I am excited to be sitting here writing a new post for The Agatine Eyelet. I just got through a very intense finals week at school and unfortunately the blog hasn’t gotten much of my attention. I’m in a fashion design program and among other things, I’m learning how to sew. Sewing is one of those skills that’s harder than it looks and it’s been a challenge for me but I’m finally getting to the point where I can do a few things. I’d like to share something with my readers that I made recently that combines a few of my interests: Motorcycles, sewing, and of course, Aldens.

A few months ago I bought my first motorcycle – A gorgeous Harley Sportster 1200 C. I had been riding a Vespa for the last couple of years and decided it was time to upgrade to a motorcycle. One thing that I hadn’t considered, but quickly became apparent, was the toe-shifting on the new bike. My shoes were getting scuffed up! I ride the bike as a daily way to get around and I want to be able to wear whatever shoes I feel like, so I had to come up with a solution. I asked around at a few shops but couldn’t find anything that would satisfy my needs. Hence, the birth of the Jason Foote Snap-on German Felt Toe-shifter Cordovan Shoe Protector (Patent Pending).

I had some beautiful fabric swatches of thick wool felt that my wife brought back from a trip to Germany that were just sitting around. Wool felt is durable and thick enough to cushion. It seemed perfect for the job so I sewed up a first sample of a simple envelope that would slip over the metal shifter peg. It worked great for protecting my shoes but after using it a few times I learned that it was going to slip off unless I fastened it somehow. I got some sew-in snaps and revised the design to wrap all the way around the lever, and made a second version. So far it seems like the design is going to work for my needs other than a few minor tweaks. I’m laughing at myself right now thinking about how silly this might sound to some biker from the Midwest or wherever, but I’m happy that I could come up with a solution. It’s a pretty cool feeling to make something myself, and even cooler that I can share it with you.