I love vintage Fryes but the shaft on these was too wide on my leg. Perfect to DIY. Here’s what I did…
You will need:
- Latex paint. It works perfectly on leather and stands against all weather.
- Drawing pad + crayons (optional)
- Sharp scissors
- Rubber gloves
- Drop cloth or bin liner
- 2 paint brushes. 1″ and 2″ or 3″
- Plastic container with water to wash brushes
- Masking tape (not shown)
- Metal tips (optional)
1. Using very sharp scissors to get a clean line, cut the boots to your preferred height (see previous cut boots here).
(Optional step):
2. To help decide on a paint colours, draw out the boot and play with different combinations. I decided to keep some of the original leather untouched but you can paint each panel in different colours or paint the entire boot in one. Whatever suits your style. Excuse the poor drawing!
3. Use masking tape to keep a clean line between painted/unpainted areas.
4. Using the 1″ brush I painted the front panel and back heel panel (paint used: Martha Stewart metallic glaze in ‘Black Bean’). 2 thin coats of paint should work – 3 at most. Allow each coat to dry for a few hours or cut drying time by placing them in front of a fan on high. Remove tape when each section is dry.
5. Optional: Add metal tips to the front and/or back in silver or gold. I got mine from Western Spirit and added them but they can do it for you. Most western shops sell them. Click here to see a few of their metal tips.
6. Optional: Take the boots to a cobbler to run a machine stitch in the same color around the cut tops.
Voila! Instant update to discarded boots.
