Deborah Shoemaker

10/21/2026

Here are photos from the beginner shoemaking course at Leolo in Seattle where I recently taught. I will be back for more teaching in February and April! Photos by Chris Yee who is a swing dancer.

10/12/2026

Busy getting ready for my first Southern Highland Craft Guild show!! Come and see me on the concourse at booth 17. Show runs October 15-18 at Harrah's Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood Street in Asheville.
Lola can make a logo for you too!

10/12/2026

Last week Deborah taught beginner shoemaking at Leolo in Pike Place, Seattle. Here's a class photo. Two Texans flew in for the class. Three had never sewn before! Beautiful work I'll share in subsequent posts.

09/06/2026

Check out my calendar!! Come and see me at my first ever Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands. You can also find this schedule on the school page of my website: https://deborahshoemakershoes.com/school/

08/05/2026

I am so incredibly and completely blown away. On August 1st the Skeens met me in Shiloh to disassemble my Landis Line Finisher that had been housed at Carter and Frank's shed building all these past 11 years! Because of my basement access, I was unable to figure out how to house the finisher on my own property. It is after all 11 feet long!! Jamie said 'we can take it apart and reassemble it in your basement'.
The Skeens came in June to scope out the project. There was a fairly lengthy decision tree and at each step the answer was 'Yes'!!!
Today they returned from Tennessee and reassembled the Finisher. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I am so honored to benefit by the genius and generosity of these fine people. My buddy Michael was a marvelous help on this project too, all day Saturday and all day today. Truly amazing they were able to put it back together in one day!!!
Thank you to everyone who participated in this project. Denise, Jamie, Guthrie, Alethea, David, John, Michael and Anna. And of course Carter and Frank for housing the behemoth all these years. I am so honored and grateful for this unbelievable kindness. Great job everyone!!!!!

07/16/2026

Finishing up these dance boots for a client in Raleigh. Loving this sanding block. Another gift from Ray.

06/18/2026

Introducing my Summer Intern, Peyton Bray, a senior at Savannah College of Art and Design. Check out my blog post: https://deborahshoemakershoes.com/blog/

05/24/2026

Deborah's School of Shoemaking received another generous donation of tools and machines. Look at these beauties!! Thank you Ray! You rock!!!

05/12/2026

You learn something new everyday...
Calling someone a "shoemaker" can be a highly derogatory term, particularly within the culinary and professional kitchen industry. While it literally refers to a person who makes shoes, in slang, it is used to describe someone who is unskilled, lazy, or consistently produces poor-quality work.
What "Shoemaker" Means in the Kitchen
Poor Quality/Sloppy Work: It implies a cook who does not know what they are doing, cuts corners, or ruins food, making it tough like "leather".
Lazy/Cutting Corners: It refers to someone who takes shortcuts, does not clean up, or doesn't follow proper techniques, often seen as a "hack".
The "Worst" Insult: In many high-pressure kitchens, being called a shoemaker is considered worse than being called a "mother f'r," as it insults a cook's pride in their craft.
Origins and Context
Kitchen Slang: The term likely means your food is so bad it is only fit to be used as the leather in a shoe. It is frequently used by chefs to describe someone who should not be cooking professionally.
Historical Context: Historically, a "shoemaker" (who makes shoes) was considered a higher skill level than a "cobbler" (who repairs them). However, in modern slang, both are sometimes used to refer to someone working clumsily.
Alternative Uses: While common in the restaurant world, it is rarely used in other industries, though it generally implies a lack of skill or professionalism.
In summary, calling someone a shoemaker implies they are "faking it" or doing a poor job, making it a very insulting term to someone who takes pride in their work.

12/24/2025

Happy Christmas Eve and here's some interesting shoe news from across The Pond. Thank you for the link, Byron.

More than 400 leather hobnailed boots, thought to date back to the 19th Century, have been found.