After sewing, the upper is placed back on the last; a wooden, foot-shaped stand-in to which
Jeff strategically applies layers of cork to create a reasonable facsimile of the client’s
foot. The upper is wetted and shaped tightly around the last, held in place by staples. What is
happening above is the welting process. The welt is the leather sewn around the edge of the
upper and inner shoe. A piece of leather was shaped and stapled in place to create the bed of
the shoe.
Jeff compares level and toe-spring after sanding the layers of leather that make the base on
which the rubber heel cap is attached. In the foreground: the levels, measuring tool, along with
the hole punch (near center) used to create a pilot hole for the wooden dowels (bottom left)
he’ll use to add support before gluing, trimming, and sanding the heel cap…this is the last of the
structural piece of the process before finishing.