Bad luck and stupidity

Do you ever feel like you create more work for yourself some days?
A cowboy boot is supposed to have four pulls, and so far I’ve made seven. I ruined the first two “name” pulls by not paying attention and laying them down next to my oiled sharpening stone, so they sucked up big dirty oily spots, and this was AFTER I’d cut out and skived everything. Yesterday I had four pulls completely finished–stitched and everything. I grabbed a new brand of leather conditioner to wipe away any marking pen residue, and it ate right through the finish on one of the floral pulls, leaving a big ugly spot. I took it home and picked out the stitches last night, and managed to re-use the beading at least.
I’m getting ready to go stitch the replacement floral pull. Wish me luck.
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Personalized boot pulls

These boots will have really long boot pulls.

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Dog portraits

Soon I’ll get to make a pair of boots featuring these sweet dog portraits, done by master leather carver Kathy Flanagan.

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Save it for tomorrow

I wanted to get these boot tops stitched before going home, but it’s supper time and they can wait until tomorrow. I am really liking the way these are developing!

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Playing catch-up

I like to make boots in pairs, and this is the second boot I’ll be working on for the next few weeks.

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“It’s a Boot Life”

On the December episode of “It’s a Boot Life” I film the process of putting together a complex inlaid design–the “Satan is Real” boot tops.

It’s a Boot Life

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Wingtips

Black calf wingtips on beige ostrich vamps

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New design

It will be a while before I get to make these boots, but they’re making me happy already!

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These are the colors and leathers.

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Progress

Here’s another peek at the “Satan Is Real” cowboy boots. Often with a non-traditional design such as this one, I feel it’s most attractive when it’s flat and putting it on a cowboy boot makes me like it less. I’m liking this design more and more though.

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More Satan

Tomorrow I’ll sew the side seams and they’ll begin to look like boots.

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