Dai S. Loe,
They will last a lifetime, the rawhide soles at the thickest is almost a quarter inch thick. They are skived to half thickness along the outer edge to make the sewing easier. I also glue in a thick latigo leather instep so you actually have a sole over 3/8ths inch thick, real comfortable on rocks and gravel.
Pony,
I don't know where you can get a pattern. Because of the way these are made, I don'k think a pattern is feasable, I don't use them when I make mocassins, I just lay them out from the measurments given to me, thats the way most mocassins made by native americans were made. I don't make petterns to sell.
As far as the toe tab is concerned, they were mostly decoration, but the size of the toe did have a meaning to the Chiricahua.....which wore this style of mocassin exclusively. Does any body know what that is? If you know I'll buy you a drink of your choice the next time I see you?
Bill