Today I:
Rearranged the front of my shop and finally hung my art pieces, instead of leaving them in an untidy pile that was always in the way.
Almost finished a pair of boots I started over seven years ago and then due to personal reasons I could never make myself work on them again but now I am.
Got started on building heels on a sweet little pair of lace-up boots that will be finished in time to go with me to England.
Introducing: “In The Garden”
The only thing left to do on these little boots is put in the sock liner with my LS logo.
I did computer work until noon but then I got back into my shop and worked! I inseamed two pairs of boots and finished building the heels/pulled the last on a third pair.
Hey everyone! The lady who won this raffle the first time generously donated the boots back to the IBMA Foundation so they could be raffled again. You get one more opportunity for a chance to win a pair of Satan Is Real/Ira and Charlie Louvin boots custom-made just for you!
Additional information: Ira and Charlie Louvin were a brother duo who started out singing gospel music and eventually moved into also performing secular music. Their beautiful harmony singing influenced everyone from Elvis to EmmyLou Harris. The Louvin Brothers’ most iconic gospel album “Satan Is Real” was released in 1959; the cover features Ira and Charlie in a rock quarry surrounded by flames and overshadowed by a large Satan made of plywood, created by Ira. Ira was a drinker who felt he had been called to preach instead of play music. His conflicted feelings led him to swing wildly between Heaven and Hell, and inspired many heartfelt songs about sin, alcohol, hell, and the devil. The title track of the album “Satan Is Real” tells the story of a sweet and comforting church service derailed by an old man’s admonition to warn of Satan and the harm he does to society and families. I spent much of my childhood in outdoor camp meetings listening to many similar exhortations and sermons, and the recitation by Ira instantly transports me back in time. I rarely heard secular music in my childhood but I remember growing up listening to our three Louvin Brothers gospel albums (including “Satan Is Real”), deeply feeling the passion, guilt, regret, and joy of which they sang, and learning harmony as I sang along.
https://bluegrassfoundation.org/raffle
Both cowboy boots are side seamed now, and both lace-up boots are lasted. The little lace-up boots fought back and I’m glad to be done.
Do you ever have one of those days when you feel like you’re under water all day and everything is hard? That was today for me. I pressed through to get one of these side seamed and then decided I’d tempted fate long enough; I’ll do the other one tomorrow.
Also, I didn’t want to crop out my Louvin Brothers albums so that meant leaving you a nice view of my random-stuff-plus-some-junk shelves.
You may notice that these boots are completely different than anything I’ve ever made before. I could see in my head exactly how I wanted them to look but I didn’t know if I had the skills to pattern them. Hey, it only took me three tries and I learned a lot! Let’s hope I remember some of it in case I ever need to do anything like this again.
Other than a slight curve at the top of the boots, the side seams are a straight line. All of the curves in the ankle area were creating by “springing” the pattern — positioning the front and back tongue in a way that forces a curve into the boots. One side seam has a sewn-down band covering the seam and one is a band that disguises a hidden zipper.
When I purchased this hand-dyed indigo alligator, I pinned a note to it reminding myself that whatever I made from the leather would be named “Crash Course in the Blues.” It’s a Steve Wariner tune with the line “she was a California angel wearing alligator shoes” although I always sang “boots” instead of “shoes.” I thought maybe a customer would come along for this piece of alligator but they never did so I claimed it for myself.
Now “Crash Course in the Blues” belong to me!
I almost got some boots finished today.
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