Shelagh wrote:
I don't know if anyone can help. I have looked all over town
here for those nice light leather patches - usually used to
cover holey elbows, fix leather gloves, etc.
Shelagh - I don't know if I've read all the posts in this thread, so may be
repeating someone here; but have you tried looking locally for leather
suppliers, saddleries, tack shops, tailoring supply places, dressmakers
suppliers, shoe repair places, general fabric suppliers, that sort of thing? If
no place that carries soles, or just plain leather, maybe a place like this
could still refer you to a source. If there are none locally, surely there must
be *someplace* in Canada that sells leather supplies online. You've got the
horse people, the sports people, the outdoor people, the First Nations people
making traditional costumes...lots of leather crafters out there. (I'm
womanfully resisting making any dog sledding jokes. I know not all of Canada is
like, say, the NW Territories. vbg)
Here in Portland, for instance, we have a place called Oregon Leather Supply;
basically a warehouse full of anything related to leather and making tack,
leather garments, etc. (or we used to, at least; it's been years since I've
been there...not since I last had a horse. g) You could buy it by the square
foot, or entire hides, in all sorts of weights, finishes, etc. One thing they
had was a bin full of leather remnants really cheap. Plenty of it was thin
enough to cut with a pair of scissors. If you found something like this, all
you'd need for a pattern is a tracing of your grandson's feet, or the slippers.
Anyway, all you need is some lightweight leather, even if you can't find
ready-made soles. Or sueded leather, although usually with most leather that's
smooth-finished on one side, the other side is rougher, so works equally as
well as suede to prevent slipping, if you want that. And a good, sturdy needle.
You can use an awl or sharp nail instead of a leather punch, if the leather's
heavy enough you need holes in the soles to lace it on, instead of simply
sewing through the leather. If you find it's too hard to cut with scissors, use
an Xacto knife.
Tried Google yet? Heh...I just typed in 'Canadian leather supplies', and it
came up with something like 225,000 hits. (what the heck is a Woggle, anyway?!
someplace is offering a kit for -- it. whatever it is, LOL) Probably lots of
useless links, but there are definitely several for plain leather on the first
couple pages.
Hmmm...here's one. Apparently Tandy sold out their Canadian assets to a
Canadian co. This link is for gold cow leather, $5.99/lb, under Chap/Moc
leathers:
http://www.heritan.com/Merchant2/mer...re_Code=TLCOC&
Product_Code=9920258&Category_Code=chaplea
Chap leather is usually fairly sturdy but supple; heavier than garment weight
leather, so good for indoor soles. And actually, great for soft moccasins. Also
heavier than the usual ones you're thinking of, but the price is good, and any
soles made out of this sure would last longer. This could be smooth-grain or
sueded, it doesn't say. That's the only item I could find on a cursory look
through their 'leather' section that didn't come in full hides, which are
expensive; but you get the idea. If you end up going with straight leather,
look in either garment or chap and moccasin leathers for the weight you'll
need. Plus, if you don't like the color, leather dyes with acid dyes.
And another...
http://www.iroqrafts.com/
These are game hides, and I'm not sure if you could buy pieces or not, but they
might know of some other suppliers closer to you; they're in Ontario. Plus they
give a brief description of leather weights on this page that could come in
handy.
Good luck!
Monica
CMMPDX2 at aol
remove 'eat.spam' to email me
---------
"No, that isn't me you saw - I'm not here, I'm incognito!" (Me, Myself & I)
Support our Troops!!
http://www.wtv-zone.com/kjsb/bataan.html