How to Make Homemade Leather Sandals
Sandals are one of the easiest styles of footwear to make. They consist of a simple sole with mounted straps to secure the foot in place. Here's an easy pattern popular in North America for centuries. It's simple to make and you don't have to wear socks!
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Thick piece of leather for soles Large sharp knife for cutting soles, slits and for trimming straps 3/4-inch-wide leather strap material
Instructions
-
Simple Homemade Sandal
-
1
Trace the shape of your foot on the leather sole material. Make the pattern 3/8 inches beyond the edge of the foot. Carefully cut out the soles with a very sharp knife. When the soles are cut out, cut four slots in each sole blank. Make them slightly larger than the width of the leather strap in the places shown. The two slots near the top should be where the base of your toes will be. The lower holes should be 2 to 3 inches in front of the heel.
-
2
Start tying the strap to the right sole. Cut a strap sized slot in one end of a long piece of leather strap, parallel to the long side of the strap. Feed the slotted end up from underneath the sole, through the slot near the right side at the heel, so that it sticks out and exposes the slot. Wrap the leather strap around the outside of the sole and feed it through the slot in the end of the strap to secure it to the sole.
-
-
3
Feed the leather strap diagonally across the sole and push it through the left front slot in the sole as shown. Using your foot for a guide, make sure the sandal is adjusted so that it lies across the top of the foot in front of the ankle and holds the foot securely to the sole. Cut a slot vertically in the strap just above where it enters the left front slot in the sole.
-
4
Wrap the strap around the outside of the sole and pass it through the slot in the strap above the front left slot in the sole. Run the strap across the toe of the sole and down through the slot in the sole at the right front. Use your foot as a guide. Be sure to pull the strap tight enough to hold the foot securely and mark where it meets the sole. Cut another vertical slot in the strap just above where it enters the slot in the right front side of the sole.
-
5
Wrap this strap around the outside of the sole too, and pass it through the slot in the strap where it goes down into the right front slot on the sole. Bring the free end of the strap across the sole to complete the crisscross and push the free end through the hole in the left rear hole. Use your foot to adjust the strap so that it pulls equally with the opposite side of the "X." Mark it, cut a vertical slot just above the left rear hole and again, wrap the leather strap around the outside of the sole and bring it back through the slot you just cut in the strap. Leave the end free; you will tie this end to form the heel keeper strap.
-
6
Test the sandal by placing your foot in it so that the toe strap crosses your foot at the base of the toes and the "X" crosses the top of your foot, in front of the ankle.
-
7
To tie off the heel strap, place it between the foot and the right rear anchor loop. Then pull the heel strap tight to the heel and fold it back and push it through the anchor loop as shown below. The sandal should be secured to he foot. Repeat the same strap lacing pattern on the left sole, but anchor it in the left rear hole first and lace everything the opposite of the way that you did on the right sole; both heel straps will tie on the outside of the foot
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Make sure your knife is very sharp. When you cut the slots in the leather straps, make sure you square the ends of those slots, otherwise the cut could continue to split and ruin the strap. Leave as much leather on either side of the strap slots as possible for strength. Cut the free end of the heel strap at an angle to facilitate passing it through the anchor loop when tying the heel strap.
A sharp knife is less dangerous than one that is more dull. Work slowly over a cutting board when cutting out leather.
