Busy making

Hello, it's been a while...

I've been very busy during my bloggy silence... busy making shoes, busy being a mum, busy making life run in some sort of order, and busy making (and now bringing up) baby number two.

A brand new Chickpea

'Chickpea' was born in late March and has been such a fabulous addition to our family, despite the sleep deprivation, the screaming, the tears (mine), the endless feeding, the borderline post-natal depression, the endless endless sleep deprivation... it's getting easier, slowly, and the gorgeous smiles and happy gurgles which are becoming more frequent are the best reward in the world for all the crap that goes with having a newborn.

Bean and Chickpea : day of birth

The Bean is besotted with her little sister and is a great helper.  Most of the time.

Chickpea at one month

It has been a difficult adjustment for her - at times she has felt very alone, and left out.  Mummy is always busy with the baby or too tired or cranky, daddy is busy at work or trying to keep the house running and there is very little time to play with one demanding four year old.  We're muddling through... and all very much looking forward to the day Beanie and Chickpea can play together!

Two months

I've made numerous pair of shoes since my last post.  The last year (and a half or so) saw a bit of a spike in orders... partly due to the Bean starting kinder which allowed a bit more making time.  Not a post for today though... I will try to eventually put photos up.  There are photos of them all on my facebook page in the meantime, if you want to have a look.

Once Chickpea is a bit older I'm hoping to get back into the shoemaking zone... I miss it terribly, since I had to stop midway through my pregnancy.  I've been thinking a lot about the direction I want to take in the future... not sure I want to stick with tap shoes, but we'll see.  I have a bit of time to think about it...

Miss Julie's Shoes

Another pair finished, and another happy customer!

Miss Julie's shoes cut out

Miss Julie was in the very first class I joined at my tap school... she is an extremely lovely lady, and I was very pleased to finally be able to make some shoes for her... she's been waiting for a very long time!

almost there...

Miss Julie was a huge inspiration for me and my shoes... she had a style of shoe I'd not really seen around much, and she'd tied them with ribbons... they looked so gorgeous I desperately wanted a pair!  The year after I started tap was the year I did my shoemaking course, and the rest, as they say, is history.

finished!

Oh, and I don't think I've mentioned before that each pair of my shoes comes with its own special bag, which I customise to suit the shoes. 

 

The bags are lined with a black flannelette... nice and soft to protect the leather, and black to hide the marks the taps will make on it! 

 

They are also sewn down the middle to stop the taps marking the other shoe.  

So Miss Julie, enjoy your shoes, and thank you so much for your inspiration!

happy feet...

Samples, samples and more samples

So I finally got these samples finished...

And then started on and finished another lot...

And now I almost have samples in a size range for two different styles of last!  That's nine samples out of twelve... and I've got two more pairs half sewn/cut out.  It's feels great to be almost finished with the samples... it's been a much longer process than I'd hoped it would be.

But I'm very glad I've taken the time to make samples for people to try on...  so far I've only had one customer (out of eleven) whose feet didn't really suit the shape of my shoes... but they still fit her, and it will save a lot of time measuring feet and guess work/fit testing in the future.  Not sure what I'll do if I ever expand to sell online.  I guess I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it!

I've got five orders on the go at the moment, all in various stages of beginning...  sneaky peeks soon.

Making do...

When you have a small set up (like me) and don't have a great deal of space (like me) or a whole heap of spare cash ('cause you're not yet making any money, like me!) sometimes there is a need to make do with equipment which is not-quite-right-but-good-enough-for-now.  It can also push you to be inventive and resourceful.

One of my favourite 'inventions' is my 'drill buffer'.  It comprises of old drill bits hammered into paint rollers, to buff and polish soles and heels.

I've since seen people using sanding wheels attached to their drills as well, so I'm by no means alone in exploring the many uses of the humble drill!

I've also become quite the budding mechanic... my sander wasn't working properly (the rear drum was slipping and hitting the housing), and even though it was just a loose screw, I was still proud of myself for being able to figure it out and locate the screw.

And I replaced the clutch motor on my post machine with a servo motor, all by myself.  

And I converted my Juki to a wheel foot (I finally got my Juki!  Woo hoo!  But that's another post...). 

 

And, what I'm most proud of, I repaired my skiving machine after it went 'clunk' and everything stopped turning.  That was a very involved (and greasy) job, but after pulling most of the skiver apart I was able to not only work out what was wrong, but resolve it and put it all back together.  Correctly. ;)  Take that, unhelpful repair people who sighed and refused the job, or wanted to charge me the earth to come fix it.

Don't mean to blow my own trumpet, but life has been ever so slightly crap lately, so it's nice to remind myself I'm good at some things...

Long time no blog

So what's been happening?

I've made two pairs of shoes which are now with their (very happy) new owners...

...and I have a bunch of fitting samples waiting for soles and heels. 

