to "Dream by Day"

[proxy_posting]

3 big stamps and a blank, 3 little stamps made from the ends of the 6 inch nails. Leather piece with stamp impressions. JLC

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[paul]

Jesse, and proxy poster,

Nice! Thanks for sharing these with us. They sure do look like some old timey stamps!

PK

[jesselee]

Paul

Hahahaha, and made from real old timey 6 inch iron nails from NM ghost town. Same ones I hammer for shanks.
Jesse

[firefly]

Jesse Lee,

Those are awesome stamps. They really look different from anything I've ever seen.

And thanks for the tip on carving on the boot tops.

Thanks,

Mark

[jesselee]

Mark

Thanks old son. I naturally take it back to the days of the cowboy, on his leisure time, and what can 'he' create. Sure I could go to Tandy and get stamps, but making them and knowing there is only 'one' gives a body a sense of satisfaction.

Thanx for the good words.
jesseLee

[jesselee]

All,

Aside from making a wonderful batch of home brewed beer and that great pulled pork (HA! I am sure gettin a truck and making the rounds this summer!) What else y'all do? I have seen DW's wood turnings, Dang, thats pertty work!

I also work in metal, knives, awls, lathe tools, carving tools.. Seems we gots lots of talent here. Also make lasts, crimping boards et al. Point: I find it interesting that us bootmakes find a spirit of creatvity in lost arts. So lets tell it!
Jesselee

[dw]

JesseLee mentioned John Henry, his bootmaking cat. Here's a photo of Rosasharon (Rosie), our faithful arbiter of quality. She's a four year old retired red brindle greyhound that we "rescued." She won a number of races before she was retired but when they stop winning, retirement is short...kind of like the only kind of retirement that old shoemakers can look forward to.

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Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[jesselee]

DW

She's beautiful. No doubt you make her collars and leashes, huh?
Hmm, retirement???? Not for me. I'm hardly started, mebe ... Nope, until the day I pass on.
JesseLee

[dw]

JesseLee,

Thanks. She can go 0-45 in three strides...at least that's what the tech manual says. And she's fast as a snake when it come to catching cats or chihuahuas.

Walking down the street several months ago a little chihuahua came running out barking and snapping. Rosie just waited and when the little morsel came within striking range...well, before you could blink, she had it in her mouth and was shaking it. Never seen a dog strike that fast.

She has to be kept on a leash or in a fenced yard at all times--they're sight hounds and will run after prey and you may never get them back. We had to pay $200.00 to adopt her, sign a contract never to let her off the leash and pay another $4-$5k putting in a fence and so forth.

But other than that, she almost never barks. She's as sweet tempered and as gentle as any dog I've ever known and will happily lay around all day.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[jesselee]

DW

Impressive. I didn't know they were that fast. I knew they like to run. Did she eat the Chihuahua? We do so much for our little friends and they are worth it. I think John Henry will stay in the truck when we make our rounds. He does have a couple of big Pit Bull friends that he's known since a kitten so he has no fear of dogs, just don't want him runnin away..
JesseLee

[firefly]

DW,

I love the way that Rosie came to check to make sure you attached that bristle correctly in the video.

I wanted to include a couple of shots of my mutt. He was a shelter rescue. Half lab and half shephard. We think. He's pretty talented in his craft. I wanted to include a couple of photos because he is really multifaceted and these photos should give you the full range of his abilities.

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Pretty impressive Huh.

Mark

[dw]

Mark,

Very impressive! But at the risk of being accused of one-upsmanship, I just have to post this photo of Rosasharon at her most dignified and relaxed...

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Also I mentioned that she is death on cats...well the neighbor has a cat who has gotten very paranoid..

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Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[firefly]

Oh to live the life of a canine. What stress

[jesselee]

I was taught by old John Taylor, that this Trade inspired a dream, or dreams. After 7 years of being alone in the world, I fell back into that dream. Please do cuss me out for being an ecentric, dreaming romantic in this Trade/Crafte. But since January when I re-emergeged as the Phoenix, reborn of the fire for this Trade, I have spoken with, emailed, communicated with the people I have admired for years all over the world. I suppose the shyness that I once held is gone, now is time to integrate.

I suppose it is the wonderment of true happiness that drives us on to be the best we can be. I will not live long enough to make even one of each model of my esteemed collegues here. So I will sit back with my bootmaking cat and enjoy all the glory around me, and the pride in wanting to be the best, which is an inspiration.

My 1860's Southern gentleman's boots were finished today. I will send the pictures to my dear proxy friend to post, along with one of whom I term, 'the official boot making cat, John Henry. As many of us have a love for our esteemed pets, I will share.

I was spending time on an English group of 'cobblers', I forget who installed the URL here, but I hail that gentleman. OURS, is a Trade/Crafte/Art which reaches deep into our very being, an expression of a lost art that we are determined to pass on. I looked at those old pictures, identified machines and saw that it needs not be a wealth of monetary value, but a fire that burns deep inside that even a few hand tools and a spiritual meditation can elicit a response of beauty, whether bespoke or repair.

