One shoe to make.

You know, if I could only ever make one shoe style for the rest of my life... The Sandy would be it. I remember showing my shoemaking teacher how I lasted the shoes and he literally stood up from the table and said, "Why?!?! Who taught you this??? No No!" and he tried to last the shoes in a more classic method to no avail....sides would droop, tension lost. Lasting The Sandy is like a dance. You start at the back but anchor at the waist, you let go and swing the shoe around as you twirl back to where you had first nailed. You jump to the side then little gentle steps at the toe before you pull the back down. Finally you end by releasing the first nail and bowing the sides down gently. It is a choreography that machines can't replicate, a reflection of human hands. The steps are wonderful...thoughtful and in sync with seeing the last at all angles, untraditional yet totally natural. I feel graceful when I last The Sandy. And my response to my teacher when he asked how I learned to last this way? I said, "I'm a big girl who has put on pantyhose... you just know where to pull." 😂 (This week's work... The Sany in Liscio Porpora, Maine Pomerol, Troncato Undyed) #shoemaking #stories #handmade #shoes #bucktradition