Do It Yourself Tuesdays: Leather Huaraches

The summer season is here, and that means the season of sandals! But are you tired of wearing the same Old Navy flip-flops that everyone else has, or are your Rainbows almost worn out to the point of nonexistence? If you have a shoe addiction like I do, these homemade sandals will add a whole new dimension to your shoe closet. And with these homemade kicks, you will never have a shoe twin again.

By Brithny

Huaraches are traditional Mexican sandals or flip-flops made with woven leather straps and rubber soles. They became extremely popular due to their reputation as being long-lasting, comfortable, and inexpensive to make. Oh, and someone in the fashion world decided they’d be cool again. Either way, you don’t have to spend money on a shoe that everyone else will inevitably have – you can make a pair of the originals yourself!

Materials:
Rubber sole material, about 5mm thick
Very long strips of leather (as thick or thin as you want them).
Scissors
A hole puncher

Get Crafty!

1)    Cut out the rubber soles in the shape of your feet by tracing your feet on the rubber and cutting an inch beyond the lines so the soles are a little bigger than your feet.

2)    Make 3 holes with the hole punch in a triangle shape for the straps, one in between your big toe and two on either sides of the middle of your foot (see regular flip-flops for an example).

3)    Start stringing the first of your leather straps through the shoe. Usually one strap goes from the left big-toe hole to the right hole, then from the right hole behind the ankle to the left hole. But you don’t have to do it this way. Play around a bit and figure out which way works best for you/is most like the style you want. (Note: there will be a lot of extra strap. Do not cut this!)

4)    Tie a knot on the bottom of the big-toe hole to keep the strap in place and lace them up by wrapping the long leftover strap around your ankles and tying it  up.

5)    Personalize your huaraches by decorating them with ribbons or sequins, or just leave them as they are: ready to wear with your favorite summer dresses!

[Photos courtesy of barefootted.com]