How Hard Is It To Make Your Own Shoes

How Hard Is It To Make Your Own Shoes:

 

Freaky Shoes will guide you on how you can make your own custom shoes and which material you need. You can buy this material from a fabric store or an art store. It is a simple method of shoe-making in which you do not need to buy expensive tools and materials. It is one of the best ideas for custom shoes through which you can use to create custom shoes for men and also custom shoes like Nike for basketball.

 

How to make

 

This method will help you to create perfect fitting shoes for your own feet.

 You have to spend only 20 hours of time and an amount of 50$ to buy materials. If you want to make only indoor shoes than no need to use leather.

 

Material that is required is given below:

• Tape

• 2 sqft 1 / 4’’ thick cork ( available on shoe repair store )

• Cardboard Box

• 1-yard fabric for the outside of shoes

• 1-yard fabric for the inside of shoes

• 64+ oz. of Permastone

• Thicker Thread

• 13+ oz. alginate

• 8+ Eyelets

• The Last

• Shoe Laces

• Paper

• Super Glue

• Masking Tape

Tools:

• Cutting Mat

• Scissors

• Awl

• Knife

• Needles

• Eyelet Puncher

• Pliers

• Marker

 

Now follow the steps given below.

 

1. Create a concept

First, and foremost thing for any design is concept and sketches. Make different sketches and chose one of for your shoes. You can also make the air force 1 custom shoes sketches.

 

2. Make a Last

‘’Last’’ is necessary for the next procedure. It is a hard piece of wood. Its shape is like a shoe, which is used to make shoes over it. Lasts are very helpful in shoemaking because they are hard and you can make and draw shoes of your own pattern. You can buy a last from shoemaker or from an online store. I have told you below how to make your own last if you do not want to buy it. Without ‘last’ you cannot make shoes at home.

 

3. Casting Your Foot; Preparation

For making ‘last’, you need to use alginate that will make a mold, a box to hold mold and casting material.

You should use a makeshift box to make a mold for your foot.

There should be some space around your foot in the box.

 

4. Molding

Now you have to create a mold. You can buy alginate from a craft store. You can use alginate for single-use molds. A single bad is enough for making mold buy you should buy one and a half bag.

Now make a mixture of alginate and water in a bowl. You can use your hands for mixing. Use around 6 cups of cold water and make your that your mixture is not too liquidy.

 

When the alginate is gloopy, it is ready to use. Pour the mixture of alginate and water quickly into the box. Insert your foot into the box and make its position at which you want to make a shoe. You can make the gap more or less between your foot and ground. Cover your foot with alginate mixture up to ankles, and if it mixture is not enough to cover your ankles, you can add some napkins to the mold to fill the empty spaces.

It will take up to 20 minutes to solidify the alginate into sturdy jelly.

 

5. Remove Your Foot

Now you have to remove your foot from the alginate mold carefully. While taking your foot out, make sure molding should not break. If you think you cannot do this, you can use a knife. Make a cut around your foot carefully to separate your foot from alginate mold.

 

6. Casting

 

Take casting material about 5 cups ( for male foot size ). You can use Permastone as casting material because it is cheap than others. If you have not enough casting material, you can add napkins.

Now, you have to mix the material and endure it into alginate molding. To decrease the risk of damaging tools, while you are doing work, put the mixer and bowl under running water.

 

Please follow these steps the same as you are reading to make shoes by own at home.

We are making these tools cheap, and in an easy way to make shoes; therefore, mold will not perfect, but it will be useful to make shoes at home.

Now your ‘cast’ is ready but take it some time to dry.

Note. We are using Permastone because it is cheap and it dries quickly, you can use Plater, but it will dry slowly and is expensive too.

 

7. The Pull

 

It is the last step of ‘cast-making’. Now pull your cast out from the alginate carelessly. You should not worry if alginate will safe or not after pulling the ‘cast’. Because if alginate will remain safe than you cannot use it again for any other shoe cast. Now your cast has been made that is essential for making shoes at home.

