I made a boot...

[Roibeard MacNeill]

I usually end up burning my earlier / 1st stuff in flames with dark rituals. But honestly all this thread has done is make me want to prove I can make a good boot. So the responses worked in my regard, I'm just concerned at how they'd effect some other folks is all.

I am the one who ressurected this thread because my feet make people want to take ankle shots apparently. After looking at a bunch of truly vomit inducing shoes on big web sites I decided to try making my own.

Yeah, I should have been more diplomatic. Maybe if the rest of Magnus' kit wasn't so awesome I would have been. Beating around the bush might have made Magnus think all was well in the foot region. Have you seen Sir Cona's boots? Guy on the right. omg.
[img]http://members.cox.net/shinyhalo/cona%20baras.jpg[/img]



Mission accomplished if Magnus makes some sweet boots.

Maybe knowing you are working on a pair will keep me motivated. I made mock ups of the "foot portion" tonight with a thick christmas fabric, to see if I sized it correctly. This has a center seam, but I'm thinking a seam on the dorsum of the foot will make it too rigid when bending the toes upward. Gilman's has no dorsal seam...neither do any of the ones in the picture I referenced so fuck it, neither will mine. I will have to make a new pattern tommorrow but I can keep the sizing I tested tonight so it shouldn't take long.






Oh, I found out who made the ones in the first pic...some dude named Ivor Lawton of Dawn of Time Crafts, but he has vanished.

I'll try to update with my progress pics.

I like the mock-ups you made...much like the shirt and duct tape blank for making doublets. Progress pics will be awesome!

[Stephen Lacroix]

It takes no more effort to be polite than it does to act like a jerk. Anyone is just as capable of stating their feelings with respect as they are of being a total ass. I try to stay out of discussions like this because there is usually no convincing someone that they are being a prick when they hide behind the "I'm just being blunt and honest" shield. But even though I don't know Magnus at all, I respect his work and his skill and I felt that I needed to chime in.

I cringe to think of how many folks are driven away from this board because they got a verbal kick in the junk by some elitist snob who turned their nose up at an attempt to create something.

I agree 100% that some people will not drive themselves to do better if they arent shown ways that they can improve. I also agree 100% that you dont have to be a snot in order to demonstrate those methods of improvement.

Keep up the good work Magnus. I look forward to seeing your next attempt at footwear.

[J.G.Elmslie]

If every artist had a first attempt at something be dead on, then they would not improve or evolve in their art and themselves. How boring it must be to have started out perfect!

I dont think I've made much that I'd consider hideous... those tend to get binned long before completion, and onto version 2.0 at that point...
but I cant agree more with that summary. We all have room for improvement, however high our standards.

Personally, I have absolutely no objection to any person who says that my work sucks rancid monkey cock, is utterly shit, is the result of an amateur trepanning, etc, *as long* as they say why.
the problem I have is there are too many people who'll gush over average stuff saying its wonderful, without any critique of where it could be improved... my personal opinion is that the deviantart style crowd all going on that everything is amazing, are actually more useless than the person who just says its shit. if you get that its shit, you try harder next time, even if you dont know where to... if you get nothing but gushing praise, then you end up never learning a thing.

oh, and shinyhalo... that fabric you used for the practice bits is, however, truly hideous.

[Maeryk]

I heat my house with my "hideous".

Magnus: Nice boots. I'm not a personal fan of "period-oid" footwear, because well, it's not period. That said, for what they are, they are fabu. Easily as nice (although perhaps without the finish that having made 5000 pairs retail a place like Turtle Island ends up with) as any of the big retailers at events have.

I like em. Probably wouldn't wear em in the SCA, personlly, but I'd sure wear em to the store!

[CiaranBlackrune]

They are very nice for a first effort. When I startd making shoes I started making the same type of SCA/renfaire style boots. I became fairly good at it too. Eventually I moved on to making period footwear (as well as modern fotwear). These days I won't make the SCA boots for people but instead try to direct them towards more period footwear.

[Donall]

They look better than my first try. But, I thought I mention that the third quater 2008 issue of the Compleat Anachronist was all about making turn shoes. I've read it and it's a great source.

[Donall]

They look better than my first try. But, I thought I mention that the third quater 2008 issue of the Compleat Anachronist was all about making turn shoes. I've read it and it's a great source.

[Chris Gilman]

It takes no more effort to be polite than it does to act like a jerk. Anyone is just as capable of stating their feelings with respect as they are of being a total ass. I try to stay out of discussions like this because there is usually no convincing someone that they are being a prick when they hide behind the "I'm just being blunt and honest" shield. But even though I don't know Magnus at all, I respect his work and his skill and I felt that I needed to chime in.

I cringe to think of how many folks are driven away from this board because they got a verbal kick in the junk by some elitist snob who turned their nose up at an attempt to create something.

I agree 100% that some people will not drive themselves to do better if they arent shown ways that they can improve. I also agree 100% that you dont have to be a snot in order to demonstrate those methods of improvement.

