Goodyear welt footwear and methods for making the same

A method of assembling Goodyear welt footwear, comprising:

• a. providing a subassembly of unfinished Goodyear welt footwear, the subassembly comprising:
• i. a lasted upper comprising a base and a foot-receiving cavity extending upward from the base;
• ii. a midsole filler located beneath the base;
• and
• iii. a midsole located beneath the midsole filler;
• wherein the lasted upper, midsole filler and midsole together form a layered composite, the layered composite having formed therein a set of concentric holes through the midsole, the midsole filler and the lasted upper, the set of concentric holes including a through-hole that penetrates completely through the base and a second blind hole provided through the midsole and at least a portion of a the midsole filler, the second blind hole being of a wider diameter than the through-hole, the base comprising an underside having a peripheral downward-facing surface surrounding the through-hole;
• b. inserting an insole filling plug into the through-hole so as to completely fill the through-hole;
• c. laying a gasket filler over and in contact with the insole filling plug so as to completely cover the insole filling plug, the gasket filler having a periphery that contacts the peripheral downward-facing surface surrounding the through-hole;
• d. applying heat and pressure onto the gasket filler to heat seal the insole filling plug and gasket filler to the base, thereby sealing the through-hole and coupling the insole filling plug and gasket filler to the base;
• e. applying adhesive to an underside of the midsole and within the second blind hole;
• f. placing and retaining a midsole filler piece within the second blind hole;
• and
• g. adhering the midsole to an outsole, thereby assembling the Goodyear welt footwear.