How to Make Your Own Shoes

This comes straight from Enid Blyton's shoe maker stories and elves and the entire world of fantasy and fairy tales. Remember that story? I found it to be one of the sweetest stories ever! But coming out of that fantasy, it is not a big deal to make your own pair. You just have to really want to make them and that too on your own way. All you need other than that is a bit of creativity and an aesthetic sense.

Making Your Own Shoes at Home

Things You Need
Scissors, fabric, last, felt, fabric stiffener, spray bottle, needle, thread, padding, sole linings, shoe cement, heel, sole and heel tips.

Method

• Okay, so we have assembled the material required and now we are all set to embark on the shoe journey. So here is what you need to do first. Pick a design - daily wear, party, formal or anything else. That is, design your boots ( if you will), first.
• Then prepare a pattern for your 'upper' by laying the loose fabric around the last. This will ensure that the fabric gets joined at the bottom of the last.
• Mark on the fabric to indicate the excess fabric and where it should be cut.
• While doing all this, remember that the fabric should be enough so that it can meet at the bottom of the shoe.
• As per the markings done in the previous step, cut your upper.
• Lay the upper on the felt material, which can be used as a guideline for cutting the felt.
• As per the pattern of the upper, cut around your felt.
• Then, sew together the upper with felt, making a seam down the middle of in the back portion of upper. Ensure that the felt is below the upper.
• It will be the heel area where the seam would be.
• Taking the upper, spray fabric stiffener. Wrap the upper properly on the last. It has to reach the bottom of the last. Use needle and thread to sew , especially at the fabric meets the last.
• Let the upper dry, till the time it is on the last. The upper will maintain the shape of the last as it dries.
• Now, separate the last and the upper. Taking the shoe padding, place it in the inside of the upper.
• Put a light coating of shoe cement on the bottom of the sole lining. This will make the padding secure. Let the cement dry.
• Similarly, apply shoe cement to the sole. Attach the sole to the bottom of the upper fabric and insides of the heel.
• Again, allow the cement to dry.
• Place the 'heel tip' on the heel bottom, if you have designed it to get a heel. For this, just insert the heel tip in the hole at the bottom of that heel.
• To make sure that the heel tip has properly gone inside the heel, hit it against a hard object. Use a hammer, if you feel like, but it would not be needed.

Other than this lengthy procedure, what you may can also do is you can search for shoe-making kits, which will have all the required material and instructions. A little bit of inspiration and research will get you there. Here too, there is a lot scope when it comes to women. If you are extremely serious and totally floored by the idea, well, then go ahead and join a workshop or a course! Who knows, you could be giving away designs to leading brands! Nevertheless, to be realistic, it is totally possible to make shoes at home.

This is a cool project - interesting, entertaining and can give you an immense sense of satisfaction of creating something on your own. Are you ready to take a plunge then? Go on! All the best!