Blue jeans provide the perfect material for making a slip-on shoe, because they are made of pieces that have useful finished edges. Of course, other pants such as khakis, army fatigues etc are made similarly, so I imagine they could be successfully used as well.
Or, make your own “waist bands” by making them from fabric; you can of course make the bands as wide or as narrow as you like.
The pieces of jeans that you need to make a pair of shoes are: waistbands – three waistbands are needed to make each pair of shoes. One waistband becomes a strip that goes around the circumference of each shoe (the “bottom” band), and each half of the third waistband is used to provide more height in the heel area (the “top” band).
tip: if you are purchasing jeans at a thrift shop, buy the largest size you can find – for the same price you can make so many more things. You can make a nice apron with the piece that remains after cutting off the waistband, or any of the things that you can find when googling “things to make from recycled blue jeans.”
To remove the waistbands from jeans, I use an awl and pull the threads out, stitch by stitch, although some people prefer to use a “stitch-remover”, which cuts through the stitching. Next, remove belt loops without cutting into the waistband. leg hems – used to make “plugs”. A plug is the flat piece of a moccasin-type shoe that sits over the front of the foot, shown sitting on the sole in the photo above. It has a finished edge across the instep when made with the leg hem. Look for jeans with wide hems, it creates a softer seam where it is stitched to the bottom band – but narrow hems will do. belt loop – One of these can provide a finished edge to the raw end of the bottom band at the heel. denim fringe – Or, you can use “denim fringe” to hide the raw end of the bottom band. To make the fringe, cut across your jeans so that you are cutting through the blue threads, not the white ones. Cut a strip in the length you need, about 1/2″ wide, using the first cut as one side of your strip. Pull the white threads out along one side, about 1/4″ is sufficient. Use double-sided tape to hold the strip in place at the end of the band, with just the fringe being exposed. Fluff it up a bit and the raw end will be hidden. In addition to the jean material, you will need: – flip-flop soles that the straps have ripped out of – perhaps collect them at a school or college, you can use them as soling for other styles of shoes and sandals – 1/2″-wide elastic – 1/4″ wide double-sided scrapbooking tape or water-based white glue – inexpensive felt used to make a mock-up of your shoe – braided waxed cord from Tandy Leather in gold, or 4-ply waxed Irish linen, embroidery floss, or machine-stitching thread – permanent marker The tools you need are: – a heavy-duty sewing machine or two tapestry or other needles if you are stitching by hand a stitching awl for stitching the upper part of the shoe to the sole, optional scissors 6 bull-dog clips a few alligator clips come in handy also a “scratch” awl or pointed tool such as an ice pick small pliers if using waxed braided cord Assembly: 1. First make a felt mock-up to make sure the shoes will fit you. If your mock-up doesn’t fit correctly, make the modifications that are needed. If you change the shape of the sole, change the shape of the plug to match it. 2. Sole: Using the sole pattern or your customized pattern, cut the flip-flop sole so it has the shape that you want, with sharp scissors. 3. If possible, sand the edges of your soles on a belt sander. If you don’t have access to one, use sandpaper to smooth the edges. 4. To make the denim topsole (the surface you stand on) apply double-sided tape, as seen on the sole in the photo, or glue to the top of the flip-flop sole, then turn the sole upside-down on the denim. Once it is securely attached, cut the denim along the edge of the sole with scissors. 5. Bottom band – Cut the bottom band from one of your waistbands: it should be the distance around your sole, plus about a 3-inch overlap at the heel. This gives some additional support to the heel area. (This overlap isn’t essential; you could simply whip-stitch the two ends of the band together and hide the seam with a section of belt loop stitched over the seam, or fold the ends of the band under and stitch.)PHOTOS? If you plan to machine-stitch, you will need to secure the bottom edge of the top band inside the top edge of the bottom band, so consider this before doing any stitching. Before cutting, check the band length by laying it along the edge of the sole, as the distance around the sole and the length of the band need to be exactly equal. 