Stepping Into Her Craft
There are roughly 300 steps to make a custom pair of cowboy boots. Morgan Buckert says that depending on the maker, it can vary a bit, but that is how often a maker makes a decisive move in the process. It all begins with the design, which Buckert says ignites her creative spirit, but the process involves a lot of math, which engages her analytical mind.
“I love boot making because it is a combination of math, creativity and brute force,” says Buckert, who lives and works in Hailey, Idaho. “You get to use all the muscles of your body from your brain to your hands.”
Though Buckert is a seventh-generation Texan who grew up on her family’s coastal ranch in South Texas, she moved to Idaho to spread her wings. She was a fly-fishing guide, not even considering becoming a custom bootmaker. Like many, she looked for ways to fill in wage gaps during the recession and fell back on sewing, a lifelong hobby. Soon, sewing led to creating boots, and now Buckert is a full-time maker with a two-year wait list.
Buckert’s work is often pictorial, as shown by this completed pair of boots featuring a sun setting on a landscape scene. Photograph courtesy of Morgan Buckert
“When I had time during the recession, I began to sew again and started incorporating leather into my work and processes,” Buckert says. “I saw an opportunity to go to a shoe-making school, which clicked for me. Within hours of starting the class, I knew boot making was for me. It filled my brain and body like nothing else ever had. Ten years later, here I am!”
The 2023 Art of the Cowgirl Boot Making Fellow, Buckert has dedicated her time, sweat and effort to becoming a bootmaker that brings her client’s vision to life. Here, she talks about the steps of crafting custom boots and why it speaks to her soul.
Western Horseman: How did growing up in a ranching family influence your creativity and career as a bootmaker?Morgan Buckert: Being part of the Western lifestyle was never something I had the opportunity to choose or deny. It is who I am and who my family is. I was first on a horse at 10 days old. I grew up on a ranch doing all kinds of fun things — riding, hunting, fishing and working cattle — and had a really strong connection to the land. When I was 4, I started sewing. My parents always had custom boots; they had boots from Lee Miller, the famed bootmaker in Austin and a variety of other Texas bootmakers. I received custom M.L. Leddy boots for my high school graduation present and had always had an interest in custom boots. The creative part was really easy for me. I grew up in a creative family but a math family. Creating a custom pattern that is made to every client’s measurement is really rewarding.
I moved west 20 years ago to see more of the world. I have brought my heritage with me and gotten to explore the West, especially Idaho, where I live. I share my background and strong ranching heritage with the people here and have also learned about those similar but different traditions out here. I joke that my family runs cattle in south Texas, but I spend more time ranching snow and trout than cattle these days.
WH: What came naturally and what was more challenging to master when you began creating boots?MB: The first thing that I can say about boot making is that you never fully master your craft, and there is always room for improvement and something to learn. Being part of the boot-making community, we laugh that we are lifelong learners and love to suffer. In any sport, craft or job, there is always room for improvement. We gravitate toward what we love but are always searching and making room for improvement.
Refining my skills is a challenge, and I think [it’s] a challenge for every bootmaker. I used to have a friend who was a pilot and a teacher. She said you can only remember three things at one time. When I finish a pair of boots, I struggle with all the details I can improve, but I try to have only three new things to work on with a new pair of boots. I see that going for my entire life, to come into each new pair with three things to work on to better that pair.
WH: How do you describe your style of boot?MB: First of all, any bootmaker will say that having a well-fit boot is No. 1, but that is something different for every person and varies depending on where you live and what you do. I live in Buckaroo country now in Idaho, which has a specific aesthetic. I am from South Texas, a coastal, brush popper country that also has a specific aesthetic. And there are a lot of aesthetics in between.
Trying to create a well-fitting boot that matches the client’s vision is paramount to me. The type of work I do is pictorial. I create a lot of boots that represent a place and vary significantly. I do a lot of mountain ranges, flowers, or like the pair I finished recently, native grasses. I believe as more women build boots, the creativity of what is depicted on the boots has expanded. I love seeing the diversity of what custom cowboy boots look like right now.
Every pair of boots is really personal and tells the story of the wearer. Something like a custom hat or boots lasts forever. I remember my first custom hat. I have a pair of custom cowboy boots from 1972 that I purchased when I was in college. Those weren’t made for me, but they are my favorite boots to have around.
WH: What makes creating custom Western gear so exciting?MB: I love that we are in our cycle of peak Western wear, and people want to be cowboys. So many influences got us where we are today, and it is thrilling to be making cowboy boots right now. I love that more women are getting into traditional Western crafts and are coming from slightly different backgrounds, which allows for a more diverse and inviting group of makers to be part of. At this height of wanting to be a cowboy right now, there is enough work and opportunity for all of us and for us to be ourselves. It’s a great community to be part of.
WH: Can you walk us through your creative process and how you shape boots?MB: Once I start the boots, it takes 60 to 75 hours to craft a pair of boots because my designs are complicated. I take at least six measurements on each foot, and it can be more depending on the height of the boot and your feet. Everybody has different feet and different ailments. The point of custom boots is to have boots that fit. Once the measurements are taken, I create custom patterns for each measurement; then, I adjust the last — the form the boot is built on — to match your foot measurements. The point of the boots is to be comfortable and for you to be able to wear them all day, whether on a horse or walking down the street in Manhattan.
While there are more than 300 individual steps to create a pair of boots, I can break it down into 10 big steps. It starts with asking every client to gather ideas or materials for the design.
Creating a well-fitting boot that captures the client’s vision is of the utmost importance to Buckert, who can spend up to 75 hours crafting a single pair of boots.
Buckert specializes in unique designs and doesn’t shy away from vibrant colors.
A custom pair of boots come together piece by piece. Pictured are the reverse sides of what will be the front shafts laid next to the vamps on Buckert’s work table.
First, I start with measuring and creating custom patterns and design. Second, I build the last, which is the form the boots are built to fit or a mock-up of your foot. Then, I create the top design on a flat piece of leather and crimp the vamps, which is the piece covering your foot
I’ll then attach your tops and vamps to the counter, which is what is on your heel. Fifth, I sew the fronts and backs together, then flip those. The sixth part is carving insoles. With a custom pair of boots, every part is leather, allowing your feet to breathe and be a lot healthier. It allows you to sweat in them, and they mold to your feet over time. The insole is a part you never see but is critical to a custom pair of footwear. It allows your boot to be re-soled, which extends the life of your boot, and the cost to wear goes down, which makes them more affordable. The insole is one of my favorite parts.
Next, I last the boots, or put the uppers around the last form. Then I welt the boot, meaning sew on the wide piece that sticks out from the sides of the boot. Then, I sew the sole on and peg the sole. Pegging is unique to cowboy boots. You punch a hole, then hammer in a lemonwood peg that allows expansion and contraction with moisture. If you’re a working cowboy sweating or in South Texas in moisture, that peg allows your boot to create a healthy experience for your foot. If it is nailed in, your pegs will rust with sweat and moisture. You’ll generally see those holes on the underside of the boot, in front of the heel.
Finally, I’ll build and shape the heels, which are made from leather stacks. Each piece is added individually and sanded down to the heel type and shape you’re looking for. In Idaho, it’s a tall, underslung heel. You’ll add a rubber heel cap, one of the only rubber pieces on the boot but allows you to replace it and resole. And that is a brief overview of the process. Really, you can write a book on it!
Buckert expertly guides the stitching on a pair of custom boots.
Completing a quality pair of custom boots requires a lengthy process, but Buckert is up for the challenge. She proudly displays one of her works in progress.
To follow Morgan Buckert’s work, visit morganbuckert.com.
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