To all of you, I give thanks for my rebirth in finding my calling once again.

In ALL Sincerity,

JesseLee Cantrell

[jesselee]

Still inspired, but much in need of sleep. The 1860's gentleman's boots are 14" tall, made on an original pair of size X (Roman numeral 10) lasts. The last boots they can take as they ar now decrepid and old and will be retired.

The hardest part was to get the nice classy wrinkles. I figured that water would release the crimp and I was right. They are made of 2oz. English calf and have a foot lining, back strip support, strip supports at the seams, and a Kip Burgandy top lining. The pulls ate 1 1/2" Calf, all sewn with my 1878 Bradbury A1 repairer (my baby). Side seams are 5 to the inch with hand waxed #7 Barbour's linen (20 years old). Pegging I have already addressed. Heels are square iron nailed, shanks decorated with stamping tools of my design.

I hope to bring these to the st. Crispin's day events. I also hope to bring the copies of the doots of Donna Maria Sanchez, made for my most excellent friend, Dionne. They will be finished by monday.

Well since this is the Drem section, this old bootmaker is 'Dreaming'. And ain't that the point of it all. NOW why don't one of you wonderments make the day 40 hours so I can get some real work done.......

JesseLee and John Henry

[dw]

Here's an example of one of my other hobbies.

These are less than a quarter inch across...

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Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[jesselee]

DW

They hold the beauty and wonderment of life. Susch vibrant colors. When i was in WA. I grew holly trees and had my own hybrid of black roses.

Perhaps it is our kind that is driven to create beautiful things for those who appreciate them.

JesseLee

[dw]

Jesse Lee,

After my first trip to the Caribbean, I found I had a thing about photographing flowers. But now I'm looking for a suitable closeup filter so I can get right down there in telephoto mode...not for the flowers...I can get within one cm and get excellent focus, but for the insects. It's really neat/strange when you see a bee photographed so close that you can see the individual lenses in the eye and little parasites on the hairs of the legs.

The above photo is reduced enormously in size and resolution for posting here, but the original cluster is probably half the size of how it appears in the photo. Because the shot was so good and at 6+mp, I could probably do a crop on one bloom itself and it would be a reasonable shot to post here.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[dw]

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Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[jesselee]

DW

I have a great love for flowers, but not a good photographer. I do photograph wild animals and baby animals. I have some good shots of a baby morning dove and a big raccoon, who is a neighbors pet and comes up to visit John Henry and myself, a wonderful animal. I hope to make enough money to be able to get a good camera for these beautiful things in the future. I do enjoy your pictures.
JesseLee

[gshoes]

Jesse Lee,

Heres one for ya. This last summer I raised a brood of silk worms. I still need to unravel the cocoons to make silk thread though. I'd love to share the pics with anyone interested, but I am not sure how I can post them for the group.

Jesse can you explain to me what a crimp board is for?

Geri

[gshoes]

I was wondering if the silk thread from these cocoons could be used to make thread suitable for shoemaking?

GERI

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[dw]

Geraldine,

My wife knows more about silk than I do but I pick up a bit here and there...

First off, some silk will "unreel" off the cocoon as one unbroken strand; some gets fragmented (I think they call this "Tussah" silk). Then the strands go through several preparatory processes and are eventually spun into thread.

You (or I) could probably do a Google search or go to Wikipedia and get more detailed information, but the upshot is that it is a more complex process, I believe, than just simply unwinding the strands. Cleaning, spinning, dyeing, etc., are also involved, of course.

And then there is the whole issue of whether it would be consistent enough and of the right size to run through a sewing machine, if that's your intent.

The fact that silk thread production is a dedicated industry unto itself is a reflection of the complexity of the process and perhaps a warning that it may not be undertaken casually except perhaps as an experiment.

The point is that you can buy silk thread already prepared and ready for use...either for machine work or hand work. Why would you want to make it?

The next question is...is it suitable for shoemaking?

If it is prepared correctly for the desired application, I would think the answer is "yes." At one point in time silk was all that was used on high end shoes and boots. Cowboy boots of the early 20th century were stitched entirely with silk. I even have a number of spools from that time. The colours are vibrant, the sheen is unrivaled and the strength is only so-so.

I would have to say that nylon is the superior product for longevity and strength.

Nice photo, BTW.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[gshoes]

DW,

Thanks for the history on silk thread for shoemaking. A great website for silk reeling if anyone is interested is www.wormspit.com. I will let you know if I ever get to the reeling stage on these cocoons.

[dw]

Heres some photos of the wedding. Several folks have been clamoring for photos of me in a kilt...as if it were a big deal--I'm part Scots after all and it comes naturally. Many shots were taken of me but not by me and not on my camera. so if I get any from the wedding photographer or from relatives that are any better I'll post them later.

First shot is of me and my daughter Chlóe. she had her hair...what's it called "marcelled"?...like in the 1920's. It was cute as heck and she looked gorgeous.

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Ihe second photo is of me and my lovely wife. I was having a nice nap til she came walking up!

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Third photo is of the bride and groom...the bonnie Scots lass and the wild heilan laddie.

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Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC