We had a productive winter this year. Usually it is a time to lay back and enjoy a somewhat slower life pace, get some homeschooling done, maybe some snowshoeing, etc. The last half of this winter, as you have already seen, we were busy training a team of 2-year-old oxen. The first part of the winter the boys were engaged in making their own footwear.
Having a nearly all male household here, the equivalent of “Cowboys and Indians” usually surfaces fairly frequently. Of course one has to dress up or dress down as the case may be depending on what side you are on. So the boys have been after me for quite some time to make them each a pair of moccasins. That's pretty labor intensive when you”re talking six boys. So we came up with a better solution, "You want moccasins, you will have to make your own!"
To make the project run smoothly and have a nice product when finished, I did all the measuring, pattern making and hole punching, and the boys did all the stitching of their own moccasins.
The above two photos are the pair JW1 did; they each decided how they wanted to build them. Also helps in identifying who they belong to:)
PW wanted fringes on his like the "Indians."
CW wanted longer fringes on his and all one color. They all looked really classy with blue jeans on.
Even the two-tone ones look nice with jeans.
We ended up building these during story time at night. Daddy would read to them while I punched the next holes and the boys used needle and thread to sew the pieces together. They did an excellent job of keeping the thread snug but not too tight so it didn't bunch up.
They had so much fun with it, they decided they wanted to make some for their cousins to enjoy.
So another around of moccasin making was set in motion, just before Christmas.
Starting out the new year, the boys had fun putting their moccasins through rigorous product testing. Everything from wearing them in snow, to rain, dewy mornings, mountain trails and creek crossings. The moccasins came through the testing with flying colors! And after six months of wear none have worn through the bottoms and the boys are still wearing them. Because they’re oiled they don't really soak up any water and if kept oiled on a regular basis are wearing well.
These handmade Law Family moccasins are available for sale on our Miscellaneous Items for Sale page as a custom order.