Lisa Sorrell, cowboy boot maker

This is my booth for the Philadelphia Craft Show. My husband Dale and I are in the big city and we’re partying hard. We set up my booth this afternoon, found an ice cream parlor, then bought bath salts and muscle salve. Now we’re back in our room with plans to relax and order out for pizza if we get hungry. The opening party for the show is tomorrow night!

My shop is a mess but I’m going home. I think I’ve done enough for today.

There are always things I want to do better but I finally got the pegs as smooth as I wanted them today. I was talking to Dave Little a few years ago and he mentioned that sometimes his clients complained that he wasn’t pegging his soles anymore because the pegs were so smooth they were hard to see. I wasn’t sure if he was gently pointing out that mine could be improved, but just in case I’ve been working on it ever since.

Next I’ll add the shine.

It looks like I’ll be finishing soles today.

I sent out my October newsletter this morning; here’s a link if you’d like to read it. To receive it directly to your inbox every month send an email to customboots@aol.com with “Subscribe” in the subject line.

These boots have a steel shank carefully shaped to fit the arch area. It’s laced into place and protected by the pegged shank cover.

Paige and I have spent a companionable morning at my shop. She was working on her next project and I was inseaming that final boot. Now it’s on to a fun-filled family afternoon of Helping Dale Clean Out The Barn.

I just finished inseaming one boot of this pair. Now my choices are: A.) work late and inseam the other or B.) go home and spend the evening with my family (they’re planning a trip to OKC for dinner and a movie)

I’m picking option B!

One done, three boots to go.