Lisa Sorrell, cowboy boot maker

I finished another pair of boot tops today and now I can begin putting boots together. The pulls aren’t finished because I just glued them to the lining a few minutes ago. The fastest way to make your machine grumpy is to try sewing through wet glue.

Sigh… this one lonely boot panel represents everything I got done in the boot shop today.

I promised yesterday that these boot tops would look better after they were stitched, and here’s proof. All of the sewing is done on my vintage, non-computerized Singer sewing machine with a clutch motor.

The boot tops are together and now I need to stitch them to add all of the detail that will make them interesting.

I like to set little goals for myself to make sure I’m not a lazy bum, so I decided I had to skive all of the pieces for this boot before I could go home.

These are the designs for two boots I’ll be starting soon.

I’ll let these boots sit on the trees tonight and most of tomorrow so they’ll have a nice shape. Then I’ll finish the heels and send them off to the new owner. At that point it will be time for the Boot Maker’s Prayer: “Please fit, please fit.”

YouTube video for April: demonstrating making leather beading

“It’s a Boot Life”

Boots sideseamed and turned right-side-out