I'm thinking maybe soles and heels aren't my favourite bit... I seem to be dragging my feet rather badly... but perhaps it's more that I've been going a bit too hard with the working... I kinda feel since I only have two days a week I have to pack as much in as possible which sorta backfires when I wear myself out.

And I've been doing other stuff... like trying to get my corner of the garage sorted into a more efficient workspace, part of which involved some handy work with a staple gun, gaffer tape and 9m of clear tablecloth vinyl to make a 'sanding booth', so I stop coating the entire garage in a fine layer of dust every time I use the sander.  It has helped a lot, but dust is a bugger, and is still finding its way out.  I've also made a 'dust extractor' using a vacuum cleaner and a discarded plastic fireman's hat (thanks Beany baby) which helps a little.

I've also finding small pockets of time to do some sewing of the non-shoe kind... a couple of simple tunic dresses for the Bean, and the beginnings of a top for me.

A little bit of crochet here and there... and I might actually finish this Bean poncho and scarf for me in time for winter!

I'm not gonna promise more regular updates... every time I do I never keep it, so we'll just see what happens... :)

Tap Day 2013

On Sunday it was International Tap Dancing Day.  My tap dancing school, Glamour Puss Studios, celebrated with our usual "march o' glamour" through the streets of Melbourne...

 ...pausing outside The Arts Centre and its iconic spire for a bit of a Shim Sham...

 

...and again at Southgate, alongside the Yarra River, with the fabulous Flinders Street Station in the background.

 

Here we stopped for a performance.  The Bean, in her mini spotty dress and tiny tap shoes, joined in the fun, and quite frankly stole the show (apologies to everyone else who was over two and actually learned the routines...).

The Bean also scored a balloon rabbit (thanks, Mr Danny!) and did her own little impromptu concert with it...

...sadly it made friends with a bit of metal not long after this, and we had to explain the science behind balloons to a forlorn and confused Bean.

This year we had a special guest!  Miss 'Hello Kitty' joined us on our march and for our performance.  The Bean got to meet her, but was a tad unimpressed, and kept calling her Penny.  Which is our cat's name.  This is what happens when you deprive toddlers of licensed products.

It was a fabulous day, the weather was perfect, and we all had loads of fun. 

I'm thinking she might need a new dress (and shoes!) for next year...

all photos courtesy of Fudge and Luke Reid

Guess I lost the bloggy mojo there for a bit... hoping to get it back and post a little more regularly now that life has settled down a notch - my tap concert (and related craziness) is over for another year.  Not sure whether I'm more relieved or sad!

There were five of us (yes, five) wearing my tap shoes in the concert... in the last four months I finished three more pairs.  Introducing...

Miss Jane's 'Miss Eleanor' shoes...

Miss Chris' 'Miss Ann' shoes...

a little demo by Miss Chris

and Miss T's 'Miss Debbie' shoes...

It's feeling so fantastic to finally be doing this for real... even if progress is still a tad on the slow side.  I've decided not to take any more orders until February so that I can spend the next two and a bit months finalising all my patterns and try on samples, so that hopefully, when I start again, things will be a little more streamlined and I can make more shoes in less time!  I had so much interest from fellow tappers over the concert weekend I'm actually a little scared... it's still just me, only two days a week... but it's also very encouraging.  Looking forward to getting stuck into it all!

I've also launched a facebook page; if you want to check it out you can find it here.

Please excuse the yawning...

Oh my lordy lord.  Things have been insane around here.  My poor little Beanie baby has been very very unwell (last count, six different viruses/infections in the last two months)... the last one was particularly nasty, so much so we ended up at the children's hospital, but it fortunately proved to be nothing to panic over.  She spent four days (and nights) glued to me, allowing me to put her down two or three times a day when she rallied (an occasion which she invariably marked by doing a little dance, bless), but it usually lasted no longer than half an hour, then her temperature would sky rocket again and I'd have a sad and sick little Bean in my arms once more.  Of course Fudge was away on a work trip at the time... does it ever happen any other way?  I've been a nervous wreck with worry and am sooo sleep deprived...

Thankfully, for the moment, apart from a cold, Bean is much better.  Fudge is home, day care attendance has resumed, and I am s-l-o-w-l-y catching up on sleep.  And somehow, in amongst it all, I've managed to finish another three pairs of shoes!  I still can't quite understand how I did it, but I did.  I have proof.  Three pairs worth of shoes type proof.

Miss Jane's try-on Miss Eleanors

First I finished the Miss Eleanor samples for Miss Jane to try on.  She did, and to my relief (and amazement) they fit like a dream.  Yay!  Next step is to get started on Miss Jane's real pair, which will hopefully happen sometime this week.

Then I finished my Miss Eleanor shoes... I am so absolutely in love with them... especially the over-sized bows which make me feel like a 1930s showgirl (from the ankles down)... 

Oh so sparkly...

