The Society of Shoe Fitters newsletter Spring/Summer 2021
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I was so pleased to be invited to contribute to The Society of Shoefitters newsletter for Spring/Summer 2021. I consider my shoemaking in a fledgling state as I think there is still so much to learn. I want to expand this in the future and make more shoes. The shoes featured in the article are those I made on courses with Hetty Rose (the green ones) and at the London College of Fashion (black with embroidered heels).
Here is the article in full:
Training to be a shoe fitter seemed an obvious step after I had fallen in love with making shoes.
As an eternal learner and maker I like to ‘look under the bonnet’ and understand how things are made. I enjoy the challenge of moving a project from paper to three dimensional form. This could be making clothes, gloves or constructing templates for leather work projects. Currently on the workbench I am making a pair of bespoke shoes for playing the organ. A special request from a customer local to me who is wanting to take her organ playing to new heights.
I am a bespoke maker of leather goods. I teach leather work and sewing skills. I currently teach food and nutrition part time in a secondary school and run my own business, The Smart Stitcher, alongside this. Very different from my career as a mental health nurse when I left college. I have always loved making and in 2003 was lucky enough to gain a place at the Royal School of Needlework, on their three year apprenticeship. I changed career and dived into the world of high end embroidery. After my apprenticeship I trained as a teacher in textiles and Art.
In 2010 I discovered leather work and one thing led to another. I love the challenge of working with leather and the precision that is demanded. This was certainly a good challenge for my needlework skills. Having worked my way through making a range of leather goods and a whole host of courses, I discovered shoe making. Well that was it, I was hooked. I have been lucky enough to meet and train with some amazing people learning how shoes are made. At exhibitions I would talk and display the shoes I had made, having interesting conversations about feet and foot problems, so much so, that learning how to fit shoes seemed the obvious next step.
I have to make a confession here and I don’t know if I should tell you this. In 2018 I fell in love with high heels. I did not plan for it or ever imagine it would happen. I have never been able to wear any sort of heel, though I often imagine I can. I entered into the spirit of things whilst learning about shoe design and that was it. Then came the idea of adding embellishment to the shoes I make.
Though my shoe making is still in a fledgling state, the knowledge I have from training to fit shoes is invaluable, not only for the understanding of the foot and what makes a good fit, but knowing the limits of my skill set and when to advise people to seek specialist advice. I now spend a lot of time watching feet when I am out and about! Working in a school you see such a wide variety of footwear and there are times I find myself wincing on behalf of students and staff.
