Hi all. Can I share this sandal project here? They’re men’s sandals, made for very wide feet that are dealing with a pinky toe fracture that’s not quite healed and basically needed to be completely open from the joint forward.
Here are the steps I took:
- Took a tracing of the foot, just to locate the toe “post” area
- Measured over the big toe for more info on that portion
- Made a duct tape and cardboard mock-up using the homemade lasts I have for these feet
- Adjusted them based on feedback
- Used them to make one pattern for both feet
- made the pull tab and used my pyrography set to burn on my pomegranate logo
- made the straps by cutting, skiving the ends, gluing, hand stitching, beveling (#5), sanding, and applying black edge coat
- did the same for the toe cover, though I also added that fold so that it doesn’t irritate
- did the same for the large portion over the instep, though I prepared the upper and lining separately, glued and stitched the straps and tabs onto to lining with extra stitching to the lining before attached the upper to it
- prepared the sole by cutting it out, punching out the appropriate shape for the toe “post”, and cut slanted holes for the rest
- did a couple more try ons with the parts being held in place by duct tape underneath, adjusting as necessary
- glued and stitched everything into place (the stitches are mostly hidden)
- at some point I attached the Velcro
- glued it down and did another try-on. Turns out the post is not in a good place after all, so I had to pull it apart and shift the hole and re stitch both sides of the toe cover, and glued back down
- got a final approval for fit and feel
- waxed the edges of the sandal and stitched it to the midsole by hand
- used the wear pattern on a different shoe to gauge where it would be ok to have a gap between the heel and forefoot outsole portions. It’s my attempt to make a zero drop shoe look like it has a tiny heel. I like it, anyhow
- cut them out roughly, glued them on, and cut down to size
What do you guys think? I’ve put a lot of effort into them, and though no aspect of them is perfect, I’m still happy with the result.
The wearer like the style very much and I look forward to seeing them worn in real life.
