To order products
send credit card information, name and address via telephone or fax or send check made out to Sharon Raymond to address below:
Sharon Raymond
145 Baker Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Tel: 413.259.1748
Fax: 413.241.6119
Email:
sharon @ simpleshoemaking.com (please eliminate spaces when using this email address)
Soles with an Edge
I hear from many of you who would love to make footwear but need patterns and soling. This is the page where you can find the soles you are seeking. I envision a riot of creativity, as it becomes as common to make one's own shoes as it is to sew a skirt or make a piece of jewelry. I view footwear as clothing for the feet, with the same limitless range of materials, designs and embellishments.
As with other pieces of clothing, these patterns may need to be adjusted so they fit you perfectly. My suggestion is that you make a mock-up shoe before cutting into any handmade or otherwise valuable upper material. I usually use two layers of commercial felt laminated together with spray adhesive for the uppers of the mock-up. I suggest using Skulky, an ozone-friendly spray adhesive. Peltex, a non-woven reinforcement material, works well as a mock-up sole.
I use sheets of biodegradable natural rubber to make the outer soles for Soles with an Edge, or a Vibram sole.
Click here to see an article that illuminates the problems that can result from the use of non-biodegradable materials.
Soles with an Edge
Soles with an Edge are soles with a suede or non-leather strip standing up around the edge of the sole. There are perforations along the top of the strip, so you can place your handmade boot or clog inside the suede edge, stitch your footwear to it - and if you have chosen outdoor soling, go for a walk outside!
Ordering Soling
If you are using patterns from Stacey Trock or Northeast Fiber Arts, which have no soles on the bottom of the knitted or crocheted boots that you make, please see my suggested directions for attaching a commercial felt sole to the boot on the Felt & Fiber Footwear page - in red, at the bottom of the page.
To order soles, first determine the length of your feet in inches, as measured by standing on a piece of paper with your heel against a wall. Have someone make a mark at the end of your longest toe, then measure from the wall to that mark; use that measurement to order from the chart below:
Length of sole |
Foot length from wall to end of toe | Order Size |
8 7/8" |
8 3/8" - 8 3/4" | A |
9 5/8" |
9" - 9 3/8" | C |
10" |
9 3/8" - 9 3/4" | D |
10 3/8" |
9 3/4" - 10" | E |
10 3/4" |
10" - 10 3/8" | F |
11 1/8" |
10 3/8" - 10 3/4" | G |
11 1/2" |
10 3/4" - 11" | H |
11 7/8" |
11" - 11 3/8" | I |
To assure (as much as is possible) that you are ordering the correct-size sole, print the sole pattern at the bottom of this page, and alter it so it is the same length as the sole measurement on the left of the chart above that your foot measurement falls into. For instance, if your foot is 9 5/8" as measured above, enlarge the sole to 10", size 7. Transfer the sole pattern to cereal-box or priority-mailing envelope cardboard and cut it out.
Make a model of the suede edge by cutting a strip of paper about 1 1/4" wide and as long as the distance around your cardboard sole. Leave 3/4" sticking up above the sole, then cut slits in the 1/2" so it can be taped under the sole, as shown in drawing at right. Stand inside this model of a Sole with an Edge and, considering the thickness of the boot material that you will be using, determine if it is the correct size for you. If not, modify the model until you find your size.
On my printer, I enlarged the pattern by the following percentages to get the sole lengths listed above:
size 6 - 124% of sole pattern below
size 7 - 130% of sole pattern below
size 8 - 133% of sole pattern below
size 9 - 137% of sole pattern below
size 10 - 142% of sole pattern below
OPTIONS:
Colors:
The colors of suede edges available on the soles are: black, blue, brown, forest green, gray, green, moss green, pink, purple, red. Soles made in these colors are not returnable, so please make the mockup as described above to assure yourself that you are ordering the correct size. I also have some pastel shade of ultrasuede and a black rubbery material for those who do not want to use leather. I can do some custom suede edges, please inquire if you have something unique in mind.Metal Loops:
Metal loops to stitch under Soles with an Edge to lace running laces or cords through, to hold boot close to leg.
