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This is an instructable for making your own pair of shoes with materials you can buy in an art store or a fabric store. I base my technique off of traditional shoe making methods, but you won't need expensive materials, a nice set up, or complex tools.
This method will also create perfectly fitting shoes as the pattern will be drawn from your own feet!
The total cost of this project is less than $50 and, will take under 20 hours.
*Note: if you choose not to use leather, you shoes will probably be best as indoor-only shoes*
Materials:
The Shoe
2 sqft 1/4" thick cork (OR shoe leather, which can be bought at a shoe repair store)
1 yard of each fabric/leather used on the outside of the shoe
1 yard of the fabric used on the inside of the shoe
Thread (thicker is best)
8+ Eyelets
Shoe laces
Masking tape
Superglue (or Shoe Goo)
Paper
The Last (cast of your foot)
13+oz. of alginate
64+oz. of Permastone (or another casting material like rubber)
Cardboard box
Tape
Tools:
Scissors
Retractable utility knife
Eyelet puncher (usually comes with eyelets)
Marker
Pliers
Needles
Awl
Cutting mat
This method will also create perfectly fitting shoes as the pattern will be drawn from your own feet!
The total cost of this project is less than $50 and, will take under 20 hours.
*Note: if you choose not to use leather, you shoes will probably be best as indoor-only shoes*
Materials:
The Shoe
2 sqft 1/4" thick cork (OR shoe leather, which can be bought at a shoe repair store)
1 yard of each fabric/leather used on the outside of the shoe
1 yard of the fabric used on the inside of the shoe
Thread (thicker is best)
8+ Eyelets
Shoe laces
Masking tape
Superglue (or Shoe Goo)
Paper
The Last (cast of your foot)
13+oz. of alginate
64+oz. of Permastone (or another casting material like rubber)
Cardboard box
Tape
Tools:
Scissors
Retractable utility knife
Eyelet puncher (usually comes with eyelets)
Marker
Pliers
Needles
Awl
Cutting mat
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Signing UpStep 1Generate a Concept
The most important step in any project is the design phase. Think about the type of shoe you want to make and do some sketches.
For my shoe, I ended up wanting to do a fancier-looking dancing shoe with a wider end that wouldn't constrict my toes.
For my shoe, I ended up wanting to do a fancier-looking dancing shoe with a wider end that wouldn't constrict my toes.
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Shoe glue shouldn't take too long to dry. In the industry we use contact adhesive (called Barge in the USA I think) which only requires a fairly thin coat. No glue should really take hours to dry unless it's water based.
I have US men's size 9 feet, and I used entire 28oz packages of permastone for each foot. Honestly the couple of times that I made casts of my feet I didn't use enough, and I had to end up adding volume by stuffing paper into the drying mold.
While everything depends on the type of shoe you're designing, I think you should play it safe and get around 80 oz of it, or two of the 48oz bags they sometimes sell, and split it between your feet (unless you have giant feet, then you're on your own!)
You should also be generous with the alginate when you make the actual mold for your feet, and try to mix enough that you'll be able to make a mold of your foot that goes up to the ankle.
This mold-making part of the process is probably the most resource heavy, but it's also pretty important. Good luck and ask if you have any questions!
Thank you for this c:
Nice Ible by the way, it'd be great to see more of these made. but it just seems so tedious.
I've made some turn shoes in the past but these are awesome.
How well does the cork hold up against concrete/ street walking?
I'll say that the cork will work with street walking if you're careful to avoid rocks. There are several thicknesses of cork you can buy at a drafting or art store and I think that stacking thinner pieces together works better than getting using a single piece. It seems to allow for more flexibility.
However, I try to use my shoes indoors only. If you want to use them outdoors I'd suggest you visit a shoe repair store and ask for some of their sole leather. You should be able to buy them and pare them down yourself for about $20.
I won't have time to do this for at least a couple of weeks to a month, but I really want to try this out. Once I do I'll see if I can figure out how to make an instructable response to yours and do only the soles part.
At any rate, thanks again for making this one. I looked and looked online trying to find an easy way to make lasts and then how to make a shoe around it... this is certainly the best bit I've found.
i have all of the darts and everything
im using one sheet of fabric instead of multiple strips. so
how do i put a square around a circle?
My feet are hard to fit. They are wide and have high arches. None of the local stores carry shoes that fit and the Internet is not much help. I spent at least 20 hours finding shoes and returning the junk I received in the mail. There is a local boot maker who will make the first pair for $300 (plus leather) and $200 (plus leather) per pair thereafter. This is a great alternative.
Historical note: During the Civil War, at one point the Army of Northern Virginia needed shoes and could not afford to buy them with inflated Confederate dollars. General Lee pulled all shoemakers off the firing lines to make shoes for the troops. They used leather from the carcasses of the hundreds of cattle they ate every day. Eventually, when they could not afford the cattle, things spiraled downward quickly.
Thank you for this.
Talk to your local boot maker if you are looking for leather or rubber soles. The leather you want is fairly thick, about 1/3" of an inch. Maybe he'd sell you some. I've heard people call shoe making supplies "findings," and very few places offer them anymore since shoes are so cheap/disposable to people now.
You could also cannibalize some Goodwill shoes if you're interested.
Good luck!
WilliamBottini, awesome instructable, you've re-inspired me!