I stopped by Texas Custom Boots (Austin, TX). Noel Escobar…. even after all this time in the bootmaking business, has not lost his passion (and patience) for vintage cowboy boots. One of the few places that able and willing to return a beat up vintage pair to wearable condition. Noel is still a great collector. Lots of boots on the shelves. If you can’t find what you are looking for… then you should have the shop make you a custom pair!
Inlay:
Shapes are cut out of a boot top, and layers of colorful leather are placed underneath. The inlays are held in place with one or more rows of stitching.
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.
Unfortunately, the shop is no longer accepting new customers.
Photo by Marty Snortum.
Come meet me this Saturday, Sept 27th from 1-3pm Heritage Boot. I’ll be signing books (…and no doubt, trying on some boots.)
Texas Custom Boots is truly a full-service boot shop.
Noel Escobar will be happy to make you a brand new handmade customfit cowboy boot. He is happy to sell you one of his vintage boots. He will also take your broken-down chewed-up vintage factory boots and restore them to wearable condition.
Noel has more patience and expertise for restoring worn and vintage cowboy boots than anyone I know. Noel will strengthen boot tops with new linings. He’ll relast boots… sometimes adding a wingtip or foxing as an attractive repair. He’ll resole & polish. Click through to the end of the photos to see what can only be called “extreme makeovers.”
Also, Texas Custom Boots adjoins Martinez Brothers Taxidermy, which makes for some great pictures. Come for the boots, stay for the BBQ.
