Stitch-down shoe and method for making the same

Abstract

A stitch-down shoe and a method for making the same are provided. The method includes: imparting a toe cap shape to an upper; reserving a width along a lower edge of the upper as a folded-out edge according to the toe cap shape; fixedly attaching a welt along a periphery of a midsole sheet so as to form a midsole; bonding and stitching the folded-out edge flush to a periphery of the midsole so as to form a shoe body; steaming the shoe body until softened, and putting a last into the shoe body for shaping; removing the last; bonding an outsole; performing fine edge-abrading; and finishing. The midsole sheet is made of a non-woven material and the welt, of leather. The width of the folded-out edge is precisely controllable. The resultant stitch-down shoe is economical in material, keeps the upper smooth, has nice curvature, and feels soft when worn.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Technical Field[0002]The present invention relates to stitch-down shoes and a method for making the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for making a stitch-down shoe by lasting.[0003]2. Description of Related Art[0004]Stitch-down shoes, as the name explains, have a shoe structure in which the uppers of the shoes have their lower edges folded outward and then bonded and stitched to their respective soles. This type of shoes feature a flexible structure and wearing comfort. Consequently, the majority of casual shoes are of the stitch-down construction.[0005]The making of a stitch-down shoe typically involves a wrapping process, which includes: mounting an upper around a last and tacking a midsole to a bottom of the last; wrapping a front portion of the upper, pressing a toe cap portion of the upper, pulling lateral portions of the upper, wrapping a rear portion of the upper, and pressing the rear portion of the upper, ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]According to the aforesaid method of the present invention for making the stitch-down shoe, the upper is stitched to the midsole to form the shoe body, and the last is put into the shoe body to form the shoe shape after the shoe body is softened by steaming. Consequently, smoothness of the upper is maintained while a consistent toe spring is achieved, thereby solving such problems of the conventional stitch-down shoes as unsmooth uppers and inconsistent toe springs. Furthermore, as the shoe shape is formed by lasting, there is no need to consider the positioning of the insole, toe puff, and counter of the shoe. Thus, the problem of having these parts exposed during the wrapping process is prevented, and separation of the upper and sole of the finished shoe due to the fact that the exposed portions are not adhesive is also avoided. It has been experimentally proven that the shoe made by the method of the present invention is capable of withstanding 125,000 times of bending without its upper separating from the sole.

[0016]According to the aforesaid method of the present invention for making the stitch-down shoe, the toe cap shape is imparted to the upper prior to determination of an appropriate width of the folded-out edge. Therefore, the method of the present invention provides an improvement over the conventional wrapping process by eliminating the need for setting aside an excessive length of leather material of the upper before the toe cap shape is formed, and thus preventing the leather material from being cut off and wasted.

[0017]According to the aforesaid method of the present invention for making the stitch-down shoe, the midsole is a composite midsole comprising the midsole sheet, which is made of a non-woven material, and the welt, which is made of leather. Compared with a midsole made entirely of leather, the midsole of the present invention is lightweight, soft, and economical in the use of material. In addition, the stitch-down shoe made of this composite midsole is more easily bent and more suitable for long-term wear than a stitch-down shoe made by wrapping a whole leather midsole.

Problems solved by technology

Secondly, the present invention aims to solve the problem that the wrapping process involves excessive consumption of the upper and midsole material and thus incurs high material cost.

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