Sorrell Custom Boots

05/15/2026

HURRAY! I get to give the Thursday luncheon presentation at the International Country Music Conference in Nashville! I do enjoy the luncheon presentation because it's a little more flexible in format. This time I'll speak briefly about cowboy boot history and then move on to talking about cowboy boots that I'll have on display in the room.

I *can* calm it down and give a sedate historical talk when necessary, but my absolute favorite presentation style is conversational and interactive. I love the adrenaline rush of leaving myself open for spontaneous questions. Will I know the answer? Will it allow me to share some obscure bit of knowledge? Better yet, will someone ask a question that makes me consider something I hadn't thought of yet? It's so fun!

05/14/2026

Typically I use metallic gold and silver leather for small inlaid accents; today I learned that stitching on silver leather is hard because the sewing machine light glares on it.

05/13/2026

Introducing: "The Wild Side of Life"

I will deliver these to a musician in Nashville later this month and I hope they have a long and wild life on stage.

05/12/2026

The beginning of silver shoes with turquoise and pink butterflies

05/07/2026

I've pulled the lasts out of this pair of boots and that, my friends, is cause for celebration.

05/07/2026

Here's my most recent interview, with Homo Faber.

Discover exceptional craftsmanship with Homo Faber

05/03/2026

This is a clipping from an 1896 shoe uppers and findings* catalog. It's funny because I've been poring over this catalog, trying to learn as much from it as I can, but I wouldn't have paid attention or known what this meant until last week -- Eskilstuna is a town in Sweden. The craft conference that I attended and gave two presentations was in Eskilstuna.

*Findings means supplies for shoe making. It's used like the word "notions" which refers to supplies for sewing.

04/30/2026

A few weeks ago I hosted three women boot/shoe makers in my shop and one of them just sent me this photo. Days like this are such a joy, and worth remembering. I'm lucky to have such a good community of friends.

04/30/2026

I miss my friend Carina and I miss Stockholm, but it's good to be back in my shop!

Yesterday was TOUGH. I can drive cross-country for hours until you beg for mercy but I'm not that great at air travel; airports and airplanes give me motion sickness, nausea, and migraines. I've learned to drink lots of water and I'm not allowed to even think about alcohol when I'm in an airplane or an airport. I've also learned to not eat airplane food. But yesterday I had a chai latte and a croissant for breakfast as I'd been doing every morning in Sweden, and then I boarded the plane to Amsterdam. The migraine hit on that flight and the rest of the day's travel never got any better. We almost missed our connection in Amsterdam and had to run, I was hungry and ate the airplane meal on the Amsterdam to Minneapolis flight, and by the time we arrived in Minneapolis I was barely functioning. We only had thirty minutes so I forced down some chicken nuggets and continued on to my gate, and I had to resist thoughts of the barf bag for a while on that flight.

Lesson learned: Before a flight I need to eat healthy food with protein. I also am no longer allowed to even think about drinks with caffeine on days I fly. Skipping a meal because I'm in flight and don't want airplane food only works if I've had a healthy meal prior to boarding.