Attaching The Back To The Front

But first...we need to do one bit of work to the front. Remember cutting out a block to attach the buttons to? This is the part where you attach that. Cement it down and then stitch, but let me give you a word of warning: if you're doing this by machine, it's very easy to slide off the edge, and this is a place where something like that will really show. Here's a suggestion: make the block about 1/4" larger than it needs to be, don't apply cement along that extra 1/4". Stitch it down then trim off the leather close to the stitching.

This one screws me up every time I make a pair of boots...the math works, but for some reason it just seems wrong in my head. Remember when we added 1/4" to the front and to the back for the side seam? The front will now overlap the back 1/2" and be cemented and stitched down. Trust me: it looks like a helluva lot, but it's correct.

It you don't trust your ability to apply cement in a straight line, try this trick. On the front piece, run a line of masking tape 1/2" from the edge. Apply the cement and peel the tape off as soon as you're done. You'll get a perfectly straight line of cement. Don't spend a moment worrying about the cement on the inside of the boot. It won't show, and it won't stick to the person wearing the boot once it's dry unless they happen to apply cement to their leg before they put on the boot.

In which case, they'll probably enjoy it anyway.

The final step you'll do with what is fast becoming the 'upper', take the underlap and... um...lap it under the overlap 1" (refer back to pattern adjustments if you need a reminder) and cement it in place along the seam allowance at the bottom - where the upper will join the midsole. I also like to stitch them, especially if I've left more than 1/4" I can baste without worry about the basting showing after the upper and midsole are together. The stitching is good for another reason: because you're only cementing down at the bottom, there isn't enough surface area for the cement to hold - stitching will let you muck about with the uppers without having to be so careful about them coming apart.