Keep up the good work Magnus. I look forward to seeing your next attempt at footwear.

Interesting, I cringe at the number of truly talented artisans that never post here because of all of the amateurish stuff that gets gushing praise. The archive has some very talented people and I think many other truly talented craftsmen do not post images of their work here because it sometimes feels like “Well Mr. Versace (pronounced "versatche") why don’t you enter our PTA talent show?
Also I would say in many cases it does take considerable effort to critique someone’s work in a “politeâ€

[Roibeard MacNeill]

It takes no more effort to be polite than it does to act like a jerk. Anyone is just as capable of stating their feelings with respect as they are of being a total ass. I try to stay out of discussions like this because there is usually no convincing someone that they are being a prick when they hide behind the "I'm just being blunt and honest" shield. But even though I don't know Magnus at all, I respect his work and his skill and I felt that I needed to chime in.

I cringe to think of how many folks are driven away from this board because they got a verbal kick in the junk by some elitist snob who turned their nose up at an attempt to create something.

I agree 100% that some people will not drive themselves to do better if they arent shown ways that they can improve. I also agree 100% that you dont have to be a snot in order to demonstrate those methods of improvement.

Keep up the good work Magnus. I look forward to seeing your next attempt at footwear.

Interesting, I cringe at the number of truly talented artisans that never post here because of all of the amateurish stuff that gets gushing praise. The archive has some very talented people and I think many other truly talented craftsmen do not post images of their work here because it sometimes feels like “Well Mr. Versace (pronounced "versatche") why don’t you enter our PTA talent show?
Also I would say in many cases it does take considerable effort to critique someone’s work in a “politeâ€

[Stephen Lacroix]

Last I checked this forum does not have any pre-requisites for posting work done. It's not the "Master Crafstmen Forum".
And last I checked we werent in Japan either. Using specific cultural practices to excuse a lack of basic politeness is simply dancing around the issue.

I will happily grant that some are not as eloquent as others and the written word is highly subject to interpretation, as is very evident on internet forums.

You make some very valid points about posting the level of skill before showing off the work so that viewers will have a basis for comparison. But I still feel that there are simply no excuses for not being polite.

When I see someone post a picture of something that resembles a hunk of monkey crap and brag about how awesome it is, I may think to myself that their work is terrible. My response to that person would never be "That looks like monkey crap." I would tell them that I don't particularly like the piece of work because of x y z and move on. I was just raised to be polite.

My reply wasnt particularly directed at anything you have posted that I have read on this forum. Your responses tend to be blunt and very black and white, and only border on rude from time to time. I do, however, question your defending of someone who is being blatantly rude.

And BTW: "Elitist Snob" is a term that usually only insults those who think themselves better than everyone else.

[Maeryk]

It takes no more effort to be polite than it does to act like a jerk. Anyone is just as capable of stating their feelings with respect as they are of being a total ass. I try to stay out of discussions like this because there is usually no convincing someone that they are being a prick when they hide behind the "I'm just being blunt and honest" shield. But even though I don't know Magnus at all, I respect his work and his skill and I felt that I needed to chime in.

I cringe to think of how many folks are driven away from this board because they got a verbal kick in the junk by some elitist snob who turned their nose up at an attempt to create something.

I agree 100% that some people will not drive themselves to do better if they arent shown ways that they can improve. I also agree 100% that you dont have to be a snot in order to demonstrate those methods of improvement.

Keep up the good work Magnus. I look forward to seeing your next attempt at footwear.

Interesting, I cringe at the number of truly talented artisans that never post here because of all of the amateurish stuff that gets gushing praise. The archive has some very talented people and I think many other truly talented craftsmen do not post images of their work here because it sometimes feels like “Well Mr. Versace (pronounced "versatche") why don’t you enter our PTA talent show?
Also I would say in many cases it does take considerable effort to critique someone’s work in a “politeâ€

[Magnus Ulfgarsson]

Posting in an epic thread.

And though I think this has become a different conversation than the initial words I'll just remind people of the thing that started this.


Saying something is hideous then not backing up why. Sure some of the comments have been harsh and lacking even the smallest amount of cordial behaviour, but they are what they are, assessments of work.

Even the use of the word hideous and the reaction by some people to it could have been greatly reduced by reasons why it's hideous (which was explained later), or by just changing the word.

. I'm not a big fan of them.
. I don't like them.
. I don't think they're put together with a lot of thought to how footwear is made.
. I know you said they're not period, but they're not very anything, they're like leather socks, here's a link to how to do proper boots.
. They smell funny.
. etc. etc. etc.

[Stephen Lacroix]

Hmmm...leather socks. Superior protection from new shoes that cause blisters. I dont think the protection would be worth the sweat factor though. Maybe a niche market.

[Donall]

Not to mention the issues you'd have if you got them wet. Wet leather and salt from sweat... This can't be good. [/b]