New mocs (FINISHED)

[Josh B]

I know that I said that i would get back on this project and I will.  There's just been a bit of a delay due to another kenebago breakdown.  I didn't want to sit in the truck and work on projects with no AC when it was near 100 degrees most of the day.  I promise I'll get the build along going soon.  Josh

[Knoll]

excuses. excuses.

[Danzn Bar]

Come on Mike give ol Josh a break...    
At least he remembered the build along.....
DBar

[Josh B]

Lol! Bill does have a point about my memory. 
Alright...I don't have a lot of time, but I can at least get started on the patterns. 
First step,  decide if you're going to wear socks in your mocs.  If so, be sure to be wearing them as you make your patterns.  It do make a difference!  As you can tell by the pics, I clearly do not intend to wear socks in my mocs, so no socks while making the patterns.
For the pattern process you need paper/cardboard, a pencil, scissors, a string and your feet. 
Lay your paper/cardboard on the floor, place your foot on it so there is an inch or two of material all the way around your foot and trace around your foot with a pencil.  Now remove your foot from the paper and kinda round out 1/4" to 3/8" around your outline and leave an inch by inch tab sticking off the heel.  It's not an exact process, close is good enough.  Now cut the tracing out, lay it on the floor and place your foot on it.  If you done good, you should have about a 1/4" of paper sticking out all the way around your foot+ the 1 inch tab sticking off the heel.  If it looks good , Mark it left or right according to which ever foot you just traced and you now have the pattern for the sole of that moccasin.  My feet are close enough in size that I can use the same pattern for both feet.(I have to flip the pattern over obviously)  most people are not so fortunate.  Your first attempt you should definitely pattern both feet....just in case.  Josh

[Josh B]

Ok...moving on.  Now that we have the sole pattern cut out, we are going to use that to make the upper pattern.  We now need a sheet of paper/cardboard at least 3" longer than the sole pattern and 10" wider.  Center the sole pattern L and R, about 3/4" from the top of the paper.  Now we trace the sole pattern on to the upper pattern.  Next you take the sole pattern off the upper pattern and place your foot in the outline that you just drew.  This is where the all important string comes in.  At the highest point of your foot(where the top of your foot meets the ankle) lay a string over that point and pull it snug (not tight) and Mark where the ends touch the paper on both sides of your foot.  Make sure you Mark the pattern and the length of the string.  Just to be clear, you need the length of the string that goes from the pattern, over your foot and touches the paper again.  Add 1/2" to that length of string and cut it there.  Now take your foot off the pattern and eyeball half way between the marks you made where the string touched the pattern and make a mark.  Now fold your string in half and stretch it from the center Mark straight off to the side and make a mark and then do the same thing on the other side.

[Josh B]

Ok...this is where things get sketchy and hard to explain.  If I haven't confused you yet, I'm about to.  Starting about 3/4" above the toe, draw a line around the front of the toe.  Be sure to space it about 3/4" away from the sole tracing across the front of the toes.  Once you turn down along the side of the foot, you will increase the space in between the line you're drawing and the sole tracing.  You will increase the width until the line you're drawing intersects the mark you made with the string.  You then keep drawing the line so that that pattern is steadily getting wider until you reach a point a couple inches past the heel of the sole tracing.  Do this on both sides of the sole, making sure you intersect the string measurement mark to either side.  This is a terrible explanation, but if you try to mimick the basic shape I drew it will come out pretty good.

[Josh B]

I'll stop here for now so that I can answer any questions ya'll might have before I get to far along. (Plus I need to get back to work)  Thanks for following along!  Josh

[lebhuntfish]

Thanks a bunch for doing this Josh! I will definitely be making me some! Stay safe out there! Patrick

[Knoll]

As usual, your build-along is well worded and documented w/ pics. Lookin' forward to more!

