Everything about Shoemaking totally explained
Shoemaking is a traditional
handicraft profession, which has now been largely superseded by
industrial manufacture of
footwear.
Shoemakers or
cordwainers (cobblers being, historically, those that
repair shoes) may produce a range of footwear items, including
shoes,
boots,
sandals,
clogs and
moccasins. Such items are generally made of
leather,
wood,
rubber,
plastic,
jute or other plant material, and often consist of multiple parts for better durability of the
sole, stitched to a leather upper.
Most shoemakers use a
last—made traditionally of iron or wood, but now often of plastic—on which to form the shoe. Some lasts are straight, while curved lasts come in pairs: one for left shoes, the other for right shoes.
The shoemaking profession makes a number of appearances in popular culture, such as in stories about
shoemaker's elves, and the
proverb "The shoemaker's children are often shoeless". The
patron saint of shoemakers is
Saint Crispin.
Some types of ancient and traditionally-made shoes include:
- Furs wrapped around feet, and sandals wrapped over them: used by Romans fighting in northern Europe.
- Clogs: wooden shoes, often filled with straw to warm the feet.
- Moccasins: simple shoes, often without the durability of joined shoes (although different types of leather have different wear characteristics).
The
Society for Creative Anachronism offers some advice about making period shoes.
Current crafters may use used car
tire tread as a cheap alternative to creating soles.
Chefs and cooks sometimes use the term "shoemaker" as an insult, implying that the chef in question has made his food as tough as shoe leather.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Shoemaking'.
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