Ok so first of all this is my 4th or 5th pair that I have made and it took me forever,(6-7 hours by hand). I understand that my moccasins are a little overkill and heavier then necessary but I find the process fun and therapeutic. Ill start by saying that these moccasins are incredibly comfortable, breathable, quite water resistant and REALLY quiet!
I started with a sole of bull hide cut out to just a tiny bit longer than my foot. I then cut the piece (I used elk hide) that goes over the top of my foot. I stitch that down with a saddle stitch, trim off the excess and then get the rear portion of the boot sized up. Once I saddle stitch that down to the sole I wrap it around my leg and trim off the excess. I then whip stitch the two pieces of leather together all the way up. For my lacing system I used horn and antler buttons. The lace is just a piece of leather lace with knots tied incrementally all the way up so all I have to do is loop it around the buttons and the boot is tight. If I was going to do it again I would have left a tab at the end of the heel to fold up and stitch, that would have made it so my heel patch I put on was part of the sole and not a seperate piece of leather.
There are lots of different ways to make moccasins, ANXYNT makes really cool ones for about $200 if youre change your mind about making your own.
Im going to make a lighter pair that are about ankle high to save weight and be much more realistic to bring backpacking. I walk around barefoot often and have really tough feet so I dont mind having a single piece leather sole. I made these for local bow hunting here in CA where Im close to home, no backpack, and where the terrain is somewhat forgiving. Let me know if you have any more questions about the tools or process.