April 25, 2019

How to Make Shoe Toe Puffs? ✅Shoemaking Training

How to make shoe toe puffs is one of the most common questions I hear from you, beginners in shoemaking. 

That's why in this post I will teach you how to make a pattern of shoe toe puffs, this inner, such an important, detail of almost any footwear type!

Do you want to make real shoes and not just an DIY, shapeless slippers?

If yes, this tutorial is for you! If no, you know what to do… don’t read this post, it’s not for you!

If you want to make real shoes you should have these two important inner details of the footwear:

Toe puffs

Counters

Shoe toe puffs and counters

The toe puffs we place in the toe area between upper and lining during the lasting process.

The counters we place in the heel area between upper and lining during lasting process.

They will keep the shape of your shoes and will protect your feet.

Thanks to the toe puffs we can make shoes with many different toe shapes.

This inner detail forms your shoes and keeps the shape of the shoe last along the entire life of the shoe.

How We Place The Shoe Toe Puffs and Counters

Let’s learn the main steps of lasting process to understand how you need to work with stiffeners in shoemaking.

1. You take your just sewn and finished upper, put counters between upper and lining in the heel.

2.Place the upper on the shoe last in the right place.

3.Firm the back with nails. Why you need to firm your uppers in the back?You can learn it here : Lasting Shoes Where To Start?

4.Pull the toe area of the upper and firm it with nails. Which nails you can work with in shoemaking during lasting?Glad you asked! I have another super useful post -  learn in Nails You Need To Use In Shoemaking

5.Close the back part of the upper. In this step of shoemaking you will attach the edges of the upper, the counter and the lining to the insole.

6.Pull the lining ,nail it and attach the edges to the insole.

7.Put the toe puff in the toe on top of the lining and attach it.

8.Pull the upper on top of the toe puff, attach the edge of the upper to the insole.

Now, it was a very short explanation of the lasting process to make it clear to you, where and how you need to work with toe puffs and counters, if you want to make your shoes.

If you want to learn more, to learn it step by step, with detailed explanation, but you don’t know where to start, I highly recommend  my Beginner Program.

Why Beginner Program? 

Because I prepared this program especially for you, beginner in shoemaking.

Someone that have a great passion for shoe making and want to make his own shoes, but ….

don’t know where to start,

what tools to buy, don’t know how to use the tools

don’t have time to participate in any class because of many reasons, [Family, work, life]

don’t have big budget!

if you gonna join my beginner shoemaking program  or not, it is up to you!

What I am sure about is, that here you will learn how to make your own shoes like a pro at your own pace! Check some work of my students to get inspired.

Just recently they  were like you, a total beginners in shoemaking, and now they make their shoes.

Isn’t it amazing?

How stiffeners keep the shape of the shoe last?

The shoe stiffeners must be made from materials that are durable and may keep the shape for the long time. But in the same time they must be flexible to put them between the upper and lining (steps 1 and 7 above), 

to shape them accordingly to the shape of the shoe last heel and toe.

In my courses I teach how to make stiffeners form chemical non woven fabric (celastic material) and from veg tanned leather. 

The celastic material become flexible when it activated with solvent and when it dry, it becomes hard.

The veg tanned leather becomes flexible when you wet it with water and when it is dry, it becomes hard.

No matter what material you will chose to make your stiffeners from you should make a pattern of the toe puffs and counters first.

So,I prepared for you another shoemaking video tutorial,  where you will learn how to make the pattern of the toe puff for your shoes. Also, if you want to learn more about different shoemaking tools and materials you can check this post: "Beginners in Shoemaking Tools and Materials Definitive Guide 2023"

Watch it, and comment here, if it was useful for your shoemaking craft! If you want to learn more about different pattern making techniques, techniques to solve most of your shoe making problems, to know which tools you need for pattern making, you are invited to visit this directory: "Shoe pattern and templates".  

How-to-Make-the-Pattern-for-Toe-Puffs

Join My 20K Subscribers Community!

Weekly I share with my subscribers actionable shoe making content. By enrolling in my list you will be the first to know about my new shoe making courses and special offers I have.

About the author 

Sveta Kletina

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}