The stitched boot tops are completed and I am celebrating. I did the two front panels in one day and then had to go home that evening and lay on the couch with an ice pack on my eyes because of eye strain. I learned my lesson and only worked on the back panels for an hour or two at a time, so they took several days to finish.
Someone asked me what this stitching technique is called and I told them the answer is, “I Made It Up” although it’s similar to trapunto in quilting. It’s not fast and it’s not much fun, but it’s easy and it looks cool.
When I bought my first serger, the woman who sold it to me told me to never ever unthread it — always tie in the new threads and pull them through because it was too complicated to thread. The first time I needed to change thread color I picked up the scissors and cut off all four threads because I vowed I wouldn’t have a machine I couldn’t thread… until I met this big beautiful beast AHEM I mean Lovely Goddess The Boss of My Shop. I thought I had a foolproof way of tying off the thread but today they separated and I had to rethread the machine. There was much complaining, mostly made-up lyrics to whatever song was playing so I wouldn’t scare or offend her with an angry tone.
I rethreaded the machine without checking the manual (I know what I’m doing!!) and she rewarded me by sewing the soles so sweetly. She also gets to choose the music we listen to while stitching; today she wanted “Are You Washed in the Blood” by New Tradition. The first sole image shows the sole stitched with the channel open, the second image shows a stitched sole and the bottom of the other boot with the channel closed over the stitching.
My little turquoise alligator uppers are complete! I was searching online last night for purple shoelaces, but I decided I should come to the shop and check first. So today I opened one of my drawers full of miscellaneous boot and shoe making supplies, checked the bag of shoelaces, and found a pair in the perfect shade of raspberry to match the flowers.
Yesterday was a good reminder of why I became a cowboy boot maker. I immediately loved the colors and designs, but I was also attracted to the tools and the arcane knowledge and the physicality required. A day of feeling my power as two beautiful designs flowed out of me and then moving to the inseaming bench and enjoying the strength in my arms and the feel of the little rainbow haft in my hand made me happy.
I’ve never been sure if I found boot making or if boot making found me, but either way I’m glad it happened.
I have a customer who has requested a design with dragonflies. This is the sketch I’ll send for her approval. She prefers very tall boots and filling all of that space can be a challenge.
This pair of shoes (the lace-up boots) were inspired by Gene Autry’s Lucchese boots. Honestly, I never liked the original design very much and I’m not sure why I thought remaking them as shoes was a good idea; I disliked them the entire time they were in production. Once they were finished and on the client’s feet, I suddenly liked them a whole lot!
If you need me anytime in the next two weeks or so, I’ll be at my sewing machine.
With this pattern, I stitch all the negative space behind the design rather than emphasizing the design itself. For the panel on the left, I’ve completed all of the spaces I can’t reach from the perimeter; now I need to fill in all the spaces around the edges. Each boot has two front panels and two back panels, so completing them all will take a while.
