At the Foot of the Handmade Mountain

Tire SandalsIndie fashion offers an abundance of options from head to toe… almost! Cobbling , the art of making shoes, is not necessarily mainstream. Yet, I see no one walking around barefoot in public. I say, throw those misconceptions out the door about the difficulty of creating footwear. We can do better than plastic daisies hot glued to foam flip-flops.

Tire sandals are a bohemian tradition, and remain popular in the Far East. Next time you get a flat, look on the bright side, you’re going to get a new pair of shoes out of the deal! Simply follow one of these tutorials on hollowtop.com or eHow.

Looking for something a little softer? This project on Cut Out + Keep shows you how to make a pair of fuzzy slippers from an old towel. On the same website, I fell head over heels for these adorable made-over vintage mary janes.

If none of this is DIY enough for you, and you have a sushi habit, why not put those eel skins to good use for a nifty pair of moccasins? Those who lack iron stomachs could opt for wool felt or reclaimed leather with this pattern instead. Speaking of leather, opinions vary as to the humaneness of it’s use, but the tanning industry gets props for leading the way in eco-friendly garment production.

As always, handmade is great whether of your own doing or that of others. Here are some amazing indie shoe shops I’ve come across recently:

If you know of any others, please leave them in comments!

Photo Credit: Thomas J. Elpel

6 thoughts on “At the Foot of the Handmade Mountain”

  1. Pingback: Fabulous Fabrics: Michael Miller Organics : Crafting a Green World

  2. Pingback: Flip Flops Get A New Lease On Life : Crafting a Green World

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