Shoemaker

[Love4heels]

Have you ever had a thought of being a shoemaker?

[hh4evr1]

No. I'm not very good at designing.

[FastFreddy2]

Yes.

I have for a very long time, and haven't yet given up hope of learning.

When I was younger, for a while I helped out in a shoe repair shop on the retail side. The day I was there, the cobbler was off. The shop also sold fishing tackle, and that was my 'in' to being there. [Fishing.] Loved the smell of the place....

When I did my photography qualification, I did a study on one of the last two cobblers in the area. I have a photograph of a fella hitting a nail into the heel of a shoe that he was repairing. With very little light in the work area, I have a blurred arm indicating movement. The picture is in black and white, and is an image I'm particularly proud of. I suspect the subject will have passed some considerable time ago. Houses have sat on the cobblers old shop site, for a good 25 years...

I did once have a go at making some high heel shoes out of fibreglass resin and woven fibreglass material. Possibly, I still have them in my 'old trunk'. As I acquired some handmade shoes from the LSB, I never needed to finish them off. Having had to use fibreglass again recently to repair a new bath (rather than to repair rusty old cars), I have been thinking of having another try at finishing off the original idea .... I doubt it will go further than thinking about it though.

Also, I keep forgetting, Mrs Freddy's grandfather was a cobbler. A good cobbler, but not so good businessman. He made a living, but died poor, having undercharged more frequently than he should have. "A bit of a soft touch" I believe.