Dearest Hive and Needleworking Friends!
Here are my shoes - ALMOST COMPLETE-ISSIMI - do you love them yet?? They really did go through an ugly phase, eh, and the last post that I wrote about them expressed how rather flat I was feeling at that point… sensing that the finishing was going to be too steep a learning curve. But the enthusiasm that sharing with Needlework Monday community returned to me was immense – I rode it onwards quite almost-effortlessly!
Apart from a glitch/ wrong-sewing of the tongue in, the ongoing phase was really straightforward: making button attachments and slits in the side and completing the ‘buttonhole’ tabs… one thing followed the other relatively nicely and smartly – each step was obvious, and the shoes appeared to take much-more-beautiful shape, all of a sudden.
working on the street below my house, in blazing sunshine and lovely heat!
They went from being lumpy brown foot bags, to being a lovely shapely shoe, as the buttons and straps met each other and pulled the shoe into place.
cutting the loops from the edge of the old leather skirt front
Then I even got to wear them!! Oh my! What divine foot caressing! Lots of movement possibilities! A second skin for connecting me to the Earth whilst protecting my soles from puncturing or getting super dirty!
amusing cat interlude: Betty loves the sun, and was enjoying laying next to me as I sewed merrily away!
It should be the simplest and most natural thing in one’s life, to clothe one’s feet (particularly inside the home), and yet – who does this? And why not? E.g. As I mentioned in the other blog, it was an early passion of mine to make a covering for my foot: I was inspired by shoes that I saw around me, and I wanted to MAKE MY OWN, from nature – and I acted on the urge... and made them…. Then got put off from going further, by bullying.
Something very blessed that I’ve learned in my 50 + years of being a creative human is that our first feeling for what we’re most passionate about, is usually Right. And, even if we don’t keep on that particular path of our first passion, we can ALWAYS come back to it, and pick it up and play with it again. This is one of the beautiful creative facts of life: our passions, our loves, our favourite occupations, will be there always – THOUGH the sooner we pick them up, the more mastery of them we can gain in our finite lifetime!
Once I made this shaping of the shoes, I began taking out other old (pre-made) shoes and thinking on how to take them apart, make them fit better, add things to them and take things away. I was enthused and excited by the enormously happy feeling of completing this project - that had been at least 4 decades in embryo! – and this was a great tonic to my having been stuck in the middle of the creation, losing energy.
the final, smaller work-tray, which is much easier to navigate, as I embark on the final stage of the shoe finishing
And I even tested out a quick pad about my house one evening in these new magical slipper-shoes, marvelling in their softness and comfort!! It is a profound act of self-care and empowerment, crafting these beautiful, silly, funky, wild, primitive, flexible super-shoes: I highly recommend it to anyone who has harboured a passion like this and never acted on it; it is never too late!
Sunday market coffee, charging up my mobile phone with a mini solar panel, and putting some edging stitching on the shoes
Okay: wish me luck now in actually completing them! I started the final-final phase, which involves going over all the brown stitching at the edges of the shoes, and I still have to add a tongue to each one. It might take a whole other week to get the the kind of final stage that I will finally accept as ‘finished’, but it feels close, hehe!
cutting the edges of the shoes to neaten them up - having taken out the basting stitches which was holding the three sole layers together
Much, much love to all in the needlework community – as ever your support is invaluable!
www.claregaiasophia.com
Almost beautiful?
Wonderfull!! I love every part of it💛 the button, the over layering at the front, your thoughts😊
I think Hobbits are also not wearing shoes for reasons of connectedness to the soil and surrounding, reminds me of it anyways.
(it's been quite a while and now it's just beautiful to come back and see you in all your creative splendour, doing what you do best❤️)
It was such a thrill to see you back on Hive this morning, dearest dear friend!! And to have your hugely-respected thoughts on my shoe experiments!! 😍 Aye: no shoes are the best kind of foot solution, like the Hobbits - that was my childhood preference... But minimal shoes are a lot of fun to play with too, for sure...
And yey, the buttons are such a perfect match, thanks to that gift from my new friend Madeleine... Talking of which, the new Workawayers who took the place of Jan and Madeleine caring for an american house and cats here, were really into my 'shop' and loved your creations too - one was going to buy your epic tall leather boots, but they were a bit tight 😛 I showed them your amazing blog, and they are very into joining Hive! They are art students in Brighton, England.
So, there's already a bit of movement and interest here, and it'll be a massive summer for Guardia - I'll keep u posted: am getting lots of potential collaborations and even clothing commissions potential... 🥳👑😎
Blessings on your spring flourishment, gorgeous!
