Hello. I’ve made some new shoes… some black suede oxfords. My fourth pair of black oxfords. Fourth?! Ha!
Yes, four pairs seems a tad excessive, mmmmm? but really, my first three pairs were all in the realm of practise runs really. I’ve still been wearing them all, because, well, they all work just fine! and there’s nothing more useful than a pair of black oxfords in winter… they go with everything. But my new ones are possibly the first ones that I feel I needn’t be at all ashamed of! No need to sheepishly hide my feet under my chair at ladies’ gatherings, hehe… Nowadays I finally feel like I’m getting shoe-making right and it’s even… dare I say it? actually quite… easy? Yes, I dare. Well, I’ve made quite a lot now, so it’s about time I got my act together!
I decided I was desperately in need of a new pair when I got out these ones to wear with my new tartan shirtdress… they too have been rain-drenched a few times and are looking pretty tired now. 
Yes, it’s a bit sad when something once wonderful to yourself is no longer so wonderful; but shoes do get worn, so it’s inevitable. Only just a teeny bit sad though, since; well, now I have some new ones!! Which I reckon are much, much better. 
These are made in black REAL suede, which is actually a product of the old Fremantle Tannery, an institution sadly now long long gone. Losing our old, local, heritage industries is a very sad state of affairs, however I’m glad that at least I’ve managed to get my hands on this little bit of local history, right here, and feel like I’ve honoured it by putting it to good use and making something worthy. Up until now I’ve been terrified of ruining this precious piece … I have such a very tiny stash of real leather and do not want to stuff any of it up! but I feel like my cobbling skills have improved a bit and I’ve shaken those fears off now. I bought this suede from Bilby Yarns, a treasure trove of Western Australian raw materials. That’s where I bought all my local merino and corriedale fleece when I did my one year one outfit project. I was sooooo thrilled when June unearthed some locally made leather for me!
They are lined completely with chocolate brown faux suede, from Spotlight, and the toe puffs and heel counters are made with stretch cotton denim and lots of PVA glue, as described in this post here.
The soles are cut from rubber sheeting, from Bunnings. I made my own stacked heels, as usual, glued them all together with contact adhesive, and sanded them all off nice and smooth before giving them a blacking, and finally a coat of satin varnish. On some of my shoes I’ve started to varnish underneath the soles too, like I saw Andrew Wrigley does with his handmade shoes. At the time I watched his video I wondered about the practicality of this; after all, isn’t that varnish going to get all scuffed up almost immediately? Now I like doing it too. Sure, it’s going to get scratched up, but it does look nice when it’s all new and shiny like this. And maybe it does help to protect that sole, for just a little bit longer than otherwise
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