Survival Sewing

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Back in the 30's and 40's, shoe lasts were standard fixtures in many a home where the father regularly resoled and re-heeled footwear for the family . . . but lasts are not nearly so common today. Your best bet is to scrounge the secondhand stores where—if you're lucky—you can probably get one for a dollar. I've also seen a few in antique shops for $5 to $10 each.

In addition to making shoe repair a real delight, the shoe last serves the primary purpose of clinching nails which are driven through to the inside of a shoe from the bottom of a new sole or heel. There's really no substitute for a good shoe last, so get one if you can. And if you can't . . . well, you can always buy a pair of glue-on-rubber soles which, today, aren't half bad. I still prefer sewed-on leather half soles, however, and A STEP-BY-STEP METHOD FOR SEWING ON NEW LEATHER HALF-SOLES, with this article, outlines my method of applying them.

I'll admit that this introduction to the manly (and womanly) art of survival sewing is less than exhaustive, but I do believe it's complete enough to open your eyes to possibilities that you may not have realized existed. Perhaps now you know why I say that with a strong pair of hands, 30¢ worth of needles, 30¢ worth of thread and a little know-how . . . any man can become the recycle-sewing-talent of his commune or friendship circle.

HOW TO REPAIR A RIPPED SEAM IN BOOT OR SHOE UPPERS

1. PRY THE SEAM APART until you get some resistance. Stop there and pull all the old threads out. A penknife or razor helps.

2. PICK THE RIGHT NEEDLE AND THREAD. If you can get your hand behind the seam, you can use a straight needle. If the seam is near the toe of the shoe, you'll have to use the curved needle. Use a single strand of thread for a fine seam but, if the original needle holes are big enough, you may use two, three or four strands of thread. Your repaired seam will be more water-resistant if you coat the thread with beeswax from a beeswax candle or a chunk of shoemaker's beeswax. If you can't get beeswax, a regular candle or hunk of wax is better than nothing.

3. STITCH THE SEAM by simply following the old holes. Be careful not to make the holes any larger than they already are and pull the thread taut.

4. FINISH by sewing the last stitch two or three times. There's no need to use a knot to tie the thread. Then rub or pound the stitches into the leather for a smooth finish.

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