Dikla's Shoes

By Sheked Schwartzbreg and Noa Zeevi

Dikla has a hard time finding shoes that suit her. Therefore, she leaves the house barefoot or in socks. The reasons for her problem are her unique foot size, their rotation on the side and that they sometimes swell.

We designed this unique pair of shoes to answer all of these issues. The shoes are flexible in the inflatable areas but structured in the rest of the areas, so she can wear them without the help of her hands. These are the manufacturing instructions of this pair of shoes. Although these are very specific shoes, we believe that with a few adjustments they can fit more people. The principles we have applied in this pair of shoes should be taken and adapted to the dimensions and needs of the various users.

Step 1: Equipment and Materials

Here is everything you need to make your shoes:

equipment:

Sewing Machine
Pins
Fabrics Scissors
Seam Ripper
Printed Patterns
Tailor’s Chalk
Negative of the logo cutting vinyl stickers
White marker for use on fabrics

Materials:

leather-like fabric, Non Woven, Thickness: 2 mm - for the body of the shoe
Synthetic felt, Non Woven, Thickness: 1 mm - for the sole of the shoe
Synthetic felt, Non Woven, Thickness: 3 mm- for insole
Elastic lace ribbon
Black Bias Tape
Black sewing thread
Orange sewing thread

Step 2: Patterns Printing

Download the file of the fabric patterns and print it in a 1: 1 size.

* If you want to match the shoe to someone else we recommend that you start with our pattern or any other basic pattern of a shoe and make the adjustments. This is what we did :)

Downloads

pattern.pdf

Step 3: Cutting the Fabrics

1. Take the paper patterns you have printed and cut them out.
2. Be sure to use each pattern to the right fabric:

For the body of the shoe - leather-like fabric
For sole - thin Synthetic felt
For insole - thick Synthetic felt

3. Draw the patterns on the not-so-beautiful side of the fabric with the side of the paper pattern that says "this side up" actually facing up.

* Keep everything in order and separate the parts of the two shoes. More than once it was only at the end of sewing that we discovered that we had sewn part of a left shoe to a right shoe and we had to start from the beginning.

Step 4: Sewing the Shoe Body

The shoe should be sewn in the following order:

1. Close the triangle in the pattern of the shoe body. The seam creates a bulge, it's fine, this is how the three - dimensional shape of the shoe is obtained.

2. Attach the short elastic lace to the space in the shoe body.

3. Sew the two parts of the bias tape as shown in the figure.

4. Sew the long elastic lace according to its position in the figure.

5. Cut an incision about 4 mm after the meeting of the long elastic lace with the shoe body. The incision should be as parallel as possible to the rim of the shoe body. The width of the incision is the same as the width of the lace.

6. Thread the elastic lace in the incision and make a seam about 2 mm from it.

7. Do the same with the other shoe.

Step 5: Sewing the Heel

1. Sew the two sides of the heel to each other.

2. Place the bias tape from the inside and outside of the heel in the heel with pins. Leave a small loop at the top of the shoe.

3. Sew the bias tape .

4. Do the same with the other shoe.

Step 6: Connecting the Shoe Body and Sole

1. Place the shoe body and sole together with each other facing up. Be sure to place the heel of the shoe body in the right part on top of the sole.

2. Make sure it's the right sole for the right shoe!

3. Attach them with pins.

4. Do the same with the other shoe.

Step 7: Sewing the Shoe

1. Sew the body of the shoe to the sole.

2. Cut out the excess fabric. It is very important for the visibility of the shoe to cut as close to the seam as possible. But be careful! If you cut the seam you will have to start the whole shoe from scratch…

3. Turn the shoe over.

4. Do the same with the other shoe.