Making leather boots for harsh Northern winters

In my journey to create a life that is fully of my making, I have made all sorts of clothing, and for many years was making soft sole leather shoes for my children. I have wanted for so long to create footwear for myself, however, have always shied away. This year I finally made my first pair of outdoor, winter, and super warm footwear.

These boots are made from elk hide that has been tanned and dyed (I used a dark vegetable dye). They are knee high (they keep half of by leg completely toasty when I am outside), and lace up snug.

On the inside, I have a liner that is made of shearling sheep skin which make these boots incredibly warm. In fact, when I am outside in our extreme Northern winters (-31 degrees celcius this past week), by feet are perfectly warm no matter how cold the rest of my body is.

The bottom of these boots have a rubber crepe sewn on. This rubber crepe is made from reclaimed tires, however, it could be substituted with a thick leather. The pattern was made from my own foot, however, I left slightly more space for an extra pair of socks. I used metal gromets for the holes through which I put the laces, however, this is optional. It will make the boots last longer though.

There is still a bit of wiggle room and as the boots wear, I will have the ability to cut worn sections off and sew the pieces back together. I can replace the sole when needed, and I can use the sheep skin liner in a different leather shell if I need to. I go through a pair of winter boots every two years. Each pair costs 100 dollars. The materials for these boots cost me 75 dollars, and I can simply replace sections as needed. I have yet to see how long these boots will last, however, my moccasins which are similarly constructed lasted me over 5 years. Even if these boots last 1.5 years, I will still be on par. However, this coming year I am going to be tanning many hides (sheep skin and buckskin) and will have materials to make boots at very little cost.

Making boots requires only the most basic of sewing skills, and the ability to use scissors. The hard part? Patience to get the pattern right, and creating the pattern. Luckily, there are many patterns available online if you don’t feel confident in creating one yourself. Beyond the materials to make the boots, there are very few tools needed. Scissors, a knife for cutting the sheep skin, and a large eyed sewing needle (glovers needles are best) are all that is really required. However, this little tool makes sewing sooooo much easier.

This tool pre-punches holes (when hammered through the leather with a board under the leather) which makes sewing so much easier and makes the sewing more uniform.

For those who are worried about getting the pattern right before cutting expensive leather, it is entirely possible to practice using canvas. Canvas is a perfectly reasonable fabric for an outer boot shell for the winter (so long as it isn’t warm and sloppy) and it can be waterproofed. Then, once you have the pattern right, you could use it on leather also.

Making footwear isn’t for everyone…but if you think it might be…don’t be afraid to try. You might just end up with the warmest winter boots you have ever owned.

From my home fire to yours, hai hai.