 

8. Covert Your Foot Cast Into A ‘’Last’’

 

Now, you have to use tape for making ‘last’. Pick the tape up and add it to the cast according to your desired design. Make sure you are going to make shoes in the size of ‘last’. So, check if your foot size and ‘last’ size is the same.

 

9. Cover ‘Last’ in Masking Tape and Draw Pattern

 

In this step, you have to cover the ‘last’ with masking tape into two or three layers and draw the pattern of your shoes on the tape. Now, use a knife to cut the masking tape according to the design of your shoes.

Cut all the layers of tape with a knife. This may help you to sew shoes in the next steps.

You have to create at least four parts of your pattern.

1. Counter - Back of the shoe

2. Vamp – Covers Laces

3. Toe – Front

4. Other – The part between vamp and front of the shoe

 

10. Flatten Your Pattern

 

Remove your patterns from the ‘last’ and flat it into 2D and 3D patterns.

While removing patterns from the ‘last’, make sure these should not be torn.

 

11. Trace and Cut Your Patterns

 

Now you have to trace the patterns on a paper and add a seam allowance of 1 /4’’ on your pattern.

If you are new to sew shoes, you can add more allowance.

 

12. Make Your Pattern More Useful

 

Now, you have drawn extra allowance and patterns on a paper.

In this step, you have to cut small pockets according to the original pattern to mark materials.

 

13. Cut Your Fabric

 

In this step, you have to arrange and spread all your patterns on the fabric. You can use pins and tap to stick patterns with fabric. Now, you have to outline the pattern with a pencil or marker on the fabric. Don’t forget to mark the seam allowance in the pockets that you have cut in the last step. Then cut out your pieces.

 

14. Sew Pattern Pieces Together

 

Now, you have to arrange all of your parts of patterns and sew patterns together.

You can stitch pattern with two methods.

 

1. Arrange your patterns on one another so that all the marks on in order. It may be a little difficult. You have to sew a pattern according to the seam allowance and sew pattern in a straight so that it can make your fashion may be messy.

 

2. According to your style, you have to overlap all of your patterns with the adjacent pattern in order to line up the edges of the seam allowance that you have drawn before. When you have lined up, you can stitch pattern without inverting the fabric.

 

15. Sewing Tip; Darts

 

It is straightforward to sew the pattern back together. If you cannot sew patterns, here are some tips for you.

Before starting the sewing pattern, you have to identify that which side of the fabric is hidden and which side is showing. When you sew the darts back together, you will get your patterns to shape back. Fold the fabric to sew these back together in such a way that corners of your edges are lining up.

 

Catch the point where the lines on the pattern are joining on the one hand and sew them with the needle or use the sewing machine for it. After catching the point, make a double sew on the lines so that it becomes strong.

 

16. Sewing Tip; Tying Off Your Strings

 

The Next step is tying your strings off. When you have completed a stitch, tie it off.

 

17. Sewing Tip; Use Your Last As a Reference

 

If you face any problems, you should use your designs on which you are making the shoe, and also use the ‘last’ as a reference.

 

18. Sewing Tip; Working With Leather

 

Leather is pretty strong, and you will not be able to sew it with a needle or with a sewing machine.

First, you have to make some holes in the leather so that you can easily sew the leather.

You have to use an awl and a hammer for making holes. The price of an awl is 4$.

 

19. Joining the Inner Fiber to the Outer Fiber

 

Continue sewing to make two layers, inside pattern and outside pattern.

Now you have to sew the outside pattern to the inside pattern. You have to line your seam allowances up to making two layers of pattern. Then stitch the seam allowances of 1 /4’’ that you have cut already.

 

20. Flip Your Patterns Back Over

 

You should sew the pattern tight and neat before flipping. Flip your pattern back over after completing the sewing around.