Women of
the
Fur Trade
Side Fold Moccasins
A SIDE FOLD MOCCASIN PATTERN AND INSTRUCTIONS
This pattern is an adjusted version of Jill and Crazys The first step of cutting out your moccasin is to hold Make the Pattern 1). If you wear socks, leave your sock on. Place your 2). Find the center of the pattern and draw a line 3). At the widest part of your foot, usually at the top of 4.) Add .75" at the toe and 1.25" at your heal. (winter 6). Once you have found the thickest and densest 7). Cut a welt to 3/8 inch wide to be placed between the 8). Now is the time to cut the center line on the top part 9). Put the moccasin on your foot and pull it closed in 10). Now turn your moccasin right side out. At the top 11). Now that the bottom part is constructed, except 12). The tongue is cut so it is about .25 inches longer 13). The tying thongs, for my moccasins, are very long. This is what mine look like after being greased with a Good Luck and happy Trails Chris
winter moccasin pattern. I have used it for all of my
moccasins and it has not failed me yet. The one thing
a pattern can not adjust for is, how stretchy your hide
is, and how much it will stretch after you had made the
moccasin. Good luck there. I have made moccasins
out of moose and deer, moose has been the very best
but it is very high priced to purchase and harder than
buffalo to tan. The moose hide did not stretch like the
deer did.
your hide up to light and make to make sure there are
as few as possible light spots in the hide. Try to use
the densest part of the side for the soles and upper toe
area. This is where a moccasin wears out on me the
fastest. The collar for the moccasin can be thinner,
and maybe preferred thin, if you leave it rolled up onto
your leg so it would be cooler in hot weather. Ok, after
you have checked the hide,
foot on a piece of brown garbage bag, leaving enough
bag on the inside side of your foot so the pattern can
be folded and doubled. Trace the outline of your foot
with your weight on your foot.
lengthwise down the center.
your ach, measure the distance around your foot.
Divide the measurement by half and add 1/2 of an inch.
If your foot is 9 inches around your total distance
divided in half would be 4.75 inches. So your pattern
would be 4.75 inches wide with equal parts, 2 & 3/8
inches, on each side of the center line of your pattern.
moccasins ad 1" and 1.5" to allow for hair or wool).
Once you have your enlargement marks, draw the
pattern outline as in the picture shown with the pattern
being squared across the heel.
5). Fold your pattern on the inside foot side and cut
double leaving the inside foot seam in contact. On one
side of the pattern cut a line about 3" from the heel up
the center line. If you cut one side of the pattern you
will know which side you have cut out for your left foot
and which for your right foot. This will help you keep
track of which side needs to be the thickest for the
sole of your moccasin on each side. Do not cut the
line further because you do not want to cut it all the
way until you have the moccasin sewn on the side.
The dept of this cut will determine how tight and how
lose the moccasin will be and how far down you want
to sew the tongue and you will know this better once
you have tried it on after it has been sewn. Unless you
have drastic differences in your feet you will use the
same pattern for your opposite foot. Your cut out
pattern should look like this when unfolded.
parts of the hide, cut two pieces of leather, flipping the
pattern for the other foot. Choose the flesh side of the
hide to be the side that will go to the inside of your
moccasin once completed.
top and bottom part of the moccasin seam. Put the
flesh side of the hide to the outside while sewing. You
can use either a whip stitch or a running stitch but I
recommend you double it, up and back, which ever
you choose. Use a dull needle to go back through the
holes you made with a 3 sided needle on the first run
of the stitch. Keep the welt flush even with the leather
edge. Start your sewing at the heel end leaving a long
tail of sinew at the beginning. When you come back
with the second stitch leave a long tail of sinew with
out tying your sinew off. You may have to shorten
your seam and cut some leather off if you have cut
your pattern to long. A sewn moccasin with a welt
(distance from leather exaggerated in drawing) will
look like this.
of your moccasin. Put the moccasin on and put your
toe all the way to the tip. Cut only a little of the line at
a time until it fits. Once it fits, cut across the
moccasin, 1 inch on each side of the line to create an
edge to sew the tongue. Like this---
the back. Bring the edges of the back together and
trim within of your foot without cutting your sinew on
your side seam!!! You should be able to pinch inch of
leather.
