Just in time for spring weather – at least in the Northern Hemisphere – I’m offering the first pattern for a sandal that can be made with the “slip-on sandal” shoemaking kit! And, making this sandal will give you the opportunity to learn and practice “stitching-in”. Of course you can make it as a “stitch-down” if you prefer. I’ll be releasing a pattern for a new shoemaking style monthly – the next one will be “How to make an espadrille and dance sandal”, with many variations. I am posting the patterns on my website so you can make these sandals without purchasing a shoemaking kit from my etsy ..read more

It’s a peak moment when I slip a last into a mock-up I have made of a new shoe style – and it fits! Now I know that my stitch holes are in the correct place on both the sole and the upper. For this mock-up I am using a gift bag material – it doesn’t stretch like felt does, so it gives a more accurate depiction of how the shoe will actually be – I would love to re-create it in purple leather with silver rectangles stitched randomly about! Or maybe you can do it! I’m making this mock-up because I’m in the final stages of making patterns for shoemaking kits I plan to offer for sale. The leather ..read more

Since I prefer to wear “common folk” shoes, I love these shoes of mine. Just a little hand-stitching says a lot! These flats were made using patterns from my book on making stitch-downs – and stitch-ins – How to make simple ecological shoes for women ..read more

I focus as much on creating little kits using up my mountain of shoemaking scraps as I do making shoes these days. I thought some of you might like to make this wallet as a holiday gift. I got the pattern from https://theleatherguy.org/blogs/how-to/a-simple-leather-wallet-free-template. I love that it has a big space for embellishing the wallet – you can carve or stamp it if you make it from veg-tan leather, or can appliqué as seen here, paint it with acrylic paint or permanent markers – perhaps a child might like to decorate it as a gift. I added a string tie between two riveted circles, min ..read more

This shoe pattern has been available under the “Resources” category for a while, and I thought it would be a good idea to give it some exposure as a blog post. Please send a photo if you make a pair! I saw this “sandoe” or whatever compound word you can think of (Ruth Emily Davey “owns” the word “shandals”) in a leatherwork book from the 1970’s. It offers some special features: you’re more protected than in a pair of strappy sandals, but still have some ventilation – I can imagine making a pair with holes punched all over it – or a pair with no holes — except for small ones for the lace to g ..read more

When my niece had her first child, I made a pair of “first footsteps” toddler shoes with a boat appliqued on them. When her second child was born, she wanted to continue with the nautical theme and asked for a pair of shoes with crabs on them. Well, that took some trial and error, some applique and some stitching, but she was happy with them – and, hopefully her little boy was too ..read more

This pair of sneakers demonstrates why I love making leather shoes – from  earth-friendly sources, of course (thrifted leather items, scraps from upholstery shops for example) – I have worn these sneakers through twenty years of zumba classes at the local fitness club, and about an equal amount of hikes on hilly country roads. Yes, they look beat-up – but they still work! Most petroleum-based footwear – such as sneakers that look like they are made of cloth, but it’s really plastic – are made to last about a year.. so by using a by-product of the meat industry (yes, I wish people would ea ..read more

Imagine my shock when I checked my email a few days ago and saw this photo – with the caption “I made 15 pairs of shoes in 30 days!” Inspecting the photo, I see center-seam stitch-downs, side-seam moccasins, slip-on mules, ghillies, ballet flats, and many from “How to Make Ecological Moccashoes for All Sizes of Feet with your own two hands!” And what a range in sizes – from baby-size to grown-ups.. At our shoemaking gathering (details below*) yesterday she said she was now up to pair 20! Fortunately she lives near a leather goods store that sells leather remnants, and the rubber soles on her ..read more

  These sandals from fungus workshop are particularly appealing to me–the way the straps are made is hard to figure out, they’re magical. Fortunately I have a pattern for them from Tim Skyrme’s Simple Sandalmaking book: http://www.shoemakingbook.com/sandalmaking%20book.htm I love the stitching that anchors each strap, and the name of the maker that is embossed on the strap. And, the colors! These could be made with beautiful vegetable-tanned leather from: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PergamenaNY, or natural vegetable-tanned leather could be dyed. Sandal straps and topsoles are best made fro ..read more

My lucky day occurred a week ago, when Neda Hussain put a photo of a shoe she made for her son on https://www.facebook.com/groups/shoemakingfun/. It is beautiful, especially because the colors were so nuanced. I went to her web page, https://secondskinblog.com, and was quite stiff when I eventually got up off of my chair, because I had been “riveted” to her website for hours, until I had read all of her posts. I even read the ones on clothing, although I don’t sew much clothing – but I do “reverse applique” on recycled T-shirts. I learned the technique, as did Neda,  from books from www.a ..read more