Ever wonder how they make those Dutch wooden shoes? You won’t have to go far to find out.
Visitors to Michigan’s west coast this season will have the opportunity to see how the wooden shoes are carved, as well as how traditional Dutch Delftware hand-painted pottery is created.
Holland’s De Klomp Wooden Shoe and Delftware Factory showcases wooden-shoe hand carvers who, with the help of a machine that is 125-150 years old, produce the wooden “clogs” for footwear, decoration, and traditional Dutch dancing.
The De Klomp factory is one of the only traditional wooden shoemakers in the United States; most of the shoemakers are located in the Netherlands.
In addition, the De Klomp factory is North America’s only complete production facility for Delftware, the traditional Dutch style of hand-painted pottery, said factory manager Jacob Veldheer.
Visitors to the factory can watch the process of creating Delftware, from pouring the liquid clay into molds to the hand-painting and glazing of the various pottery objections.
“They don’t use any stencils or any guides; they know exactly how each tulip is supposed to be, each windmill, and everything they do,” Veldheer said of the on-site Delftware painters.
Visitors can speak directly to the artists as well.
To find out more, visit the factory’s Website.
