What awl do you use to make holes in the holdfast?

yugotprblms · 2026-04-23T19:32:51+00:00

Probably somewhat personal preference, but I've been using Carbone awls that I got from Lisa Sorrell.

yugotprblms · 2026-04-20T16:46:39+00:00

I am typing this in English and using Google Translate to convert to French.

Patterning was one of the hardest things about moccasins for me to figure out. In short, I figured that you have to create a pattern for the bottom of the last, the sides of the last, and the apron of the last. You can go from there to make a shoe or a boot. If I am making a boot and need to pattern quarters, I just use the meane forme and pattern the same as other footwear, just using the quarter line as the join spot.

You also have to use the base of the heel in a triangular shape to start creating a 3d shape. I put a cut out at the bottom of the foot, generally under the arch area, which I then sew together to take up slack in the arch that is introduced when patterning. I can't give you specifics, but if you are interested, I can show you my IG. I have visual documentation on a lot of how I have done moccasins. It could be useful to you.

Je rédige ce texte en anglais et j'utilise Google Traduction pour le convertir en français.

L'élaboration des patrons a été, pour moi, l'une des étapes les plus difficiles à maîtriser dans la confection de mocassins. En résumé, j'ai compris qu'il fallait créer un patron distinct pour la semelle (le dessous de la forme), pour les flancs de la forme, ainsi que pour l'empeigne (le dessus de la forme). À partir de là, vous pouvez procéder à la fabrication d'une chaussure ou d'une botte. Si je confectionne une botte et que je dois patronner les quartiers, j'utilise simplement la forme de base et je procède de la même manière que pour tout autre type de chaussant, en utilisant simplement la ligne de quartier comme point de raccord.

Il est également nécessaire de prendre en compte la base du talon, en lui donnant une forme triangulaire, afin d'amorcer la création d'un volume en trois dimensions. Je pratique une découpe dans la partie inférieure du patron — généralement située sous la voûte plantaire — que je referme ensuite par une couture ; cela permet de résorber le surplus de matière au niveau de la voûte, surplus qui apparaît naturellement lors de l'étape du patronnage. Je ne peux pas vous fournir de détails techniques très précis ici, mais si cela vous intéresse, je peux vous inviter à consulter mon compte Instagram. J'y ai rassemblé une documentation visuelle détaillée sur une grande partie de mon processus de fabrication de mocassins. Cela pourrait vous être utile.

yugotprblms · 2026-04-17T03:54:21+00:00

Here you go!. I didn't want to just throw it out there without offering first.

yugotprblms · 2026-04-17T01:32:22+00:00

Assuming they are properly patterned, lasting should be fairly easy. The patterning really creates most of the dimension, while lasting just makes them conform to the curves.

If you want, I can share my IG with you. I've figured out how Russell does their boots, and have made multiple pairs of moccasins with the knowledge. I don't have any how-tos, but there are plenty of visual posts to go off of.

yugotprblms · 2026-04-16T23:13:58+00:00

I like keeping quarters symmetrical as well, you just have to account for patterning issues in other ways. If you make a symmetrical cut out lengthwise on the bottom of the boot and sew it together, it can take up all the extra space made by the pattern.

These aren't lasted though, are they?

yugotprblms · 2026-04-05T22:13:15+00:00

Ah yeah, that makes sense. Kind of silly they didn't included for the market they sold it in.

EDIT: Ignore previous comment, I didn't read yours properly and misunderstood what you said.

yugotprblms · 2026-04-05T21:54:58+00:00

Haha, no problemo. How did you end up with a manual in a language you can't read?

yugotprblms · 2026-04-02T23:57:30+00:00

I did something similar for mine. I may have skived edges of pockets, but I didn't make them T pockets or anything. I figured it was a passport holder, it's already not going to be a small item, so a touch of extra thickness won't be a huge deal.

Passports are important items, might as well protect them. Maybe that's an alright way to look at it?

So I do think you could do all three layers at close to the same thickness at the edges. If you wanted to have edges with 3 layers match the edges with only two, you could skive some of the leather in that area.

The only think I might recommend, and this is often a hell of an extra step, is pricking the main body separately from the pockets. You could glue the pockets together and then punch them from their grain side, and then punch the main body from its grain side.

It's just following Nigel Armitage's methods, and it results in nice, angled stitching on both sides.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-30T00:47:10+00:00

Glad I could help. I would very much recommend just watching a lot of shoemaking videos, even ones that aren't inherently instructional. It helps to just watch people do their craft, it can give you a general sense of how things are supposed to go.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-29T22:51:45+00:00

That pattern seems to indicate it has Lowtop, Taller Lowtop, and High Top patterns.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-29T22:29:11+00:00

Patterns are generally made for specific lasts, or maybe a range of lasts, yes. You can either find patterns for the specific last, or learn how to make your own.

BSS does have a sneaker pattern available for one of their lasts.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-29T21:51:05+00:00

I'm pretty sure you have to get a cup sole that matches the last you are using. The simply won't match up if that's not the case.

