5 DAY SHOEMAKING COURSE

 There is something profound

 about making a thing

 with your hands.

More so when that thing is a shoe — one of the most complex objects a person can make. Shaped to a last, cut from leather, stitched, lasted, soled, and finished. A process that has not fundamentally changed in centuries, and that very few people in the world still know how to do.

In five days, working one-on-one with a master shoemaker in our Strand Arcade workshop, you will learn it.

No experience is necessary. Only the desire to make something that lasts.

This is a closely directed, one-to-one learning experience — not a group workshop, not a drop-in class. Every course is limited to a single student, which means the pace, depth, and direction of your learning is shaped entirely around you.

Over five days you will cover every stage of the shoemaking process: design, pattern-making, cutting, stitching, lasting, and finishing. You will leave with a pair of shoes made entirely by your own hands.

Before arriving, we ask that you research at least three shoe or boot styles you might like to make. One of these becomes your project for the week — your own design, realised in leather.

Whether you are picking up a craft for the first time, deepening a lifelong passion for footwear, considering a new direction in your working life, or giving someone an experience they will never forget — this course was made for you.

Pattern-making & Design

Your design begins on the last — the three-dimensional foot model at the heart of every shoe. The design is drawn directly onto the last, transferred to a cardboard pattern, then tested as a trial shoe known as a pullover. Fit and proportion are assessed and refined before the final pattern is made.

Cutting

You select your leather and cut the pattern pieces by hand — a process known in the trade as clicking.

Upper Stitching

The individual pieces of the upper are skived, folded, and stitched together — the point at which a collection of flat pieces becomes something recognisably a shoe.

Lasting & Making

The stitched upper is pulled over the last and fastened to the insole. Stiffeners are inserted and set. The sole and heel are attached.

Finishing

Sole and heel are trimmed, the edges waxed, and the sole stitched. Your shoes are complete, ready to wear — and they leave with you.

Monday to Friday — 10am to 4pm daily, with a one-hour lunch break.

All materials required to make your first pair of shoes are included in the course fee. Leather and materials for additional pairs are charged separately. Specialised leathers can be sourced on request — prices on application.

Five-day course — tuition & materials for one pair of shoes         $3,995 AUD

Payment in full secures your place.

Each date is reserved for one student only. Places are limited and book quickly.

To reserve a date or ask a question, reach us directly.

Email     enquiries@andrewmcdonald.com.au

Phone    +61 2 8084 2595