Each day builds on the previous one, guiding participants from selecting materials to the final assembly of their shoes. The course offers over 15 shoe styles to choose from, allowing for a diverse learning experience. For those interested in shoemaking, this workshop offers a structured, supportive environment to learn and create.
