Valkenburg/Castleford style caliga step by step

[Martin Moser]

Preparing the lower sole for sewing: This time I chose to go with the method found with many originals, that is using a tunnel stitch. After cutting out the lower sole I prepared it for stitching by making the holes. This works best with a bent awl, as available from leather working supply shops. As you can see I first tried it out somewhere in the middle. Before doing so, I soaked the sole in warm water for a couple hours to soften it, as the sole leather I am using (4-5 mm thick, most originals range from 3-5 mm) is very, very hard.





I managed to only tear out one of those holes, pretty good for a first try. Another method that I have practised until now and somewhat easier, is to cut in the sole from the side to a depth of about 10 mm and then sew through the upper of the 2 resulting sections. This has not been found with any originals, though, AFAIK. Here's a picture what this looks like after sewing: