Boot tops are sewn together inside out. Mario Chapa runs an antique harness and rein sewing machine is used for this part of the process. “It puts a thread down that is not as thick as the stitches we use on the soles of the boots, but is thicker than what a Singer sewing machine will create,” Evans explains. “The main thing we’re looking for here is that all the seams and lines match up exactly. The worst thing you can say to one of our craftsmen is their quality is slipping. They are tenderhearted about it.”
After the tops are sewn together, Mario bevels the edge of the seam, trimming excess leather bulk. “He trims it to a point to we can fl at- ten the seam,” which means the worker runs each boot top through a grinder/fl attener by hand. “It takes a couple of minutes for each side,” Evans says, “and we get a super fl at, smooth inside seam. You can make a boot faster than we can, but you can’t make one better.”
Sometimes a low-technology solution is the best answer. Evans
shows the machine they use to turn the boot tops right side out. It’s a
pipe mounted to a small table with a stirrup below. Hooks attached to the stirrup come up through the pipe
and hook into the boot pulls. Lionel Olivarez steps on the stirrup to turn the boot top right side out.
Domingo Ruiz has been with been with Evans “since we had a little bitty shop down in Matam- oros in 1972 or 1973.” His fi rst job was to do fancy stitching freehand. Now he assembles the boot tops and vamps. Many of the craftsmen have worked with Evans for 30 years or more and their children are beginning to come to work for the company. Rios of Mercedes employs more than 100 South Texans.
90 The Cattleman December 2015
Before he stitches everything down, Domingo uses a protractor to make sure the left and right parts of the boots match exact- ly. Evans says, “Any points you have up the front of the boot must be exactly the same. Remember, we’re making left and right boots. He doesn’t want to have to pull it apart and replace it.”
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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