Cut a welt to be placed in the seam in the back. Sew
seam only 1 inch from top to bottom, leaving the
bottom half open. Trim your welt. See picture---
of the opening at the heel, cut a 1" slit horizontally on
each side. Fold the opening horizontally, creating a
flap high on your heel, and sew closed without a welt.
This is one way. Another is to place another welt in the
seam horizontally and sew shut while moccasin is
wrong side out, but I find I walk on the seam and wear
it out faster.
This is my version---
the tongue, you will add the collar. The length or
height of the collar is a personal preference and will
depend on if you leave it up or fold it down. I leave
mine up and wrap my tying thongs around my ankle to
secure it. I cut my collars about 2 inches tall. The
length I cut them is the length around the top of the
moccasin plus enough for a 2-3 inch flap, on each
side, that crosses over the tongue. This, too, is sewn
with a welt. See pictures---
than the width of the space that was cut across the
arch. The extra .25" insures it is wide enough and can
be trimmed after the first stitch across is completed.
This too is sewn with a welt and a double stitch. Make
it long enough that it reaches to the top of the collar
See picture above.
How you tie your moccasins will depend on how long
you make the ties. I like to go around my ankle as well
as under my foot so they are very long. Cut small
hole under the collar, in the moccasin, to lace the
strings. If you have cut your strings too short, cut
another the same length and tie two together at the
back of your moccasin. 
mixture of bear grease and bees wax for water
proofing. Your first pair of moccasins may not fit just
right but you will improve every time you make a pair.
You may waver from this pattern to one that fits you
better. If your moccasins last one whole camp
season, your doing fine. A second sole can be sewn
on but to me they are too much of a pain. I have done
both. A couple layers of wool inserts inside will
cushion your stride and is period correct too. A
couple of stitches to your welt will hold them in place.
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Side fold winter moccasins
buffalo,
but we have found that deer with hair on work
just as well for less money if your budget is
tight.. The side fold style is authentic to the fur
trade era. Two piece mocs came at a later date.
Winter mocs were the wrap around high top
style.
1) For these measurements, you should have
on your heavy wool sock that you will be
wearing with these mocs. Stand on a large
piece of paper sack and trace around your foot.
2) Find the center of the foot and draw a line
down it.
3) About at the arch, measure around your foot
at the widest point- divide this measurement
by half and add a generous 1/2". This is your
pattern width. Draw a line down each side of
your foot, allowing equal space on each side of
the center line. [ If your foot measures 10"
around, then 5 &1/2" will be your pattern width,
andyou will allow 2 & 3/4" out from each side of
the center line.
4) Now make a mark 1" from the toe and 1 & !/2"
from the heel. Draw the toe shape to meet the
side marks. The heel is straight across.
7) Cut out 2 pieces of leather, flipping the
5)Cut down the center to almost halfway.
6)Fold the paper on the inside pattern edge
and cut out, leaving the folded edge intact.
Your cut out pattern should look like this:
pattern over for the other foot. Stitch the moc
together fur side out, using a welt. Turn it right
side out and try it on for size, adjusting the
center slit to a comfortable length and then cut
sideways on each side about 1".
8)Mark the heel seam with a pencil then cut off
excess , stitch with a welt, and sew down to
about 3/4 to one inch from the bottom.
Then try on Moccasin and check to see if you
have sewn down far enough, the sewn seam
should end at the bottom of your heel. Then
using your fingers press down on the excess
and follow around the contour of your heel.
Then mark with pencil. You should have a half
moon shape line on both sides of the seam.
Cut just the top layer from the heel seam to
each side of the heel following the line.