Oooh😍 That sounds like awesome news!!! Seems like the right things are stirred up😁
Yes, tell me all about it! The shop for summer, sounds like I have to come over, no choice😂
Ha yes, I was just thinking the Hobbit way is like the first step, and the next one to actually create what you are missing, instead of just "not-using" what you don't like!
🌸💕
They really are coming along nicely. I liked the 6th from the end photo of them the best. And I'm assuming they passed inspection by your supervisor?
Thanks so much for commenting dear @goldenoakfarm ! Yey: that's one of my favourites too - and it inspires me about making some more open sandals for my next shoe project! Inspection from my supervisor made me smile: were you kidding? Or did you think I am doing a conventional institutional mastery course? Either way - you made me think of my inner critic 'supervisor' - who gave me quite a low mark, and is expecting me to do better next time 😊 heheheh! Much love!
No, no, I was referring to the furry supervisor. Any really good worker has one. :))
Hehe - ah, nice - just goes to show how many ways a comment can be interpreted from across the internet, eh! 😆 Yes, my cat inspection went well: all three have enjoyed investigating these new leather friends 😜 Thanks so much for your lovely comments!
Now this is a unique and cute creation. You are so cool, making it on your own. I'm sure it's a lot of fun too while making it 🤩
Aw, thank you for saying so, friend... Yes indeed, fun and frustration in equal measure, haha! 🤗☺️😝 Have a lovely, creative day! 🪷
I love your working spot in the sunshine and visited by your cat. It is interesting to me that you call it a street, it looks like a walkway of some kind, are cars able to transit it to?
The process of your shoe cobling is very intersting and looks extremely complicated. It is making me really appreciate the shoes I do have that are made of natural material!
Ciao beautiful and talented co-creative sister - so lovely to have ypur gorgeous response here, thank you sincerely... And yes! It is so sweet how whatever I'm doing in the Via, Beniamino, Betty and Fridha come and sit or lie near me... They feel safer too, and get energised by the company 🤗 Aye, it is a pedestrian street - with steep marble steps at either end of it, quite far from the nearest car... Very nice for cats, with the big wild gardens below...
And siiii: it has been MUCH more complicated I think than I'd do next time! But a great, intense learning process of course - so keeping me alert and growing my skills a lot... worth the efforts!
Blessed day to you, dear @calendulacraft!
🪷
Hi Clare! What a thrill to see the shoes almost finished, it's true that they seem to have taken shape very quickly! I can imagine the first people who will have made shoes, surely they will have gone through a process similar to yours, full of knowledge and discoveries.
Congratulations! Let's wait to see the final result, with a great photo session with the shoes in action.
Greetings and have a great week ❤️.
Ciao dearest @lauramica! ❤️🔥 Thank you hugely for this great comment, and for stimulating me to do a final photoshoot: yes indeed, I shall endeavour to do that soon, as I finished them yesterday - WOOP WOOP! 🥳🥳🥳😍👑 And have quite a lot of insight into the process of such a big self-challenge as this, to impart to the community here... So look forward to sharing again, and thank you for the invaluable support!
I can’t believe how nice these shoes are turning now
You didn’t really know if it’ll be become nice but you kept on working in it
I’m glad you did kept on pushing forward
Thank you dearest @abenad - yes, it's a great process to stick with it, even though I hoped they'd be more beautiful AND feared they were becoming uglier, hehe! Finishing will feel GOOD.
Blessings!
🌞
Hehe
You’re welcome
Greetings @clareartista , how exciting to see the shoes almost finished, they look comfortable, it's amazing how they took shape in the last week, you did a great job; thanks for sharing the creative process, at this point the difficulties are left aside and seeing the result is satisfying; Congratulations for the achievement.
Happy Monday!
Thank you most beautiful friend!! Yes, the comfort is incredible - something I'd like to see how far I can balance with beauty, functionality and endurance... It does feel soooo good adding the final details - and letting them go! I'm working on being more methodical about finishing, too.
Have a gorgeous creative day 🤗🪷
I love these so much! I've fiddled a bit with trying to make shoes before without much success. What did you use as the thicker padding at the bottom?
These are beautiful!!
!LUV
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This is really creativity at its peak and I am sure you must have really put in a whole lot of work to make sure this work out. The leather shoes came out amazing
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#hive #posh
Blessings and gratitude dear Lee!
Thanks
I love the detailed work you show. They look beautiful and I'm sure when finished they will be spectacular. Great job doing this kind of work, congratulations! I loved reading you
What a lovely comment - I appreciate this a lot dear friend @littlesorceress 🪷👑 They're not as perfect as I want them to be, but beautiful in their own way nonetheless!! The next ones will be more fabulous 🌠🌻
Doing what we love is simply magical. As for the shoes, they are looking very nice on you. I'll wait to see the final result.
Thank you dear friend - I very much appreciate your good words 🪷