How to Make Your Own MOCCASINS
For thousands of years, we’ve been using tanned animal skins to protect our feet. The oldest known leather footwear is a 5,500-year-old center-seam moccasin that was discovered in an Armenian cave. Perhaps the most famous ancient leather footwear is the 5,300-year-old pair found on the feet of Otzi the Iceman. In 1991, his body and belongings were discovered emerging from a melting glacier in the Otzal Alps on the Austrian-Italian border.
On Page 59, I describe how to turn deerskins into leather. Now, I’ll explain how to use that leather to make a pair of lined side-seam moccasins. This style of moccasin has several advantages. The moccasins are made from one medium-sized deer hide. The style doesn’t place much stress on any of the seams, so deer leather is a perfect material to use.
For sewing, you’ll only need to use one type of stitch, a whipstitch, which is easy to master. The finished product is attractive, comfortable, and warm.
Whether this is your first project or you’re an experienced leather worker, follow these instructions to turn your deer leather into moccasins, and then you, too, can take a walk on the wild side!
Before you begin cutting and sewing, here are a few tips:
• Always test a new pattern by first forming
