DIY "Trimini" Sandals - Minimalist Leather Sandals
What you'll learn
- Making barefoot-sandals from A to Z with thick vegetable-tanned leather.
- Making your own patterns from a foot tracing. Could be done for children sandals too.
- Basic leather craft techniques to make well-finished edges like polishing and burnishing. Those techniques can be applied to various leather projects.
- Adding a rubber sole, and 2 different lacing options/designs
Requirements
- This tutorial is very beginner-friendly. Only simple tools will be used, and you probably have most of them at home already.
- Thick and stiff leather should be used for good results (3 mm / 8-9 Oz leather thickness).
Description
The "Trimini" Sandals are easy to make from an outline of your feet to ensure that they will be perfectly adapted to your foot shape and size.
In this tutorial, Lougaya will demonstrate how to make minimalist sandals with vegetable-tanned leather. She will explain how to make these barefoot-sandals from A to Z. It will cover the topics of making your own patterns from the outline of one's feet, cutting the thick leather, adding soles, burnishing the edge of the leather to give a professional finish to your home-made sandals and of course, lacing them up.
We believe that even beginners can achieve this project in 2.5 to 5 hours. This tutorial is very beginner-friendly. Only simple tools will be used, and you probably have already most of them at home already.
These minimalist sandals are made for optimum stability, durability, and lightness. Their design has been refined to be as stable as possible and minimize the pressure and rubbing that could be caused by the laces. When well-adjusted, the laces won’t need to be touched up anymore, and it will become easy to slip them on in an instant.
Their design of these sandals was studied for more comfort and stability:
- The heel tab that comes up until the ankle, offering a very good hold by preventing the foot to slide backward and keeping the laces from rubbing on the skin.
- The extension of the sole on the inner side of the foot to completely cover and protect the most vulnerable part of our feet: the arch.
- Their zero-drop / flat sole doesn't affect your natural posture.
- The decorative piece on the insteps keeps the tension right and minimizes the pressure on the instep that could be caused by the laces alone.
They can be made with or without a rubber sole. Of course, the rubber sole increases their durability, their resistance to water and offers a better grip on smooth surfaces.
Who this course is for:
- Anyone interested in making their own minimalist and comfortable sandals/footwear
- People that struggle to find sandals in their foot shape and size in shops
- Those who are interested in barefoot or minimalist shoes and barefoot walking
- People that like making their own clothes, and homemade things
- Leather craftsmen interested in new projects
Instructor
- 5.0 Instructor Rating
- 1 Review
- 1,866 Students
- 4 Courses
Making by hand the things that I need has always interested me. I started making my own clothing when I was a teenager. I mostly learned by trial and error and sometimes tried to replicate clothes I liked. Even if it was not always perfectly stitched, I liked that I could make exactly what I wanted and at the right size by fitting it directly on my body. This is how I discovered how satisfying it is to make and wear my own creations. Later on, I had to start working.
I had quit my prestigious design studies in search of something that would be more ethical than working for the industry. This is how I came across the moccasins.
I never thought I would end up working with leather. Probably because I was never really interested in making handbags or any other items commonly made out of leather, and also because all I knew was cold and rigid leather. But when I first came across the moccasins, I instantly knew, "This is it!". After making my first pair, I was delighted. Not only about how comfy and practical they were, but about how pleasant it was to work by hand on this soft, warm,
and natural material.
In Australia, at the end of the year 2015, I trained hard over the first batch of about 100 pairs until I got this feeling that it was good enough for selling. In 2016, I started making these custom-fitted barefoot leather shoes at the local Sunday Market. Since I was in a rural area, I did not have access to big markets. I quickly realized that to make a living out of this, I would need to extend my reach. This is how I launched my Etsy boutique with the first PDF tutorials & patterns.
I also realized that other people were like me, and much preferred investing themselves in learning a new skill like moccasin-making than going to the shopping mall to buy shoes. So I started to teach in person, to small groups of people. In only 1 day, people were able to make their own moccasins from A to Z. All my students, even complete beginners and young teenagers, were able to make them.
By starting to teach, I found it even better to share this precious skill than to make them for others. Grown by the experience of teaching in person, I felt confident enough to start writing and recording my first video tutorials.
In 2018, with the help of my husband (Joachim), we started recording video tutorials. We have now over 9 different tutorials where I teach moccasin-making. Nowadays, we continue to make moccasins for sale online and in-person, and we sell them worldwide. With years of experience in fitting them on all kinds of feet, it allows us to better assist our students when they have questions and troubles.