Idle hands

Since my pre-market frenzy late last year, I have hardly been into the studio at all. I was talking about this with Sam, who has a studio near our home, that when you aren't going to your creative space it feels a bit like you're only half present, or that you're only a portion of your entire person. Something like that.

So while Granny has been visiting, and cabin fever has been ensuing, I pinched a bit of studio time the other day, to finish lasting these navy Printemps shoes, which I had made in stages for a demo at Craft Vic.

It did feel a bit weird 'working' while so many folk are holidaying, it was a bit hard to muster a gung-ho attitude, I was vagueing out a bit and singing along to Curtis Mayfield, but the work got done. I think that I am preferring 'softer' crafts during this period; crochet, stamp soaking, you know the genteel sitting down DVD kind of crafts.

So to explain this image briefly, what I am doing here is talcing the last. Simply rubbing talc onto the toe and heel area, this is so that the shoe slides off easily. I've built up the toe and heel with leather, which absorbs water, and the heel stiffener is wet leather with paste on either side, so there is always the possibility that the moisture will seep through and slightly stick to the last. I have seen a last that would not come out and had to be destroyed in order to get at the shoe - 'twas not pleasant.



Finished, shiny navy leather, destined for my feet, but there is a lot of work to go, especially dyeing the embroidery cloth navy and stitching the spat detail in white thread - joy!


My boy has received some amazing crafty presents, and is cutting and pasting up a storm. You can check out his exploits over at his blog, or website as he calls it.

Off to make some green salsa, that stuff is the elixir of life - YUM!