And yet Mr. Yu said his biggest fears involved potential rivals who would take their time, as he does, hand-cutting soles, stitching uppers and finishing the work with the same sort of loving attention to detail.
But these days footwear is flimsy, with plastic parts, or fragile, with a thin, elegant sole, delicate stitching, and glossy leather that aren't made to last.
I am the sort of control freak who not only would love to test a hundred zillion variations of everything from sneaker sole colors to stitch patterns on blue jeans pockets before purchasing but who then can rationalize the purchase of pink shoes with gray soles to match the gray stitching on the denim.
Seam the vamp and sole with blanket stitches.
Alternatively, if you have a black tie event you are attending and would like to dress like the Tenth Doctor, I'd suggest getting a black, single button tuxedo with notch lapels, and wearing a white dress shirt with a black bow tie and black high top converse/Chuck Taylors (with a white sole, laces and stitching).
And they're made for keeps: The sole and upper are stitched to a welt (a hand-cut piece of leather) in a patented process that allows for easy re-soling down the road.
It was a let down, but victory was achieved by 12 Stitches, the sole skate-punk band to take the stage that night.
Hem along the edges of sole; fabric strip is stitched as the vamp hem.
The yellow stitch at the sole remains jarring, even after all these years.
Now you look at the details that are important to you -- maybe quality of leather, stitching, how the sole is affixed to the boot.
Using the awl if necessary, stitch the welt to the sole, with the non-facing side of the welt against the top of the sole and cushion.
