Boot Making Part 1

So, I enrolled in a boot making course at Cordwainers and last night was our 4th class. I love it. In fact, I think I am way too enthusiastic about it. Last night I found myself doing a little dance while I was cutting my pattern out. Last week, I had an inner dialogue going about how much I love the course which I thought I might share with the teacher until I realized that I was being kind of over the top. Though maybe teachers do want to hear, “OH MY GOD, I love this! This totally made my day, no wait, my week. I cannot wait for our next class, I mean I really love this…..really”? Maybe not?

In our first class we got our lasts. Mine is a pointy toe one that I can put a heel on to. Some other people choose flats. Those came with a rounded toe. I would have rather had a rounded toe but, there wasn’t much choice. Not that I really mind. The lasts are all so different I’m not sure the rounded one would have been rounded the way I like, anyway! After getting our lasts we spent the rest of that class putting masking tape all around our lasts.

In the second week we put some guidelines on the tape and then cut it off our last. The tape then helped us to make our main pattern or standard.

This is the making of my standard:

This stuff was all quite technical. I enjoyed it but, picking out leather is much more fun. (Class number 3)

I actually, thought I was going to make really simple black boots until all the leathers came out and I fell in love with this golden brown suede. Now, my design has changed a bit and I’ll hopefully be making something that looks like this:

In class 4, last night, we cut the leather. That was a very good feeling. I’m starting to see my boots come together.

The teacher does think that my design is a bit much. Though saying that, I was thinking about piping and also about having stars punched in the leather. Maybe he thinks I want to make some crazy 70’s glam platform bad boys.

I actually wouldn’t be opposed to that but, I’ve already got a pair of 6 inch silver platform boots!

Foxy.

ps. The Kiss coffeehouse is genius, don't you think?