YouTube video by Sharon Raymond showing a process of shoe fitting without a last
Notes
- trace the foot
- add toe allowance
- add an allowance all around the tracing
- cut a frame out of cardboard in the shape of the allowance around the foot tracing
- mark lines a fixed spacing apart around the cardboard frame
- avoid marking a line at the backseam
- mark lines halfway forward from the heel to the toe
- cut a test upper of felt, sizing according to the rough length-size of the foot
- place the frame around the person’s leg and the felt upper over their foot
- add a strip or cardboard under their toes to create room above the toes in the final upper
- drop the frame down to the ground
- for derbies, use binder clips to adjust the upper so its intended halfway lines line up with those on the frame
- mark the amount clipped together at the backseam for removal later
- trace the inside of the frame onto the felt upper with a felt-tip marker
- mark the halfway lines onto the felt upper
- copy the spaced stitching marks from the frame onto the upper
- better to make stitch spacing marks on the outside of the foot first so that any remainder dividing available space by the stitch spacing can be spread across unequal stitches on the inside of the foot
- making stitchdown chukka boots, so add allowance around the upper for the bottom flange