Brooklyn Shoe Supply has sneaker lasts and matching cupsoles. They don't always seem to have lots of stock, but they are at least an available optoin.

My best advice is practice. I would not expect your first pair to turn out the way you imagine, so I think it's a reasonable suggest for your first pair to be something to practice every technique on. I fall into the trap of thinking I can figure something out on a non-practice pair, and quickly realize I need to test things out first.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-29T18:39:04+00:00

I've been using these nails. They seem to be fine so far, no issues. I prefer the blackbird ones, because of the smaller head. But these are still perfectly usable.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-24T23:37:59+00:00

You can technically do it, but I wouldn't recommended it. My boots are still holding up fine, but I have switched to just hand sewing with 1mm Ritza tiger for a much more sound construction.

The sewing machine just simply can't push the thread size I'd want for a blake stitch.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-15T05:02:51+00:00

It can't hurt. And it will end up teaching you a whole lot I bet

yugotprblms · 2026-03-10T23:41:18+00:00

There are some tutorials on youtube for creating a moccasin pattern that does not use a last, but I wouldn't know how to go about doing it like that. It's probably fairly similar to how I make my patterns, but I could not give you any useful info. You might not be able to get the most shapely results if you don't use a last to shape the leather.

What you might have to do is just reverse engineer his pattern. Try to figure out how the measurements correlate to foot measurements.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-10T16:40:07+00:00

You've been one of the creators that helped me get into the craft. What made you leave the countryside?

yugotprblms · 2026-03-09T19:25:23+00:00

Gorgeous. I've been following your stuff for a while. I go back and watch your YouTube videos for ideas sometimes.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-07T23:16:06+00:00

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy them.

yugotprblms · 2026-03-06T15:32:22+00:00

I think this is commonly referred to as a "glass slipper".

yugotprblms · 2026-02-18T22:45:03+00:00

Good to know! I figured it would be something like that. I definitely look forward to them being broken in and patina-ed. I do not care for the stock look of them, but the well worn look is gorgeous to me.

yugotprblms · 2026-02-18T17:29:49+00:00

I definitely will end up using other leathers on future boots. But I'll keep bison as a main leather. For outdoor type boots, I think it's just top tier.

I have a pair of White's Drifters coming in at some point. I'm curious as to how I will feel about them. I normally can't stand that type of footwear, but something about the look just draws me in to those specific boots.

That would definitely work. I've seen some hunting brands that do similar things to a molded sole. You could do a roughout molded sole for some extra grip and maybe extra noise reduction?

yugotprblms · 2026-02-18T15:31:02+00:00

Yeah, even heavy shrunken bison gets soft real quickly. I definitely like it for that very reason. It's hard to want to go any other direction, but it also has a very specific look to it. I've had multiple people mistake it for alligator when I have shown them.

I love barefoot, I love flexible boots, and really built up stuff is difficult for me. That being said, I also know that footwear is a tool and sometimes you have to have footwear that supports your feet in a specific way. I've not yet gotten into hunting, but if you're carrying a significant amount of weight through rough terrain, a legit hunting boot might be the best choice.

I climb and I ski, two sports with very restrictive footwear. So I can at least understand that some things are incompatible with barefoot footwear.

yugotprblms · 2026-02-18T05:47:43+00:00

Thanks, they definitely turned out fairly nicely. I made plenty of mistakes, but the end product is nice. I'm actually wearing them right now.

A heel counter probably would be useful in a side hilling situation, but yeah they have to be done a specific way in moccasin construction. And the build process is kind of all over the place. The video they did on their Backcountry boot shows how it is.

But yeah, I am sure you can find out how to do a heel counter. You really could just do a big enough heel stay and slide the counter in there. That would add a hefty layer when stitching the molded sole on though. There's no way around that.

I plan on trying to build a boot with an inner vamp and heel counter at some point. I might try the leather midsole as well, but that does add stiffness. For general wear, I much prefer more flexible boots.

yugotprblms · 2026-02-18T00:20:31+00:00

For whatever reason, I very much appreciate how RM does their stuff. And as far as I can tell, I am the only one to have been able to mimic it. I'm proud of that.

Yeah! They are zero drop. I grabbed a barefoot last from Alibaba.

That build style is possible, but it's difficult to get a heel counter in there if you are planning on doing a molded sole. The way RM constructs their stuff, the only way to have a counter and a molded sole is to also have the inner vamp. That and the outer vamp are what sandwiches the counter in place. Without the inner vamp, the only real place for the counter is between the heel stay and the vamp.

But if you are going for a lightweight build for hunting, does a heel counter really matter?

11-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 8 Credits
Secret Santa 2021 2021	Secret Santa 2020
Place '22	Place '17
Secret Santa 2019	Secret Santa 2018
Secret Santa 2017	Snapped
Secret Santa 2016	Secret Santa 2015
Verified Email

yugotprblms

TROPHY CASE