Can I tell you all a personal little secret? I think I’m beginning to love my Curved Needle machine. This big ol’ sewing machine has been my biggest weakness and greatest fear but recently I realized that it’s a sewing machine! And I love sewing machines! So I began approaching her with joy and curiosity, and we are getting along better than ever before. Just look at the beautiful job she did on these soles!
As many of you know, I lost my sister (my only sibling) unexpectedly almost two weeks ago. It’s been a rough couple of weeks but today I was able to go back into my shop and inseam a pair of boots. Inseaming is my comfort and my meditation so I was glad that was the task awaiting me when I returned.
I thought y’all might enjoy a photo of my vintage bottle of passive/aggressive Bottom Stain.
TIS FINE
Slightly damp, and therefore still slightly darker, boot toes
Design for a new pair of shoes
I gambled on the foot leather for this pair of boots. I had a beautiful alligator in a color I wasn’t sure I could get again. The customer saw it and chose it for their boots, but I knew the piece was a little small. However, I also knew that the size would only cost me one corner. It was a corner I needed to pull on while lasting the boots, but which would then be pulled completely under and/or trimmed away. I carefully measured to make sure I was correct, then sewed a patch in place so I’d have something to grab while lasting. Sure enough, I definitely needed that patch while I was lasting, but it’s now pulled completely under and will never be seen again.
The only thing I don’t like about very complex designs that extend all around a boot top is the fact that there’s no way to photograph them that shows the entire design. Or perhaps it’s a shrewd way to pique the viewer’s curiosity!
The alligator trim on the boot pulls is the actual leather color. The foot is darker right now because it’s wet.
Also, please note how cleverly I cropped this photo to highlight my collection of Louvin Brothers albums in the background.
The side seams are done and now I shall go home and celebrate (probably with popcorn and a good book — I’m a wild one, y’all). Usually the only thing a boot maker needs to worry about matching on the side seam is the vamp/counter line, but these boots have all sorts of details that need to match on the side seam so they were stressful.
Today was one of those busy, exhausting days where I felt like I got nothing done. Finally at 5:15 I told myself that I must prepare the counters for my next pair of boots before I could go home so at least I’d feel like I’d done one thing.
The counter (I think they call it a heel puff in Europe — they don’t use the word counter) is a stiff piece inside the heel area of a boot or shoe. It supports the heel area of the shoe and also holds the wearer’s heel in place. A cowboy boot counter is very thick; it’s made from the same leather and thickness of leather as the sole. It’s skived, or thinned, around the edges either on a skiving machine in one’s shop or they can be purchased pre-skived.
Unfortunately that’s not the end though. You must also take the skived counter to a finisher (sander) and smooth and even out the skive. I don’t enjoy making counters, probably because when I worked for Jay Griffith some days when I had nothing else to do I’d go prepare dozens of counters. It doesn’t take long to do one pair though and now when I arrive tomorrow I’ll have all the pieces ready that I need to begin putting a pair of boots together.
The landscape boot tops are finished. They have been and will be an excellent opportunity for praying the Boot Maker’s Prayer: “Please match, please match.”
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| customboots on Lasting |
Lisa Sorrell, cowboy boot maker 