Footwear, Civilized and Not So Much

Regenerative & Transitional Technology Shelter
#1

I noticed some subtle things about shoes. Those thick, hard, (sometimes tall) soles of our civilized shoes keep us disconnected from the earth, and raise us above it—not just in the physical sense. Think of the giant getas a geisha wears to keep her fancy floating-world kimonos from touching the muddy reality of earth (although Tengu, the mythical swamp goblins, wear them too, I hear :P) When I go barefoot, the world feels so shockingly different and full of sensation, compared to wearing shoes everywhere—such an obvious contrast—but what about this fine shade of “what kind of shoes”?.

I dug out these moccasins I stole from my mom’s closet as a teenager, when I first noticed this phenomenon but didn’t know what to make of it, long before the concept of questioning civilization itself really entered my conscious mind (I guess at that point I found little, baby step ways to rebel against “something wrong with this picture”).

I loved those mocs so much that I saved them & only wore them a little (thus I still have 'em, 20 years later), b/c I knew all the concrete & stuff we walk on in the city would tear them up fast. But a friend reminded me I could replace the soles pretty easily (duh!), so they get out a lot more now.

When I first got a job and started buying my own shoes, I got ballet shoes, not toe shoes, just the soft ones, and wore 'em all the time. It felt so incredibly great, to feel the ground with my toes through just one thin layer of leather, and still meet the whole shoe-wearing requirement. I felt like I’d discovered a secret no one else knew—like, haha! You think I have shoes on, but I can feel the ground under me, can you imagine that! They wore out fast, but didn’t cost too much.

Lately I’ve gotten in the habit of wearing big heavy clogs, which lift me pretty high up, b/c they leave enough room for air all around my feet and they kick off really easily. I feel so different stepping out into the world with the mocs on instead—not just that I feel what I walk on, but I feel somehow humbler, more grounded! The feeling in my feet definitely affects my mindset. That feeling inspired me to write all this—it really struck me.

In a wilderness first aid class the other day, we spent at least 15 minutes on blister care and looked at scads of products to prevent the problem—hard, tight-fitting boots making friction burns on our skin. Jeez, why not just wear looser, softer, boots?

At my son’s school, they make him wear shoes all day “in case of emergency”, which really grieves me, so I plan to make him some mocs. He can’t wait. I have a couple different ideas for patterns/how to shape it around his foot.

Anybody out there got a good one that works well?

#2

“The Craft Manual of North American Indian Footwear” by George M. White has kind of been the standard reference and pattern book for people wanting to make mocassins, who don’t have a Grandma to teach them, for about 40 years. Seems kind of complicated at first but after you do it it’s really pretty straight forward and makes sense.

“Blue Mountain Buckskin” by Jim Riggs has a good pattern.

#3

Thanks, heyvictor, and also for the deer info. i wonder what they do with the hooves–glue?

#4

As I have yet to make my own leather, I just asked for a moccasin kit for christmas this year. My wife got it at tandy leather. I still did the putting it together, and they seem decent so far.

#5

Tandy makes some pretty decent stuff. I have always been a fan of just making my own leather and doing all my own work. To me, brain tanning seems to work better and feel better than the chemically tanned products. If they get wet, and stiffen up, you just smoke them again. That is just my $0.02 cents, though.

#6
#7

Despite all the excellent info heyvictor has passed along, I still haven’t found enough of the KEY resources, time & energy, to finish making us some mocs. In the meantime, I found myself able to trade in some cash for these, made in Oregon by elves.

The sheepskin/wool on the inside of the soles helps them stay warm and comfortable when wet with the lack of perfect waterproofing, while still thin enough to feel the ground.

#8

Yarrow Dreamer I must have never read this thread before.I have some good patterns for moccasins.The ones for kids take up very little leather and take just a little time to make.From drawing the pattern to the final stitches takes only a couple of hours.I made some for my little man once and he loved them.I need to make more for him soon.I also have some patterns for adult mocs,they take alot longer to make.So if you ever want to craft some for your family let me know.I also just learned how to make some cool sandals.The are even more comfy than Chacos.

#9

http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/moccasin/moctext.html

Good overview of different styles of moccasins, and how they were adapted to the various climates of Turtle Island.

#10

http://www.ayyawear.com/swan

i want to make a pair of these, but with snake skin detailing… how do i convince my significant other to let me use her sewing machine?

#11
how do i convince my significant other to let me use her sewing machine?

Ask?

Seriously though, since leather is so tough to sew on most machines, your best bet is probably to go get the leather sewing needles for the machine, so that you can tell your significant other that you at least won’t be breaking their needles.

#12

I go barefoot as much as I can now. I started walking around barefoot last summer some, but since spring I can hardly even stand shoes anymore, and I take them off as soon as possible. The only time I find them close to necessary is when I’m walking a few miles on concrete or asphalt, and even then I leave 'em off most of the time.

That said, I’d like a pair of home-made moccasins. I don’t know if they’ll quite replace my winter boots any time soon, though.

#13
I go barefoot as much as I can now.

I’m with you, Tonyisnt.

I go barefoot at the beach, in the wild, in my yard and in my house. The only place I don’t go barefoot is the street or anywhere in civilisation. Mainly because it leaves this black gunk on your feet and most civs throw glass on the ground and there are shards everywhere. I’m not about to damage my feet just to prove how “hardcore” I am.

I will ride my bike barefoot though, and put shoes on when I arrive in a civilised locale.

#14

Sewing leather on a sewing machine? Sacrilege!
Get ya some awls and glover’s needles, nylon thread, artificial sinew or real sinew and you’ll be set. Stitching awls give a nice saddle-stitch that looks similar to sewing machine stitches if that’s the look you are going after.

#15

I go barefoot at the beach, in the wild, in my yard and in my house. The only place I don’t go barefoot is the street or anywhere in civilisation. Mainly because it leaves this black gunk on your feet and most civs throw glass on the ground and there are shards everywhere. I’m not about to damage my feet just to prove how “hardcore” I am.

I will ride my bike barefoot though, and put shoes on when I arrive in a civilised locale.[/quote]
Sometimes I go barefoot in the city, it’s really not that bad. If you watch where you’re walking, you wont get cut-up by any glass. It’s also a really great conditioning excerise for the feet. Now I can walk/run on asphalt or cement, and it doesn’t burn at all. I wash the black crap off with a washcloth when I get home.

#16

Concrete is a good surface for training your feet. I especially like the rough patterns they cut into it in rainy places like Washington.