I can’t wait to get out of socks and boots and into sandals! Here I made tooled one-strap sandals for my children’s grandmother who lives on the other side of the world in Chile, they are in the middle of summer now…
Tooling leather straps is one way of adding sparkle to your leather projects. It’s taken me so long to find out about all the different ways to decorate leather that I thought I document whatever new I learn with each project I undertake.
Here is one way to tool leather to get the look you see on the sandals above.
This wool coat I made for my six-year-old son, he loves fun and colourful clothes. Green is his favourite colour and if I always listened to him everything he wears would be green jumpers, trousers, socks, shoes, you get the picture….
I used a fabric called boiled wool, it’s 100% wool and available in many colours. The lining is of the same fabric, but a different colour, so it’s really cosy and warm.
Boiled wool is a woven fabric that has been felted and thickened, it’s warm, durable, windproof and water-resistant, which makes it a great fabric for winter kids clothes.
I cut the appliqué from handmade wool felt, it’s much thicker than the usual felt you can buy and a beautiful quality. The owl and fox I hand stitched onto the fabric. For the drawings inside the figures, I used chain stitch.
I’m always looking for unusual ways to decorate leather. This leather wrap bracelet I decorated by cutting into the leather resulting in an interesting texture. I will definitely experiment more with this technique.
Ever since I made a bag out of cardboard I’m captivated by the possibilities of this versatile material. You can fold, roll , sew and sculpt it and transform it into stunning furniture. Here I made a cardboard coffee table, you can also make chairs, sofas, tables, shelves, cupboards, even beds I’ve seen.
This table is easy to make, because of its simple design. I saw a similar table many years ago, I wanted one then, but found it too expensive (although it was probably made out of paper too).
The one I’ve built now out of cardboard wasn’t expensive, just the cost of paint and varnish, how awesome is that.
I love hand embroidery on denim because it transforms the rather plain fabric into something beautiful that you don’t see every day and many colours look bright and shiny on the dark blue background. Here I embroidered denim fabric which I then sewed into a pair of jeans.
I used very basic embroidery stitches like running stitch and lazy daisy stitch (also known as detached chain stitch). The thread I chose is a silk and rayon mix, it’s very shiny and special looking. I used five different colours and added tiny beads for extra sparkle.
Yes, you can become the maker of beautiful and unique leather sandals. My pdf eBook How To Make Unique Leather Sandals will show you everything you need to know about creating your own sandals.
Sandalmaking is a wonderful craft to pursue. I love how it combines creativity and craftsmanship with fashion and functionality.
Wearing shoes you created yourself is deeply satisfying and once you started making your own footwear you will not want to wear anything else.
It’s thrilling to craft the sandals you’ve always wanted but could never find. Once you know the basic techniques so much is possible.
What you will learn from this eBook
The eBook shows you step-by-step how you can make long-lasting sandals explaining all the tools and leather craft techniques needed to make a high-quality product.
In addition, you will learn about different ways to decorate leather so you can create sandals that are truly yours.
The book features 8 sandal making projects with detailed instructions and photography making them easy to execute.
With a bit of practice
you can craft a pair of sandals in a weekend.
And in no time at all, people will ask you if you could make them some sandals….
I love colourful winter accessories, I somehow need them to cheer me up in cold and grey weather. This winter scarf I crocheted with wool I spun on my spinning wheel. I started spinning when we moved to the UK 8 years ago. Someone sold me her spinning wheel and I’ve used it every winter since.
I always look for a bit different fabric when I want to make a pair of trousers, so I was happy to find this really beautiful, slightly shiny, denim fabric with tiny dots. Although it’s not organic, it’s oeko-tex certified meaning that the fabric was tested for harmful substances and produced in an environmentally friendly and socially acceptable way.
There are other designs available (flowers, squares, bigger dots). The pants pattern is from Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe, which has detailed instructions on all the steps involved in creating the trousers. The smallest size XS fits my 12-year-old daughter. I made summer linen trousers with this pattern, have a look here. The denim fabric is from Dots N Stripes.
Here I made a leather wrap bracelet decorated with the batik technique. The bracelet itself is easy to make, I used quite thick leather (2.4mm) and cut it with a strap cutter about 1cm wide. The bracelet is 62 cm long, I can wrap it around my wrist three times. It’s fastened with 2 Sam brown studs.
