Winter 2020 Playday at Softstar Workshop
"We don't stop playing because we grow old;
George Bernard Shaw
we grow old because we stop playing."
It's time again for our winter Playday!
Once or twice a year, we shut down our shoemaking shop for part of a day and let our staff work on any creative project of their choosing. They are allowed to use any of the tools in our shop and are not required to do anthing related to shoes... although since we're shoemakers it's not unusualy to see lots of new shoe ideas come up.
The purpose of our Playdays is to encourage creative thinking and new ideas from our staff. It is also one of those little perks that makes our shop a fun place to work! At the end of the day, we share what we made and discuss what we learned in the process.
Below are the results of our projects. Feel free to let us know in the comments which ones you like best. And sorry, but these are not for sale.
Want to see more? Click here to view a gallery of ALL past Playday projects:
Elf Keita made a patent leather handbag, complete with a handcrafted leather tassel.
Elf Katie hand-tooled a series of leather coasters.
Elf Katie also experimented with sewing rubber patches to the bottoms of our moccasin soles to increase traction.
Elf Mollly made a slingback shoe and sandal.
Elf Molly Also made a leather picture frame.
Elf Martin made leather pugs with googly eyes.
Elf Martin also experimented with wet-forming leather by using a Halloween decoration for a molded shape.
Elf Hava made a leather banner for our storefront window display.
Elf Crystal learned how to hand-tool images on leather.
Elf Tracey made a vegan Dash out of hemp fabric.
Elf Tracey also used leather scraps to make a decorative bracelet.
Elf Tory made a vegan Primal RunAmoc out of mesh textile.
Elf Tory also made a small leather pouch.
Elf Shawn made a quilted Dash RunAmoc.
Elf Sha made a step-in version of our Rogue shoes.
Elf Rob made a loafer.
Elf Nicole used wool scraps to make Oregon coast landscape art.
Elf Nicole also made a leather dreamcatcher.
Elf Levi made a leather cap.
Elf Ken made a leather wallet, complete with a pen holder.
Elf Ken also created a lotus motif for Solistice sandals.
Elf Tsevlee made a split-toe shoe with a removable inner lining.
Elf Tsevlee also made a fringey leather utility cup to hold shoemaking supplies.
Elf Ali made a greeting card out of shiny leather scraps.
Martin is a lifelong runner who began wearing minimalist shoes over 10 years ago when he found they alleviated his chronic foot pain, which eventually disappeared completely. He further studied proper running form through a series of workshops taught by Correct Toes inventor, Dr. Ray McClanahan DPM. Martin has collaborated with several health care professionals to collect and share peer-reviewed studies that show the benefits of minimalist footwear. In his personal life, Martin loves living in the Pacific Northwest because it allows him to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities year-round, including hiking, cycling, rock climbing, surfing and snowboarding.
