Lisa Sorrell, cowboy boot maker

Here’s a short video of me stitching soles. If you watch carefully there’s a terrifying millisecond when the boot wiggles. I’d just washed my lunch dishes, my hands were damp, and the boot stuck to me when I repositioned my hand.

I have this up on my shop wall and it never fails to amuse me.

The shanks are shaped and laced into place and now it’s time to add the counter cover, which gives the cowboy boot shank its distinctive rounded shape.

The “toe box” is a stiff piece of leather or synthetic that’s sandwiched between the foot leather and the lining, so the the toe will hold its shape. I have the toe box in these boots now!

I like the insides of my boots to be as pretty and neat as the outsides, even if it will never be seen again.

It’s always a good feeling when sideseaming-and-turning-the-boots day is over.

“It’s a Boot Life” continues with Part Three of speed boot making. You know making a cowboy boot is complex when even speeded up to 10x and only showing footage from working on one boot, it’s still going to take two more episodes.

It’s a Boot Life

I keep simplifying my stitched logo.