She ain't no drag....

I can make shoes?

Mama's got a brand new bag shoes. Made by me. Not perfect. The leather was perfect for the upper sole not so much for the straps. I kind knew that when I bought them but this was the only hide I had on hand at the time.

Where it all started

 I have 5 divine black italian lambskin hides that I got at less than wholesale. $2.80 SQFT for 1.5oz. But I'm holding onto them for a leather jacket. Just trying to snag a few more hides from that supplier. So I used the green "unlabeled but probably lamb" leather I got from Mood the other week. I remember when I bought it I intended to sew the straps but this project was really about getting used to the construction issues of shoes.

I got sole!

So these are just simple crossed strap sandals with two crossing straps at the foot and two straps with a buckle that wrap around the ankle. I used a pattern from "I can make shoes" but next time I think I would make my own sole pattern and work out the placement of the straps at the pattern making stage. Trying them on and marking them like the tutorial says is not easy. Also the soles ended up being different sizes.

Please forgive my blue toe it was cold last night

The green upper/inner sole is a piece of mounting board wrapped in the leather with some white EVA foam on the heel. I just used the white craft foam at Michael's which is what the pattern recommended. It's still EVA foam. Texon board was recommended but thats a very industry specific thing so I couldn't find it so I had to substitute. The buckles were from Michael Levines. The sole I purchased though Etsy and its a 1/4" crepe stick on soling. Right thickness for sandals but probably not for anything else. Essentially flip flop soles.

They kinda look a little more orthopedic granny than sexy summer sandals

I apologize that I don't have the sexiest feet in the world and you can tell I don't wear sandals much ever so I probably won't wear these but this was an exercise in construction technique. I think if I had gotten the pattern part sorted out before starting then this would have been perhaps an hour long process.  Half of that being the cutting out. Cut out a bunch of these at once and you could probably reduce the per shoe time.

So I have successfully proven I can make shoes and I intend to make a lot more.