Leather Shoe Making Sharing Session

One of our very talented leather craftsman in the Singapore Teddy Bear Lovers group gave us a free leather shoe making session last weekend!

L-R: Wayne, Paula, Evelyn, Esther, Su Ling and Philip

Everyone was very excited as shoes is an accessory which can be added to enhance the overall appearance of our teddy bears and dolls!

Mr Chio is a self-taught leather craftsman and has been working with leather for more than 2 years! His passion has driven him to create a variety of leather products ranging from shoes, wallets, bags and even a sheath for a sword! Everyone in the group chipped in to pay for the materials that Chio bought, and we booked a room for the workshop.

Creating the Template

Tracing on leather and punching holes on the leather

Using a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the pattern

First, we had to cut out the template of the shoes and trace them onto the back of the leather. When we were done, we applied dot punching onto the leather using a mallet. It is very important to place a piece of cutting mat or thick layers of newspapers beneath to prevent any damage to the table surface. Once all the holes were punched and ready for stitching, we soaked the leather in water to soften and bend areas to help form the shape of the shoes before stitching.

Everyone looks so serious!

Mr Chio and his group of students

We used waxed thread for sewing and applied the ladder stitching technique, which is strong and durable. After the shoe was sewn, we cut out an additional base and heel to increase the leather thickness.

Leather stitching with waxed thread

Almost done! Where's the shoe laces?

It was a pity that most of us were unable to complete the shoes in 3 hours and we decided to bring the shoes home to complete them. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Chio for sharing his craft with us and Esther for booking the room. We absolutely enjoyed it and look forward to the next gathering.

Once the pair of shoes have been completed, we will share some pictures with everyone!

Wayne and Paula

We hope you enjoyed reading our gathering session. Till next time!

Hugs, Wayne