[Josh B]

Thanks fellas!  Due to my dispatcher having a brain fart, I unexpectedly find myself with a little time to continue with this project.    So here we go.  I went ahead and cut out the two main pieces of the moccasin last night.  This is pretty straight forward.  Lay your pattern on the leather in a manner that will result in the least amount of waste, trace around the patterns with a PENCIL.  Do not use an ink pen!  Then cut out your pieces.  IMPORTANT!!!!!  Pay particular close attention to what side of the leather you trace each pattern.  Wether you are using braintan or commercial leather you will want the outside of the skin to be the outside of the moccasin.  Really think about what you're doing before you cut!   Another tip,  this is especially applicable if your using braintan or hides with varying thicknesses.  The back of the neck is usually the heaviest and thickest part of the hide.  If possible, use this for the soles of your moccasins.  For the upper portion, you'll want to use a section of leather with as uniform thickness as you can.  It does matter.  If your upper has a thin side on one side and a thick side on the other, the thin side will do all the stretching while the thickside doesn't.  You will find your moccasin trying to twist around your foot in short order.  No good that!

[Josh B]

Ok...next step.  This is entirely optional but worth the extra effort.  I like to sew in a welt  to strengthen the seam, but you can just so the two pieces together at this point.  The welt is nothing more than a 1/4" wide strip of leather that is long enough to go all the way around the seam. In this case @ 26", but I cut it a little longer to give my self room for error. 
Now comes the tedious part.  The sewing.  I'm using a double strand of 70# artificial sinew and a glovers needle in a simple whip stitch to attach the sole to the upper.  I use a small nail, hammer and block of wood to punch the stitch holes....yes every single hole.  My methods are crude...but inefficient.    Alrighty then!  We're going to sew it inside out, all the way around EXCEPT the portion where we added the tab to the sole.  So center the sole at the tip of the upper w/ the welt  in place and punch the first stitch hole.  Start our stitch, punch next hole about 3/16" away and stitch.  Repeat all the way down to the sole tab and tie off.  Go back to the toe and work down the other side.  Placing the stitch is important, not just from stitch to stitch but from the edge of the leather.  Too close to the edge and the stitch tears out, to far from the edge and you end up with a bulky seam rubbing your foot raw.  Don't get in a hurry.  General rule of thumb when your threading your needle is you will need 3 times the length of the seam in thread.  In other words, if your sewing a 10" long seam, have at least 30" of thread on your needle when you start.

[Josh B]

And we're off like a herd of turtles!  Once I get the sole mostly sewn on, I'll show you the next step.  Thanks for following along!  Josh

[Josh B]

On with the show!  In the first pic you can see that I have sewn from the center of the toes along one side to the heel.  The second pic is a sneak peak at the seam from the other side.  It looks nice and tight so I move on to the other side.  Again, starting at the same point of the toe and sewing down the other side.  The leather will become a bit resistant to lining up properly since you're now forcing it to take a 3 dimensional shape.  Be patient, it will get easier once you get around the toe.  Third pic shows that I've nearly gotten the entire sole sewn on.  You don't want to sew it up completely because there is some fitting left to do.  And a side shot of what your moccasin should be looking like at this point.  If you stand on your head, cover one eye, close the other and use some imagination, you can almost see that this is intended to be some sort of foot wear.  It does get better soon.  Trust me!

[Josh B]

Next step is to pinch the back of the upper together and find the centerline of the upper.  Once you establish the centerline, your going to make a cut down that centerline to a point a couple inches short of where the moccasin will contact the top of the foot at the the juncture of your foot and ankle.  You will extend this cut once you get the moccasin right side out, but be careful not to cut too far at this step.  Once you make the cut, you can proceed to turning the moccasin right side out.  It won't be easy!  The toe area is going to give you some serious fits, just be patient.  It will eventually let you straighten it all out.  Whatever you do, do not grab a set of pliers and try to yank it all out.  If you do, you will regret it.  I have a rounded off 1/2" dowel that I use to gently coax the stubborn parts straight.  That is all you'll need.  Once you get that fight won, you will do your first trial fit.  Slide it on your foot.  If you didn't get carried away on your top cut, your foot will stop short of sliding all the way in.  If so, take it back off and extend the cut a little more until your toes just barely brush the front seam of the moccasin.  From the end of that cut make about a 2" cut off too each side as illustrated in the pics.  If all has went according to plan thus far, your moccasin should be as snug as a sock, not tight, not loose ....just comfortably snug.  More to come later!  Josh

[lebhuntfish]

Looking good Josh!
Patrick