Craft Member Laura Thomey recently won an excellent prize to participate in a Beginner’s Shoemaking Course at Prescott & Mackay. We interviewed her to get the lowdown on how the workshop went!
Congratulations on being the lucky winner! How did the workshop go?Thanks! The workshop was great I really enjoyed myself. I love being creative and learning new skills. The time flew by so fast and I came home with a fantastic new pair of shoes.
What did you learn to make at the workshop?We made a pair of mules. I designed mine with a wingtip detail (love to challenge myself), a small heel and added a leather covered elastic strap to go around the ankle.
We know you also have a fabulous label Mina + Oli so you’re familiar with working in leather when making your bags. Was this your first experience in shoemaking? How did you find the experience?Yes this was my first time making shoes! I felt quite comfortable working with the leather and sewing on the industrial machines. I learnt some new tricks that I can use with my handbags and fell in love with
Brendan Dwyer’s industrial post machine. It’s now on my wish list. I loved the atmosphere of his studio – it’s full of interesting tools, machines and shoes hanging from every corner. Shoemaking was easier then I thought it would be and strangely the hardest part was hammering those tiny tacks in!
Finally, who would this workshop be perfect for?
I would definitely recommend the course for someone wanting to find out if shoemaking was for them to get an understanding of the process involved, before going out and buying all the equipment. Brendan shares his list of resources and is happy to answer all your questions. He is a great teacher.
Prescott & Mackay are running another two-day beginners shoemaking workshop
this weekend (!) on Monday 6 April and Tuesday 7 April. No previous shoemaking experience is necessary and this is an intimate workshop with only five students per class. It’s a golden opportunity to work with one of Melbourne’s most experienced shoemakers
Brendan Dwyer, and is certainly not one to be missed!
For more information about the workshop, including prices, times and bookings,
click here.
IMAGES courtesy Laura Thomey
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