Kirby was my favorite character in the Nintento party game ‘Super Smash Bros’. He was also, at least in my circle of friends, considered to be overpowered. A certain other Kirby is my favorite shoe aficionado. This shoe being bulbous and pink (matching one Kirby), and being a shoe (matching another), I could think of no better name for it.
I made the pattern design on my favorite Springline 977 lasts.
I cut out the upper leather from 4 oz madras printed calf in pink, with margins around the edges. (At the back of the shoe, there’s a straight back strap.)
I folded the skived edges over using contact cement and an awl.
I punched out some holes for sewing aprons.
Then I sewed said aprons, using 1 mm waxed polyester thread in pink.
Alas, I didn’t succeed in springing the pattern properly. As a consequence, when pulling the uppers over the lasts, the top line was sloppy. I decided to continue anyway by considering this an experiment shoe altogether, and building it on different lasts than the pattern was made with. (“Don’t try this at home.”)
I lasted some 2 oz veg tanned baby calf as lining on bigger lasts, cemented on the uppers and trimmed of excess. In hindsight, I should have left some excess lining on there to pound nails through while lasting, but didn’t think to do it at this step.
It’s not the shape that I designed, but I think it works. Even though the pattern wasn’t made for this last, this produced a top line that I hope will suffice. To close the uppers and lining, I used the same thick thread in pink as used to sew the apron, as an aesthetic feature as well as function.
I also put on the loafer top pieces, whatever those are called, and sewed them with the same thread. Trying to keep the shoes light, I had prepared rather thin insoles out of hard tempered 9-10 oz veg tanned butt, and made holdfasts and holes for welting.
Then I talced up the lasts and lasted the baby calf lining.
Before long, with lasted stiffeners in place, the shoes were lasted for a final time.
