My mate Jo is a champ....

....because she visits from Japan and brings me these goodies, they are the perfect size for my belts, plus they are the good old lickable stamps, which means they soak off the paper easy peasy. Not like these new self-adhesive stamps which are a real bastard to soak.

Listening to : Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love

On my bedside table

Well it's on my bedside table, on my kitchen table, on my scanner, on my lap, in my bag, on my friend's various tables, on bookshelves in homes and in stores, on lists of things to get for beloveds - folks this book is everywhere!

As a project of mine is included, I am far from impartial, and as Pip is a dear friend and supporter of my work, I have nothing but love for this tome.

What can I say, the design and photography are gorgeous, the format is compact and practical (spiral bound so it stays flat when open), the projects are sure to have craftistas making and doing all over the place. I wonder if anyone will attempt my leather project? Hey let me know if you are!

This is one of my pages, with a collage of bits that I love: Princess Leia trading card, stamps, leather swatches, crocheted flower, chinese money envelopes, embroidered purse from Camberwell and Hokusai's Great Wave of Kanagawa. I think I might use this as my new screensaver.

OK it's multitasking Friday, so I am off to:
shred old bills
do dishes
plant seedlings
write Handmade in Melbourne submission
haul the laundry in
& get ready for a big capoeira weekend - it's our Batizado! Workshops start tonight, vamos embora!

Listening to: Angie Stone - Lover's Ghetto and a live version here

Yes, actually I am

So Emma, are you still making those shoes for your sister?
Well yes, actually I am. There have been a series of sick days for the boy, a lost mojo situation, and a great deal of procrastination.
You see, these shoes have what is called a 'leaf' sole, where the sole wraps down the front face of the heel, and truth be told, they are my least favourite type of soles to make and attach.
Fitting the sole without glue is rather tricky, and always seems a bit vague, I usually end up trimming some excess from the sole where it goes down the front of the heel.
Some people attach the sole to the heel, and then both to the shoe; I attach the heel, then fit and shape the sole and then stick the sole onto the shoe/heel in one go. Confusing?
I'm interested in trying the other way, if anyone has done it then let me know!

Sanding the forepart of the sole to attach.......

Non-slip Topy half-soles ahoy!

A wee bit of branding.

Listening to: Ohio Players - Never Had a Dream

Anyone seen my mojo?

Hey there folks,
I am still here, it's just that I lost my mojo recently.
Many projects on the go, some images and progress reports soon, a bit more RSI from over-crocheting......
I just feel a little frustrated and lacking in enthusiasm.
Once the meticulous planning is over, it will be full steam ahead, I hope.
I have to keep repeating the mantra 'Keep It Simple Stupid', or 'Just Make It And Stop Planning', as one of my shoemaking teachers used to constantly tell me.

More soon

Listening to: D'Angelo - Devil's Pie

Blowing one's trumpet

As the owner/operator of a small business it is also one of my tasks to be a publicist, hence this gratuitous piece.
Denise at Artisan is a gem, and here's the result, an article from the Brisbane Courier Mail, maybe a week or so ago.

Listening to: Tchaikovsky - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

Finally a shopfront!

Well, after much data entry and resizing of images, I am ever so proud to announce that the emerge shoppe is open for business!
Cue the trumpets and streamers!

It has taken me a while to sort out, as I am a bit of a perfectionist, but I hope that it meets your exacting standards. Bear in mind that it's all in its infancy, and that some things may need ironing out a bit.

I'll also need your help to spread the word, something like - 'oh have you been to that a fab new online shoppe which sells an assortment of delicious leather goods? yes indeed, it's called emerge shoppe, I can't believe you haven't heard, where have you been?'

Or you could just link me! Come over and visit, let me know what you think of the decorating.

Listening to: Cornelius - New Music Machine live in Japan

In the studio

Here's the latest on my sister's cute little court shoes,(also known as pumps but I really hate that term).
These strange-looking items are the heel stiffeners, pieces of leather that have been shaved down at the edges so that they are lovely and smooth between the upper and lining. Before lasting the shoes I spray the stiffeners with water to make them malleable, then paint on some water-based paste so that there is some slip between the layers.


This image is a little disorienting, but it shows the upper of the shoe upside down and opened up, with the stiffener in place at the heel. I then apply more paste to the inside of the stiffener and get hammering.
Setting up a shoe to be lasted still fills me with nerves, it's a bit of a wrestle, using lots of tiny metal tacks to attach the upper to the last in exact position. Of course you have to replicate this identically on the other shoe, so there's a lot of measuring and squinting, comparing, possible swearing, and finally sighing.
I apply some contact adhesive at this point, once that is tacky I am ready to start lasting - that is wrapping the upper over the last with no visible creases. I use lasting pincers and make lots of tiny little pleats on the underside of the last.


Here you can see the heel section lasted, it's always a great feeling to get to this point because I really enjoy lasting the toes.

This shot shows the toes which have had the lining lasted, then I've applied a thermoplastic (this means heat-activated) toe stiffener, which I then paste over, and quickly last the final layer.
Depending on the toe shape, lasting the toes is usually a dream, as you are doing it all in separate layers, and can therefore get a nice neat finish. Pointy toes can be tricky, as there is a lot of leather needing to cram into a little space, but I have persuasive ways! I also have a lovely pair of fine-nosed pincers, which one of my teachers used to call 'ladies' pincers, said in the voice of Emily Howard from Little Britain.

On another note I am so excited about the rain, I do love Autumn! For me it's all about cardigans, knee-high socks and big pots of minestrone, which is what I'm off to make now.

Listening to: The Mighty Boosh- Future Sailors (I love my little Vincey!)