chocolateducttape Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Well, I got a huge surprise for Christmas, which was a sewing machine! But the gift-giver didn't know what I was looking for and has not gotten one yet, but told me to pick out the one I wanted. The trouble is, I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for either. I'm taking a bootmaking class over the summer, and I don't know whether that requires a specialized machine (and if so, what kind of specialized machine) but that is definitely the sort of thing I'd like to make in the future. So far, though, I've mostly done purses, wallets, and such, and I'll definitely be doing more of those; probably some lighter-weight horse gear as well. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Randyc Report post Posted December 27, 2007 Hi, I took a western boot making class about a year and a half ago. You could actually build a pair of boots with leather hand tools and do all your stitching by hand. (not my cup of tea) Most boot makers use 3 different sewing machines when building boots. 1. Top Stitcher- Used for all that fancy stitching on the boot tops and attaching the counters, countercovers, and vamps to the tops I use a vintage 1918 Singer 31-15 better known as a tailors machine 2. Side Seaming Stitcher- This machine is used for stitching the side seams of boot tops. This needs to be a pretty heavy duty machine. Some boot makers stitch the side seams by hand. I have an Artisan Toro 3000. which I use for side seaming, making holsters, knife sheaths and all other medium to heavy duty stitching I do. 3. Sole Stitcher- This is a curved needle type of stitcher used for stitching the sole to the welt. This too could be done by hand or by taking your boots to a shoe maker and having them stitch your soles. I would recommend taking the boot class before investing in some of the heavy duty stitching equiptment. As far as a good all around stitcher that will handle medium weight wallets to heavy duty saddle tack, I would lean towards an Artisan 3000 or 4000 model stitcher or one of the other heavy duty stitchers populer with folks on this forum. By the way, which boot maker are you taking the class with? You might enjoy the following boot makers forums www.customcowboybootsandshoesforum.com www.hcc.org Regards, Randy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chocolateducttape Report post Posted December 27, 2007 Cool! Thanks for the knowledge sharing. I'm not going to get any fancy machinery specifically for bootmaking until I have some idea what I'm doing and am sure I'll stick with it, but I did get to see a bunch of Artisans at the IFOLG show this fall and I think I am leaning toward one of them for general stuff. I'm taking Carl Chappell's class. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnsCustomLeather Report post Posted December 27, 2007 As randy mentioned you need 3 machines. He mentions a artisan toro, Another good machine that is very versatile is an adler 205-64, or 105-64. These are very versatile machines as is the toro is. In our shop we sew soles with an american straight needle. As far as decorative top stitching we reccomend a walking foot machine with a safety clutch. John www.jclleathermachinery.com www.johnscustomleather.com Adler105.bmp Adler105.bmp Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Randyc Report post Posted December 27, 2007 Carl Chappell was also my mentor. I'm sure you will enjoy his class and go home with a custom pair of boots made by you! Randy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
