Making Custom (Bespoke) Leather Moccasins

Leather Moccasins, made to fit, are the MOST comfortable casual footwear on planet Earth. Follow my journey into the satisfying world of Leatherwork.

Making leather moccasins has become a passion.
Leatherwork began as a new hobby for me a little over 3 years ago, mainly making gifts for family and friends. After a few bags, purses, belts and holsters, I developed a strong desire to make my own leather moccasins.
My inspiration came from a pair of leather Moc's I had ordered from the talented group of artisans from "Catskill Mountain Moccasins" about 10 years ago.
They fit me like a glove and quickly became my favorite pair of footwear.
However the style is more suited to a renaissance festival type of atmosphere than your everyday casual shoes. I found that I didn't often find an occasion to wear them in my daily life.

Once my leatherworking skills grew to "competent" level, I decided to try making
my own "Chuka" style moc's that would be suitable for my lifestyle.
Yeah these aren't what one would wear to the office, but I work from home when I am not in my
workshop, so long story short, with much trial and error, I have worked out a method that gives me
great fitting and comfortable moccasins.
At the time of uploading this video, I have successfully made 6 pairs for myself
and family members so far.

While this video is not a step-by-step tutorial, I feel that It should give an aspiring leatherworker
a good idea of the steps, materials and tools needed to make awesome moccasins.
Please feel free to to offer advice, tips or tricks in the comment section.
I really appreciate hearing feedback from the YouTube community, and if you have any
experience making moccasins, please share with myself and the other viewers in the comments.

In case you noticed, I have not shown the process of making the patterns.
Pattern making would surely need a video all of it's own, as it is perhaps the most
challenging part of any leatherworking project.
If enough viewers express interest, I might consider a pattern making video
so there you go, convince me guys :)

leatherwork is for me a relaxing and rewarding experience
The chance to be creative, work with my hands, and best of all have quality handmade
and practical Leather goods.

I hope you enjoy this video, and if you find value it it, please "hit that like button" and share
with your friends. Consider subscribing if you would like to see more of my content.
I am always working on new and interesting things.
Thanks for watching :)

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#leatherwork #moccasins #bespoke

Here are some links for some of the tools and supplies I use for making moccasins
Sole material
https://www.etsy.com/shop/maestroshoe...
he has many sole options available- I use the Mill Luna Crepe, 4mm, color- Tobacco

There are many options for leather, I recommend 5 to 6oz thickness,
I normally use chrome tan, as Veg tan leather is usually stiffer and quite firm.
However, the veg-tan Bison hide I have been using is a perfect choice as it is
soft and supple, yet also very strong and tough, here is a link
https://tandyleather.com/products/fro...

I have tried many types of thread, but my favorite is Ritza Tiger thread, .8mm or 1.0mm
here are 2 links https://amzn.to/3EWwLZ4 https://amzn.to/3L03C39

I use barge cement almost exclusively for my leather, I find it to be the strongest glue.
here is a link to the "regular" Barge, a bit stinky, use in a well ventilated area
https://amzn.to/3SMOXdo
Here is a link to the "toluene free" barge, which has less VOC emissions
https://amzn.to/3EWbLC6

I usually buy my fleece lining from my local Joann Fabrics store,
but here is a link to Joann's website with the exact fleece used in the video
https://www.joann.com/luxe-fleece-fab...
For online Fleece shopping here is an Amazon store with a variety of cool patterns
https://amzn.to/3ycFAdK

Link to the Spray glue I use for attaching the lining
https://amzn.to/3ISZ240


YouTube Music-
Prelude No. 6 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

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