Outdoor Kids Fun

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The different Indian tribes all have their own tribal way of building or making a moccasin. Some have the soles cut the shape of the foot, with others the toes are as pointed as were the toes of a society man’s shoes a few years ago, and in still others the toe is rounded, and there are just as many varieties of styles to the tops of the moccasin. The ordinary moccasins known to the general public is the style worn by the Canadian Indians and these are not difficult even for a boy to make.

First put your foot down on a piece of paper and make a
pattern of it by drawing a line around it with a pencil, as shown
by Fig. 198. Then draw a line E F through the centre and
parallel to the centre line draw two lines, J G and K H. Next
measure 2 inches from each side and draw the lines A C and A B
respectively 2 inches from J K and K H. Two inches above
the toe draw the line C D connecting J G and K H; you will
now have a parallelogram A C, D B. Fold this along the centre
line E F as in Fig. 199. Then with the scissors cut a curve
around the toe, keeping about 2 inches from the pattern of the
foot, as shown by the curved line from M to E. When the paper
is unfolded you will have the pattern E N A B M (Fig. 200).

For the top of the moccasin you need a smaller piece of ma-
terial of the same shape as E N A B M. This piece forms the
tongue of the moccasin as well as its top. Roughly speaking,
it will be about half the length of the foot. If you place your
stockinged foot on the pattern that you have made and carefully
fold the paper up and around and over the foot you will see that
the space across the foot between the edge of the paper on each
side will be that which the small piece of paper is to fill. But to
get the width of the small piece it is better to take a piece of tape
and measure around the ball of the foot and up over the top,
then measure the width of the piece from M to N and the differ-
ence between the two measurements is the width of the small
piece. You need a small awl, a darning needle and some waxed
shoemaker’s thread with which to do your work.
Put the small piece edge to edge with the large piece in such a
manner that the point where each begins to curve coincide with each
other, as shown in Fig. 201, and punch three holes close together
with the awl through the edges of both pieces. Through these
run the thread under and over as in Fig. 201, then punch three
or more holes, as shown in Fig. 202, and sew it, running the needle
in and out. This will bring you to the curves of the two pieces
of leather, after which the toe of the moccasin is crimped. This
you can do by taking a stitch in the sole piece E N A B M twice
as long as the one in the small piece, as shown by Figs. 202 and
203. If this is done carefully there will, of course, be exactly
the same number of crimps on each side of the foot and you will
end just opposite where you took the three stitches in the first
place and where you will take three more stitches and end with
the overlapping tie as shown in Fig. 202 .

Now you have the front part of the foot of the moccasin complete
and it is necessary to sew up the heel.
After the front of the moccasin is sewed up slip your foot in it and
catch it up at the heel to fit your foot ; say A B (Fig. 204) is the
line, then cut away the surplus along this line.
To make the heel of the ‘moccasin, round off to fit the heel of the
foot, notch the material on each side of B as in the diagram Fig. 204,
after which sew up the line A B by an over and over stitch.
This leaves an opening at the heel, but when you have turned up
the rounded part B, and stitched it in place (Fig. 2044), you will
have a good house slipper (Fig.206). To this the flap A D G F can
now be sewed with an overhand stitch, if the moccasin is for winter
wear (Fig. 207).
But if for summer use a smaller flap like the one shown by the
dotted line C E (Fig. 207). The diagrams Figs. 208 and 209
show the summer and winter moccasins when finished.

The right and left foot moccasin do not’ differ from each other
and are in fact duplicates; the material being soft they take the
form of the foot. Some of the western Indians make their moccasins
as we make our shoes, rights and lefts, but it is not necessary for
the amateur to try that; the style here described has
been proved by centuries of trial to be a good one. All the seams
should be pounded or hammered flat.
To half-sole a moccasin cut a piece of leather the shape of
the foot but considerably larger (Fig. 210).

Punch the holes at A B C D with an awl and run a thong through these holes and the sole of the moccasin to hold them temporarily in place, then
take another long thong, point one end of it and using the awl
to make the holes and the pointed end of the thong for a needle
stitch on the soles, as shown by Fig. 211. Beginning at the toe
sew both ways so that the stitches will meet at the heel, then
bring the ends up above the stitching through holes punched in
the moccasin and tie them in a square or reefing knot. When
it is done and the moccasin put on the foot the stitching will come
up on the side as in Fig. 212. Moccasins will last a long time if
supported with extra soles.