Sunday, August 16, 2015

DIY Flip Flops

These flip flops are great,  you can lace them up any way you like because you can attach the lace at any point on the woven shoe pad.

                                       

Supplies:
1.  One piece of woven fabric large enough to cover two shoe soles for the size flip flops you need. (I wove enough for one pair from old t-shirts and the other from a roll of purchased fabric t-shirt yarn).

2.  Enough sheets of fun foam to make several shoe soles the thickness you desire.  The yellow flip flop above has one piece of fun foam for each shoe sole and the orange, blue and white flip flop has 4 pieces of fun foam to make each sole.

3.  Glue ( I used Aleene’s Tacky Glue because it dries clear).

4. Cardboard (A large enough piece to trace one of your old shoe soles).

You will also use scissors and a needle with a large enough hole to thread the fabric t-shirt strips through and you will use your sewing machine with some durable thread.

Let’s get started:

1.  Weave your piece for your shoe pad very tight.  It will be one solid piece like this…
                                           



2.  Trace your favorite shoe sole on a piece of cardboard and cut out.  Using an old pair of flip flops find the points on the sole where the straps that cross over the foot attach to the shoe.  Mark your card board pattern as you see below.

3.  Trace two shoe soles on to the fun foam using the cardboard as your pattern.
                                          


4.  Cut out the fun foam soles, but don’t poke holes through the soles for the laces.

5.  Apply generous amounts of glue to one side of the two shoe soles and lay these on your woven piece, glue side down on the weaving.


   

6.  Lay parchment paper under the whole piece and over it, place heavy objects on top of the shoes and let dry for 24 hours or longer.  If the glue is not clear it is not dry.

7.  Once completely dry cut your woven piece with the soles glued to them out, leaving excess all the way around. (We will trim this off later, but I was just being safe).  
                     
  



8.  Using the edge of the fun foam sole as your guide place under the sewing machine and sew approximately 3/4” from its edge all the way around the sole.
                                     



9.  Layer the fun foam soles together with glue if you are going to put more than one sole on each shoe.  Put something heavy on the top of them and let the glue dry, about 24 hours or until the glue is clear.  Once they are dry glue them to the bottom of the sole sewn to the woven piece.  Here is the way I layered one pair……………


                                      



10.  When everything is good and dry you can trim it all nice and even, snip off excess glue and excess fabric.


                                    



11.  Using your card board pattern for the sole, mark the woven fabric where the shoe straps should attach.  Then attach the laces with a needle by slipping the needle underneath a strand in the weave like so…..remember not to sew it down.  





                          


12.  This step is optional.  If you want to extend the life of your flip flop take clear all purpose silicone sealer and coat the bottom of the sole.  This will protect the fun foam and give you a more durable sole.  I did this on the flip flop I only had one fun foam sole sewn onto the shoe pad.





Now get creative and design your own flip flop lacing and have a blast.  Hope you enjoy.

                   
                                                            
               


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