BUT - tears of disappointment and frustration - they hurt my heels.  I normally use leather stiffeners for the heels and toes of my shoes (sooo comfy), but found a heat activated plastic-y substitute which is a MUCH cheaper alternative.  I thought I'd give it a test run.  On my beautiful silver Miss Eleanors.  WHY did I do that?  It hurts.  A lot.  They rubbed painfully on my heels for the full five minutes I managed to wear them in class. I may be able to come up with some sort of extra padding/shielding solution when I have some time to play around.   

Sigh...

For now I must be content to just look at them. Massive note to self - STICK WITH THE LEATHER STIFFENERS.  Sob.

Miss Chris' try-on Miss Anns

And lastly, but not leastly (?), I finished the Miss Anns for Miss Chris to try on.  Which she is yet to do.  Crossed fingers they fit.  Very happy with the way these turned out too.  I'm finding my feet again with this shoe making caper (pardon the pun) and each pair is getting easier and faster to make.  And the results are better too.  Not that they've ever been bad, but when you're a perfectionist there is always room for improvement.

Now that I've got these sample pairs finished I'm feeling a lot better, like things are actually moving forward.  I'm really looking forward to making the 'real' pairs for Misses Jane and Chris... and to getting fit samples made in a few other sizes too.  I've got 'mock ups' sewn and ready to be lasted for my two other styles, and once the patterns are confirmed as correct I can set about making samples of them in other sizes for people to try on.

I'm beginning to think I might just be able to make a real go of this shoe making business... early days though Janine, let's not get ahead of ourselves...

I don't believe it...

... I finished my first customer order!

Say hello to Miss Helen's Miss Ann shoes...

I'm still in a bit of shock.  They seemed to take forever.  But Miss Helen has them in her possession, has worn them for a bit of a class (didn't want to scuff them, bless her), and I can now cross them off my 'to do' list once and for all.  Yay!

Miss Helen very obligingly allowed me to take a short video of her tapping in them...

She didn't want to 'hurt the shoes', so there are none of the ultra-tricky steps which Miss Helen is famous for mastering in one class... but you get to see the shoes doing some of what they were born to do!

Now to finish the next three orders...

Apologies for the poor quality of photos (and now video) of late... due to sheer laziness, I only ever can be bothered using my iPhone these days.

Introducing Miss Ann

Hi, Miss Ann!

Again, I was hoping to have some finished shoes to show off Miss Ann properly... but things are still taking forever, so here are some Miss Anns in progress.

This first pair is for my good tap buddy Miss Helen.  When I started tap a few years ago, my intention wasn't to make friends, it was really just to get out of the house and get moving again.  Miss Helen and a few others made it such an enjoyable experience I kept going back, and four years later the social aspect has definitely overtaken the 'getting out of the house' motivation.  So thanks Miss Helen et al, you ladies are the best!  I don't know which of us was more excited when I asked Miss Helen if she'd like to be a 'guinea pig' for my shoes.

Miss Helen chose some leather from my swatches and I did a computer mock up for her...

And then started work on the real thing!

This next pair are for Miss Chris to try on.  Miss Chris is another lovely lady from tap, with whom I've never done a class, but have gotten to know because she is just so friendly and, well, lovely!  They will become the 'try on' sample pair for everyone who is also size Miss Chris. 

Miss Chris' Miss Anns will also be black and silver, but different to Miss Helen's.  Again, you'll have to wait until they are in progress for a sneaky peek...

Both these pairs are ready for soles and heels now... I spent yesterday getting covered in wood and leather dust as I sanded and shaped four pairs of soles and heels for all the shoes I have waiting.

Thank you for your patience shoes...

And here are some more ideas of what can be done with this style...

Welcome to the range Miss Ann!

p.s.  I should mention this style is named for Ann Miller who was a phenomenal tap dancer and had two of the most enviable legs in show biz.  She was a fantastic all round performer, and if I had a fifth of her talent I'd be a very happy tapper.  This is one of my favourite Ann Miller routines... even though the taps are added post production, you can't deny that is some fancy footwork!

Playing along.

Introducing Miss Eleanor

Hi, Miss Eleanor!

I was wanting to wait until I had some finished shoes to introduce this next shoe in my range, but that may still be a month or so away... things are crawling at a snail's pace around here!  So here's a sneaky peak of a couple of pairs of Miss Eleanor in progress.

These are for, ahem, me... just to test the pattern and all, y'know...

 

Then I graded the pattern... love me a bit of pattern grading, nerd that I am...

And these are for my teacher Miss Jane (who is also the Headmistress of the school... no pressure, eek) to try on.  They will become the 'try on' sample pair for everyone who is size umm, size Miss Jane.

I'd love to give you a sneaky peak of the renderings I've done for Miss Jane... but I think I'll wait until the shoes are under way.  Let's just say they aren't black and white.

And here are some more ideas of what can be done with this style...

Welcome to the range Miss Eleanor!

p.s.  Eleanor Powell was an absolutely amazing tapper, one of the best female tap dancers ever.  I've posted this before, but have to again, 'cause it's so good!

Playing along...