Twelve for $3.00, 16 needed for Yuki and Calli, $4.00
Suede heel covers, $5.00
INDOOR SOLES:
Suede Soles
Indoor soles made of suede, with a folded-over top edge that makes them much more substantial than the usual suede sole, available in colors listed and in children's sizes.
Children's sizes - $15 plus $5 shipping
Adults - $22 plus $5 shipping
Select size and color below:
Child's Suede Sole
Adult Suede Sole
Natural Rubber Indoor Soles
Similar to the suede sole described above, with a thin natural rubber sole stitched to it, for added traction.
Children's sizes - $18 plus $5 shipping
Adults - $25 plus $5 shipping
Select size and color below:
Child's Natural Rubber Sole
Adult Natural Rubber Sole
OUTDOOR SOLES:
Child's Outdoor Soles
These soles have a 1/4" natural rubber sole with 1/4" heel. The sole is stitched to the suede edge so no shoe cements are used. This results in a very flexible sole.
$22 plus $5 shipping. Select size and color below:
Adult Outdoor Soles
These are made of 3/8" natural rubber with 1/4" heel. This is also a flexible sole, which keeps feet warm in cold conditions, and is my preferred soling.
$35 plus $5 shipping. Select size and color below:
Vibram Soles
$40 plus $5 shipping. Select size and color below:
Suede Heel Covers, $5
Metal Loops:
These are used to stitch under Soles with an Edge, for running laces or cords through, to hold boot close to leg.
Twelve for $3. Select from colors listed below.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have, as custom soles with other colors of suede, non-leather edging, or different widths are available.
HOW TO STITCH "SOLES WITH AN EDGE" TO YOUR BOOTS:
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Use Sulky KK 2000 to adhere the sole of your boot inside the Sole with an Edge (I advocate for this product because it is non-toxic, odorless, ozone-friendly, and is widely-available at fabric stores). Spray inside the Sole with an Edge, turning the "Edge" under so no adhesive gets on it, then press your boot down onto the sole inside the Edge. A couple of safety pins can help keep boot aligned if needed. -
Prepare a stitching thread a couple of times longer than your outstretched arms. Attach a glover's needle to it. (It slices through any fabric, and your finger as well if you're not careful). Use a double thread if your thread is thin. Make your first stitch, through the fabric only, down inside the suede edge where it won’t be seen, in the area of the opening in the suede edge. Pull the thread up through the nearest hole in the suede edge.
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Using a “back stitch”, pass the needle through the next hole to your right, then through the material behind the hole. If you are in an area where you can reach your hand inside the boot, grab the needle and pass it back out through the hole to the left of your just-completed stitch. Pliers are useful with very dense material. You might practice being ambidextrous - left-hand inside, right outside (for right-handers).
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If you are in an area where you can’t reach inside the boot, you can work just on the outside of the boot. After you have passed the needle through the hole to the right, then through the fabric, pass the tip of the needle out from the fabric directly above (in line with the top of the suede edge) the hole to the left of your last stitch. Push in on the fabric in that area with your left hand to help the needle emerge – you may want to grab the tip of the needle with small pliers to help you pull it through the fabric. Pull your thread through the fabric, then, in a separate pass, pull the thread all the way through that hole to your left. You don’t necessarily have to bring the needle all the way through the fabric at each stitch, but of course you do want to get a good “bite” of it at each stitch. -
When you come to the end of your thread, again bring it through the felt behind the suede edge and knot it. Stitch with the next thread exactly as you did the first. When the boot is entirely stitched to the sole, make a knot again inside the suede edge and clip.
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If you plan to use metal loops to run a lace or cord through so your boot can be drawn in close to your leg, note the locations for them marked inside your Soles with an Edge, and catch them while you are stitching. These work best when they are attached to a heel cover as well as the suede edge.
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If you have ordered a suede heel cover, safety-pin it in place by aligning the back of the heel mark with the center of the heel cover. When you come to this area, catch the bottom edge of the heel cover in your stitches. To stitch the top edge of the heel cover, use a running stitch in and out from one edge to the other, then back with a running stitch to fill in the spaces you made with the first running stitch. If you want your cord to pass through loops on the edge of the heel cover, stitch them in place while stitching on the heel cover, at the points marked on the heel cover.
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