it's all about boots this season

Seriously though who doesn't love a good pair of boots? And with fall beginning we will all be jumping into a pair! I know I will :)And now I am considering altering my next pair. Now that I have been working on these boots I feel like I can use this process to design a chic pair for myself. It's all about matching the color of the original boot so that it looks like it belongs, then you are free to manipulate the leather into whatever look you want! Or just go nuts! Maybe add more buckles and straps, decorative stitching, rivets, studs...the possibilities are endless. But I digress, I am posting to show you the progress of these pirate boots.

The first picture is what the bell looks like before it is attached. The straps are the pull tabs that will be used in pulling the boots on. They have been bonded to the leather with a special latex based glue then stitched to the bell using an awl, leather needle with waxed thread. The buttons have not been added yet but the keyhole slits have been cut for them. The other pictures show the boot with both leather additions attached. The spats are a two panel shape stitched together at the front and back slid over the top and buckled from underneath. Then the bell is folded in half and hand stitched down the back, folded with the pull tabs inside and glued onto the top portion of the original boot, then over stitched for extra strength. There is still some decorative stitching to do around the bottom perimeter of the bell, then the boots will be aged by Miles. And that's it! I will post pictures of them again once they are finished.