Vintage Red. Photo by loveandadventure.
…these are good too. I like variegated thread in the summertime.
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Bootmakers can buy piping in spools from supply companies, but often make their own to match custom designs and fancy materials. Bootmakers will cut a narrow strip of leather, skive (thin) the edges… then lay a cord or string down the middle, giving the trim a smooth rounded shape. On the Dave Wheeler Boot (above) the custom made blue piping is a match to the 10 rows of hand stitching. Beautiful.
On the Rocketbuster boot (left) the piping is nearly disguised in the hotrod pin-striping design. Very cool. The pull is on the inside of the boot. You can see the red piping runs along the top of the boot and down the side seam. Notice how the piping is almost invisible, camouflaged in the narrow inlay and the criscross double-row red stitching. The right-hand photo shows and old Tex Robin boot. The leather has worn thru and you can see the cotton cord. The piping on this boot matches the boot leather and lets your eyes focus on the stitch If you have a copy of my book. Flip through the pages… look at the piping. Tell me what you think in the comments below.
Top 2 photos by Marty Snortum. Bottom right photo, by me.
Heel slides are in almost every pair of cowboy boots— they are seldom as fancy as this pair. Heel slides are particularly important in a boot’s construction when a boot top is made out of a thinner leather, like kangaroo or kidskin. With everyday wear, boot tops made of thin or soft leather are likely to wrinkle and maybe even bunch at the ankles… if the top stitching and the heel slides weren’t providing support. Pascal Davayat stitches each heel slide in the shape of an iron cross. His boots are about non-comformity inside and out. (You can see more of Pascal’s work on the Hollywood Riff Raff website.)
Carved boot pulls with matching collar. White piping. Bling! (Made by Hollywood Riff Raff)
Cowboy boots made by Pascal Davayat.
The lightning bolt at the toe will wear off with time… the other won’t. (Boots by Hollywood Riff Raff.)
I got a new pair of custom made cowboy boots… and they’re swell. I could post a photo toe-to-top, like I usually do… but nah,  not this time. I will post photos one boot characteristic at a time, so you can soak in all the wowie-zowieness …and you can play the game of puzzling the pieces together. Okay, let’s start. Here is sole of the boot, up near the toe. It holds a clue to the boot’s maker… Can you guess who it is? (You can look for clues and type your guesses in the comment section, below.)
A simple, wonderful pair vintage boots. The the red hearts and the white flashes are inlay …bordered by 2 rows of yellow stitches. Inlay can be crude, like it was pounded out with a cookie cutter. In the 1950′s, the factory makers of kids cowboy boots were clever at this—simple punchy shapes like pistols, stars, longhorns and ponies. Yee haw! Inlay can be fancy. Here is a special “behind the scenes” look at leather inlay. The cowboy boots made by Texas Traditions (Austin, TX) have an undeniably elegant look… this photo essay teaches you a few of the shop secrets. Even their simple designs get a fine touch. The shapes are cut into the boot tops using a sharpened blade fashioned from a sewing machine needle. The leather inlay pieces are thinned down at their edges with a sharp knife (“skived.”) And, the rows of stitched are placed one at a time. Beautiful. You can see more finished boots made by Lee Miller, here. Photo by Marty Snortum.   Here’s a recap. The photo on the left is “before” …on the right, “after.” “After” Dave Wheeler spent 200+ hours drawing, cutting, piecing, stitching and hammering. I am intrigued by this class of cowboy boot, the “wowie-zowie” or “killer” cowboy. The cowboy boot that is more decorated than not. The boot that holds your attention for a very very long time. It takes a special bootmaker paired with a unique customer to build a boot like this. The bootmaker needs to be on top of their game… with a special eye for color and symmetry. Creativity only counts for something if you have the stitchwork to pull it off. AND… this same bootmaker needs to keep the shop’s other customer orders moving along, even as this landmark boot gets built piece by piece. A true talent. Dave estimated he put in 10-12 hours, every 2 weeks, for more than 8 months… and then each and every weekend nearing the rodeo deadline on his “Houston” boots. The customer needs a heart-felt passion for the project, unwavering confidence in their bootmaker… and a credit card. Tips on building your “killer” cowboy boot…• Become your bootmaker’s favorite customer. I’m COMPLETELY serious…. you need to be ordering matching belts, sending Christmas cards, and bringing in boot orders from your friends. • Try and convince your maker to enter a contest or competition. Most folks order plain boots, your boots  represents a unique chance for the bootmaker to show-off. • Resist the urge to micro-manage. You are paying the bootmaker for their expertise, let ‘em use it. Besides, no bootmaker is gonna want to spend 200 hours on what feels like a paint-by-number project. If you’re hovering over the stitches and thread color, you’ve gone too far. • Don’t even think about ordering these “for Christmas” …or worse, a wedding. No way. |
   
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pattern. This pair was found at a Texas yard sale, I love how the previous owner left the fray hanging.
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