9) After cutting the heel put the Moccasin back
on and open up the excess material flat on the
ground then mark around the shape of the heel
on the excess material. Cut this off leaving a
little extra for seam allowance. Then turn the
heel inside out and sew together with a welt.
10) Measure the ankle opening of the moc and
add 4" for overlap. cut a rectangle this length
and at least 4 to 6" high depending on how tall
you want your Moccasins.
11) Start sewing the high top to the moc on the
out side edge of foot, sewing towards the
inside of the foot. When done you should have
about 4" overlap to wrap around the front
which helps close the front from snow. This is
how it looks:
12) Sew the tongue in, cut it 1/2 to 3/4" wider
than the opening and about 4" long. sew it in
with a welt leaving a little of the excess in both
sides of the opening. After sewing this excess
can be tacked down on the inside of the
moccasins. This will make it so the size of the
tongue will more than cover the opening and
will help to keep snow out.
The wrap around top is held in place with a
leather thong that goes through two holes in
the ankle part, just like with summer mocs,
then wrapped around and tied.
To semi waterproof them for winter wear,
grease them all over the outside with a mix of
grease and beeswax. They need to be greased
daily when they are worn consistently. I use
bear grease mixed with beeswax to about the
consistance of shoe paste.
Some thoughts on winter Moccasins
If you make your Mocs out of baffalo hide with
hair on as many Plains and Mountain tribes and
some Mountainmen did, there is one thing to
think of. Buffalo leather has a rather open grain
and it does not hold up well to wear.
For those that had buffalo every where and the
hides came cheap this was not a problem. For
us now days they come mighty dear so there
are a couple of ways to make yours last longer.
One is to add an extra sole to the bottom out of
deer or elk or even moose. All of which will
hold up longer then the buffalo hide will. The
other way is to make an outer Moccasin to go
over it. The Hidatsa did this and I'm sure other
tribes may have done this as well. Buffalo Bird
Woman makes mention of this.
"My father took off his big cap and hung it on
the drying pole and wrung out hic moccasins
and hung them beside the cap. They were
winter mocassins and in each was a kind of
stocking of buffalo skin turned fur in and sewed
and cut to fit snugly over the foot. These
Stockings small Ankle (her Father) drew out
and laid by the fire to dry." [Buffalo Bird
Woman].
How to make the buckskin outer mocs is much
like ones above, only put on Buffalo Moccasins
then measure your pattern for your outer
Moccasins. The only difference is that you will
not have to make such large seam allowances,
only a quarter inch on the sides, 1/2 inch at the
toe and 3/4 inch at the heel.
Buffalo liner and outer moccasin
Another way to go is with a wool liner instead
of buffalo. Make thick blanket weight wool
moccasins just like described above but use
the seam allowances given for the buckskin
outer mocs, adding the thickness of the wool to
those seam allowances given. You can even
use double thickness wool for extra warmth.
Wool Liner-
note the welt of
wool as well
Then, to make the buckskin outer mocs, wear
the wool moc while you make your
measurements. Make two pair of wool liners so
that when one is wet, you will have a spare to
change into.
also note how thick the wool is on these liners. They are nice and warm.
That spare pair could save your foot. Just read
this:
Yesterday, two of our Metis,Antoine and David
went to the Yellowstone with dog sled and two
pack horses to hunt..... "After they had kindled
a fire and stuck the meat on spits to roast they
took off their wet moccasins to dry them and to
warm their feet. Antoine put on another pair
right away and told David to do likewise; but
the latter, suspecting no danger, replied "a
tantot." .....Later they were cooking their meat
when "Suddenly there were shots!...They ran
instinctively into the night, each trying to save
his own skin. David, severely wounded,
attempted to reach the Assiniboine camp. On
the journey his feet froze. His moccasins must
have still been wet." [Journal of Rudolph
Freiderich Kurz].
have warm feet.
Take care and stay warm
