Verlocal Diaries: Lisa Teng Studios
Each week, “Verlocal Diaries” records the Verlocal team’s adventures to various classes conducted by our hosts. From the narration of our hosts’ stories to the thoughts of our fellow participants, we piece together everything we have experienced to create a long lasting memory in the form of a diary entry — that is both personal and shareable.
Dear Diary,
As Lisa warmly invited us into her manicured studio, we were awestruck by the studio’s interior design and her extensive display of all her past works. From her decorations and her clothes, we could tell that Lisa has a strong and unique style (and very good taste).
On the work table, there were templates and shoe platforms prepared according to the shoe sizes of the two participants, Giselle and Jill. The smell of pandan chiffon cake and coffee was wafting through the air. As Giselle and Jill settled down on the work table, Lisa offered them coffee and tea along with the homemade chiffon cake.
1. Choosing the materials and designs
Lisa invited Giselle and Jill to pick their favourite leather piece out of her collections to work on. They then look at the displays around the studio as well as Lisa’s digital gallery to determine what kind of design they prefer. They could decide everything from the colour, to the material, cut, and design.
Both Giselle and Jill shared that this is the part of the workshop they enjoyed the most. Giselle picked a pale tan leather with a pink tone, which matches with her outfits and she wanted it to be open-toe. She shared that she wants the pair of shoes to be her go-to casual flats.
“The most fun part about the workshop is getting to design my own shoes. Sometimes you have something in mind but cannot find it in the stores so its good that I can personalise it here.” — Giselle
Jill, on the other hand, wanted to make a pair of shoes to attend her friend’s wedding. She chose a pale blue piece and matched it with a tan leather inner lining.
2. Cutting the leather pieces
Giselle and Jill then moved on draw the shoes outline on the leather pieces using the template Lisa prepared for them. They could choose the tool they are more comfortable with using: scissors or knife.
Jill faced some hiccups; the materials were cut wrongly but she managed to find a new piece to work on. Lisa then served them more drinks and ask them to take a break because the next few steps would be more taxing.
3. Punching holes into the leather pieces
Giselle and Jill will both agree that this is the most intensive step of the shoe-making process. The two had to use their strength to poke countless holes for the nylon string to go through later.
Giselle lamented that this process was very tiring and Jill also agreed that this was so difficult.
4. Pinning the leather in place
Lisa then whipped out a box of bobby pins and have the two place the bobby pins in every alternate hole. The shoes start to take form and it is exciting to see that they are approaching the end of the shoe-making process!
5. Sewing the leather to the sole
Last step of the shoe-making process! After Giselle and Jill picked their nylon string colour, they start to work on sewing their leather piece to the shoe sole. Despite both of their inexperience in sewing, they picked up the sewing method under Lisa’s guidance and promptly work on the finishing touches.
The shoes are finally done! Both Giselle and Jill were excited to try on their new pair of shoes.
Final Thoughts
Lisa shared that she wanted to host these workshops because she has always wanted to show the participants how things are made and the cost behind making such accessories. She hopes that they will understand the value behind the shoes through these experiences.
“I wanted people to get more hands-on experience of making an item and in the end they will be proud to wear what they made as well.” — Lisa
Lisa will be thrilled to see that she have achieved her aim because both Giselle and Jill expressed their new-found appreciation for their handmade shoes. Despite coming in with the expectation that the shoe-making process was not going to be easy, Giselle found the workshop to be pretty good and comprehensive.
“I’m going to treasure this pair of shoes because it’s so much hard work! It’s very tiring but I don’t mind doing this because of the sense of satisfaction.” — Giselle
I am sure many of us will share the same sorrows as Giselle and Jill when it comes to the perfect shoes with the perfect fit. There are countless times where I found myself entering stores after stores to find the pair of shoes I have in mind and only to settle for a pair that is almost similar to my ideal pair. Now this workshop eradicates that problem! If you face the same problem as us, why not look into personalising your own pair of shoes with Lisa!
