Monday, June 7, 2010

Ladies English Riding Boots




Please click on photos to enlarge them.

My last post inspired me to make these English riding boots yesterday. Actually, I already had it in mind and had ordered the leather quite awhile ago.

The leather is very smooth and very thin. Still I had to use a razor blade scraper I bought at a leather shop to make it even thinner. The first thing that had to be made was the polymer clay shoe forms so the leather could be stretched and formed over them. There is a right and left form but a separate one for the calf of the boot.

I am really pretty happy with the results. They are not stiff they are as soft as leather gloves are.

26 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. You are right. You have reason to be very happy with the result. Your boots are wonderful.
    Elis

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  3. Oh,brilliant !I love your boots.Hugs,Jeannette

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  4. Wow, I´m impressed, you´ve done a great job. I simply don´t know how anyone can make shoe and boots...

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  5. Fabulous! Now you need the whip :)

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  6. Que maravilla, parecen reales!!
    besitos ascension

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  7. Your tiny english riding boots are perfect. And they are made from real leather? Incredible
    - so small.
    Hugs and greetings from Bavaria, Germany
    Marion

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  8. Just wonderful, Catherine. Getting the thinnest leather is probably harder than the actual contruction. Nicely done!

    Tabitha

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  9. They are wonderful...very well done.

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  10. they are really really nice!! so real, congratulations, a great work!! hugs

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  11. Tabitha,

    I bought the leather on Etsy from a seller that was so nice and helpful. http://www.etsy.com/shop/LillieDDesigns She sent me several samples from different hides. I wanted the grain to be very smooth and the leather very thin. She told me I could buy it by the square foot.

    I have had so much fun buying supplies on Etsy. They nice thing is you don't have to buy a whole lot of any one thing.

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  12. Those are really stunning, Catherine! I particularly love the way you've shaped the calf :)

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  13. Catherine, your boots look so great. I love them.

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  14. They are amazing! Very beautiful!!
    Love, Susanne

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  15. Catherine, Your boots came out really wonderful!! I have a friend that has the best tutorial online for making these and thought I would share it with you! You will enjoy it!
    http://www.byannemariedolls.com/tutorials.html

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  16. Patty,

    Your friends tutorial is great! I loved the boots. They will look stunning on a doll.

    I am afraid that tutorial wouldn't have helped me much. I had to have an empty boot. One with a leg cut off in it might look a bit odd in a dollhouse.

    I really isn't hard to make stiff leather shoes or boots but butter soft is quite another matter. I had one hell of a time getting the shoe form out when the work was finished. The leather is paper thin a so very soft I was afraid I was going to tear it.

    I use double stick tape to help me get pieces positioned but that has to be removed before everything is firmly in place or you never could get the forms out.

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  17. Catherine....wow! I am certain there is nothing that you cannot turn your hand to! These boots look wonderful, so original....perfect!

    Linda

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  18. They are beautiful! And perfectly matching! Mine would look as if they belonged to a quite slew-footed woman who needn't risk her life on a horse and be smeared with glue and dust! They are exquisite just like everything you do, Catherine!

    Jody

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  19. I can only join the chorus, as usual you did an amazing job. These boots are beautiful and perfect. Are you really with exceptional talent and a rare taste for beauty :-)
    Flora

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  20. Wonderful Catherine, very classy.

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  21. Your boots are wonderful ,like everything else you make !

    Janne

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  22. wonder that are so real happiness.

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  23. Las botas son maravillosas, han quedado muy reales¡ enhorabuena! saludos

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  24. Congratulations for these pair of boots!!! They are just perfect!!!
    Meli

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