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Last Making & Pattern Making |
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A shoemaker's "last" is a mold or form resembling a foot around which he shapes the
leather in order to create a shoe or boot shaped like a foot. Of course lasts come in a series of sizes and widths, and they are specific to the style
of shoe or boot being made. For example: an athletic shoe cannot be made on a western boot last. For a shoe or boot to fit correctly the last over
which it was made needs to be the size and shape of the foot for which the footwear is being made. Last making is a separate and distinct craft from
boot or shoemaking.
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A normal sized and shaped foot can have footwear made with off-the-shelf lasts. "Stock lasts." This becomes a challenge, maybe even an issue, with
custom footwear makers because few of their clients feet are normal. Usually that is why their client is there!
In years past there have been several last manufacturing factories in the U.S. and various sources of custom lasts. With so much of our shoemaking
having moved to the orient this domestic last making is nearly a thing of the past.
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Over the years I have acquired thousands of pairs of stock lasts in dozens of different styles to best help me be able to fit my clients feet.
Typically, I will take a pair of these stock lasts and build them up or sculpt them to fit a particular individual. There are, however, times when a
pair of feet is just beyond anything that I have on hand.
For many years I was frustrated at being at the mercy of last makers. I remember once waiting nearly a year for a pair of size 17 hiking boot lasts.
One would assume that a shoe made over a cast of the foot would fit perfectly. Unfortunately, not so. There are several ways that a last differs from a foot.
Some time ago I decided that the only long term solution to the "last" problem was to learn to make them myself. With time, effort, and training,
I learned various ways to make a last. So, to fill my clients needs in a timely manner, I have learned the art and craft of custom last making.
After a bootmaker (or shoemaker) has the correct last at hand he must turn his attention toward patterns. A pattern for a leather belt or a wallet is quite
straight forward-as these items lay out flat. Shoe patterns are a different matter altogether. With their compound curves, a foot that typically requests
precise fit, and the fact that the leather is stretched to make the shape, all interact to complicate shoe patterns.
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Like last making, the making of patterns has traditionally been “farmed out” to outside pattern shops or consultants—a specialty. No big deal for a shoe
manufacturer, but a challenge for the custom boot shop where custom or specific patterns are needed for nearly every client. This point of patterns is
the “Achilles Heel” for many custom bootmakers. Often they have learned to work the leather wonderfully—but are limited to the pattens they have on hand
that came with the shop or that granddad had, or that they have hired someone to make. Unfortunately, there are precious few shoe-pattern makers still
working in the U.S., nor can you buy patterns from a catalog.
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I was fortunate. While I was attending the Lynn Shoe School, they offered a course in pattern making. Tom Muckian was a professional pattern maker employed
by New England Shoe Pattern Co, Inc. in Brockton MA—and taught pattern making at the school in the evenings. I learned the basics from Tom and for years
wrestled through the needs of my clients on by one. While I was with the Merrell Boot Company I, once again, had the opportunity to work with professional
pattern makers both in Italy and Germany, giving my pattern skills a real boost. For the past 20 years, I have taught the basics to my students, which has
been a boost as well. I have become one of those professional pattern makers that I envied in the beginning. Hand me a last and I can make any kind of shoe or
boot pattern that you may desire. From time to time one of my shoemaking friends will prevail upon me to make patterns for them. |
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