About: Costume and experimental fashion designer and artist. Maker of clothing and accessories for time traveling cyborg superheroes, and lucid dreamers. Interested in fusing couture design and leatherwork with wea…

Nature is infinitely creative when it comes to shapes and structures. In my design work, I especially love finding ways to use unusual natural forms in a functional way. With this in mind, I thought it would be fun challenge to create a sandal inspired by the shape of an octopus, where the tentacles became straps wrapping around my foot and leg.

As a maker of many kinds of wearables, constructing my own shoes has always seemed like the Holy Grail of clothing self reliance, fascinating, but somehow intimidating. I know a lot of people who make their own clothes, but almost no one who has tried their hand as an amateur cobbler. While serious shoemaking does require a lot of specialized tools and materials, making your own sandals is really relatively straightforward, and it's a great place to start learning about footwear construction.

I also found that the act of taking raw leather and transforming it into a pair of functional, and wholly unique, sandals was immensely satisfying. The basic structure of this type of shoe is really fairly simple and once you understand the concept, the design possibilities are endless... though I'm not sure why you would want anything other than an octopus on your foot.

In this Instructable I'll show you how to use your own foot to create patterns for the sole and straps of a leather sandal, and how to finish and assemble your leather components for a sturdy and polished final product.

All beach photos by: audreyObscura