Medieval Turn Shoes

This was another “whim” project. I got to thinking “how hard could shoes be?” Well, the answer is not as hard as you think…but definitely not a breeze. I wouldn’t say these shoes were a rousing success, but I will say I learned a ton about cobbling from it. I made a duct tape pattern off of my foot. Transferred it to paper and then to the leather. Ideally you’d stitch this shoe inside out and then turn it right side out (hence the name “turn shoes”). My leather was too thick for that, thats why all the panels are stitched together with a criss-cross leather stitch. The shoes lasted about 2 years of abuse but unfortunately because the stitching on the sole, (though recessed) was exposed, the abuse and wear and tear I put them through eventually wore through the thread and the sole came off. In the future I’ll plan to make the thread internal. I also quite like the outside stitching aesthetic wise, I might keep that unless a more durable and attractive option presents