Of Hobbits and Boots

[Alfirin]

Hi all

In the Annotated Hobbit when commenting on the illustration of Bilbo facing Smaug Tolkien makes mention of an otherwise obscure fact; that, while in Rivendell, Bilbo was fitted with a pair of boots, but left them behind when he passed throgh Rivendell again on his way home after his adventure, presumably by choice (I cannot think of any good reason why the Elves would compell him to return boots they had made specifically for him. Especially as Bilbo's foot measurments would likey be so out of the norm for elves as to make his boots unwearable by anyone else in Rivendell!).
My question is as follows, if one assumes that this statement is canon (and, as it is by Tolkien himself and not contradicated by anything else Tolkine said, I see no reason why it should not be considered so) was the same courtesty extended to Frodo, Sam and the other hobbits when they were being prepped for the Fellowship's journey? It seems to me it would. There would have been plenty of time (it would be a matter of a few hours to take the Hobbit's foot measurments and make the lasts, a week or two at most to put the four pairs of boots together) and they would have likey been considered a good idea (if the Dwarves journey was considered sufficient to justify booting a hobbit, the Fellowship's which was going to be far longer and more arduous would certainly have been so.)