A made-to-measure shoe is created (3) The upper construction
The cutting
The corresponding individual parts of the upper and lining shafts are cut using the previously created template set. In most cases, this is still done by hand with a special and very sharp cutting knife for a custom-made shoe.
The cut parts are then prepared for further processing. This includes, among other things, pre-marking the position of decorative seams or eyelet holes on the sheep components or the so-called sharpening. This refers to tapering the edge of the socket towards the edge. This is particularly important when two socket parts overlap, i.e. lie on top of each other. This operation is done either manually with a special sharpening knife or mechanically with a sharpening machine. If you were to forego sharpening, this would result in unsightly material transitions, which can have a negative impact on wearing comfort. This operation is also indispensable if the edge of the socket part is to be folded over for cosmetic purposes, also known as bending. Upper parts are bent if no open material edge is to be seen on the shoe.
The stepping
In the next step, the prepared individual parts are sewn together with sewing machines, in this context it is also called “quilting”. For this purpose, there are different sewing machines for different types of seams and materials. Basically, however, it is important to mention in this context that sewing leather is a completely different challenge than sewing textiles. When sewing textiles, one has the great advantage that if a seam is faulty, it can simply be undone again without leaving any residue. This is not the case with leather, as the sewing material is perforated with each needle stitch and these holes remain and are visible after the seam is unraveled. So you have only one chance to set a correct seam.
Sewing together the two-dimensional, two-dimensional socket components creates a three-dimensional structure, the finished socket. It consists of the upper shaft, which can be seen from the outside, and the lining shaft, which is in direct contact with the foot.
The stock now needs to be shaped and for this it is “tweaked” over the dimensional battens – but we will come back to this in detail in a later blog post. Before that, some preparatory work is necessary which I will discuss in the following article.
following article
in more detail.
