Improve Your Pattern Making Skills Tip number 1: Always when I construct ballerina, pump, oxford, derby and moccasin shoes I cut 2 mm, from the top of the back seam till the middle and 2 mm from the middle to the bottom . This way we take in consideration the elasticity of the leather and therefore upper will always tightly fit the last along the top line . More than that, when we cut 2 mm from the bottom of the back seam, when lasting the upper, it will create less folds in the heel. So correcting the upper pattern this way, you will get perfectly fit model.
Tip number 2: To avoid the uncomfortable and most annoying, disrupting filling in the back of your heel. During construction of your pattern, you must measure correctly the height of the back line on the heel. For all types of shoes that I mentioned in first tip, for each size there is precise back height measurement that is measured from the edge of the last bottom
up along the back line. In the table bellow you can see all measurement for each size. Height measurement of the back line in Ballerina, Pump, moccasin, loafers, oxford, derby shoes Size
Height of back line in shoes
35
52 mm
36
53 mm
37
54 mm
38
55 mm
39
56 mm
40
57 mm
41
58 mm
42
59 mm
43
60 mm
44
61 mm
45
62 mm
46
63 mm
47
64 mm
48
65 mm
49
66 mm
50
67 mm
Tip number 3: For sandals there is a different measurement of the back line, where the strip ends. This one I mark little bit higher, it’s 5 mm higher than any of the back line heights for each size that I specified in measurement table above. That is because, the back strip of the sandal will fit the heel better than if I would measure the height used for the closed heel shoes. In the table bellow you can see the exact height measurements where your sandal strip should end.
Sandal back line height measurement table Size
Height of back line in sandals
35
57 mm
36
58 mm
37
59 mm
38
60 mm
39
61 mm
40
62 mm
41
63 mm
42
64 mm
43
65 mm
44
66 mm
45
67 mm
46
68 mm
47
69 mm
48
70 mm
49
71 mm
50
72 mm
Tip number 4: In this drawing you can see how much I usually add for lasting allowance, to the edge of the father line (the line of the bottom edge of your last) for any type of shoes, which is lasted by hand. After I last new model upper, the test upper, I make corrections to this allowance on the pattern, usually I make it smaller, so for the next time I last the same upper it will fit perfectly.
Tip number 5: To get always the perfect assembling of the pattern details from leather, I suggest that you will cut through the marks on which the details are combined, stepping back little bit less than one mm from the marked line. This way you take into consideration the thickness of the pen line ( usually it has a thickness of 1 mm), that you mark as a connection lines for details on the leather.
Tip number 6: If you forgot to mark the line of the instep on your pattern, so not to waste time covering your last with adhesive tape all over again to make this instep line mark, there is a faster way to do it. Measure the middle of the back line of your pattern, not including the allowance for lasting, and make a mark. Now band the front part of your pattern in the way, that it ending in the toe ( without allowance adding) match this mark on the back line.
On the line of the folded front, mark a point. This is the point, through which the instep line pass.
That is it for the tips, I do use them every day and you should do the same. If you like those tips and you want more, let me know in the comment below, it’s the only way for me to know !!!! Sveta Kletina
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