I know several boot makers who are using lasers to cut their intricate patterns and since I’m not the boss of boot making I have no desire to try and make them stop it. But I always think, “WHERE’S THE FUN IN THAT?” I didn’t become a boot maker to push a button and let a machine do all the fun stuff.

I decided to try something new today. Instead of marking the design onto the leather with chalk, I cut each pattern out of poster board and then traced around them with my heat-erasable pen. It’s easier to see and therefore more accurate, and it didn’t take me long to cut out the little paper patterns. I really, really love all aspects of patterning. 

In my opinion boot makers who refuse to allow scissors simply don’t know how to use them well and probably don’t have any good scissors. I cut one of these with my X-Acto knife and one with scissors and I couldn’t even tell you which is which now.