6. Stitching – This shoe can be machine stitched with a heavy-duty machine, or can be stitched by hand. I chose to stitch this sample shoe with gold waxed braided cord, because I love how it lays down flat, and how easy it is to work with. However, using it comes with a challenge – I can’t pull the needle threaded with this cord through the denim! So, I use an awl to spread the threads of the denim apart where ever I want to make a stitch. I say “spread the threads apart” because I try not to break threads, just push them to the side, so the fabric isn’t weakened. These shoes could also be stitched by hand with button-hole thread, waxed Irish linen, or embroidery floss. I suggest using the “simultaneous running stitch” when using these threads. The “simultaneous running stitch”: In essence you are using a running stitch (down in one hole, up in the next, etc) but with a needle at both ends, you fill in all the spaces as you stitch. Make your first stitch in the fabric, and pull half of the thread through. Bring that thread up through the fabric to make the next stitch, while the other end of the thread with needle goes down through this same stitching hole. Hold the thread that is already there to the side of the hole, to protect that first stitch from being split. Give a good tug on both threads after each stitch to create a nicely-seated seam. 7. Make sure that you are working with the open side of the bottom seam “up”! Overlap the band for three inches to provide heel support, if you have decided on this option. Decide what you want to do with the raw end of the band: I used a piece of fringe, but you could stitch a belt loop over the edge, or perhaps turn the edge under… You can also eliminate some bulk by cutting back selvedges on inner layers where they won’t be seen. 8. Begin stitching at the base of the heel seam, with fringe in place if you are using it. You might want to stitch all around the overlapped section, and make an “X” across it for added reinforcement. 9. Top band – When the bottom band is completely stitched together, make the top band. Cut it to the correct length, and inconspicuously mark its center. Cut its bottom edge as shown on the pattern. 10. Channel for elastic at back of heel – The top edge of the top band needs elastic to conform to the shape of the foot. On the inside of the strip, mark the ends of the elastic channel. Stitch 5/8″ from the top seam between these two marks. 11. Attach a pin to the piece of elastic, and use it to pull the elastic through the channel. When the other end has been reached, pull the elastic out 1/2″, and stitch a seam between the channel stitching and the top edge of the band that stitches through the elastic. 12. Pull the other end of the elastic so the distance along the top edge has decreased by about one-third (4 1/2″ channel after elastic is tightened = 3″.) Pin the elastic in place past the end of the channel, and secure it by stitching this end of the channel as you did the first. 13. You will probably want the heel as high as is possible with the two bands, so I suggest that you whip-stitch the bands together in the heel support area. Make a tiny mark at the center of the top band and the center of the top edge of the heel support area of the bottom band, and begin stitching there. If you’re using waxed braided cord, cut a piece about three times the length of the distance you will be stitching, fold it in half, and make a mark at the half-way point. Pull the thread through the first stitching hole until you reach that mark. Poke a stitching hole through one of the bands with the stitching awl, and pull the cord through the hole. From the side that the next stitch will be entering, make another hole and pull the thread through. You may need pliers to pull the thread through extra-thick layers. Continue whip-stitching until you have reached the edge of the overlapped section of the bottom band. 14. Note the mark along the bottom band where the plug ends and the top band begins. Open the bottom band and tuck the top band inside at a slant, so it ends at that mark. Use bulldog or other clips or a few stitches to hold the band in place. 15. Return to the middle of heel, where you’ll find your other half of the thread (if you’re using waxed braided cord) and stitch this band, using the same stitches as you used on the other half of the band.Continue stitching, switching to a running stitch with waxed braided cord, until reaching the end of the top band. Hide a knot inside the layers. If you are using a thinner thread and the simultaneous running stitch, cut a new piece of thread, put needles on both ends of it, and stitch the other half of the top band in place. 16. Stitching the plug to the bottom band – Cut out the plug, draw a line on it as shown on the pattern, and place a mark at the center of the toe. Cut a piece of cord long and begin stitching at the center of toe marks. Using a running or other stitch, stitch the plug to the bottom band, stitching just above the line marked on the plug so it isn’t visible. When one side is completely stitched, go back to the toe and stitch the other side of the plug to the bottom band; you might want to turn your work upside-down. 17. Stitching the upper to the sole – First adhere the upper to the sole with white glue, clamping the upper to the sole with bulldog clamps, one at toe and heel and two along each side. 18. With the awl, and with your shoe on a spongy surface (corrugated cardboard would work, with something you don’t mind damaging under it), punch down through all layers every 1/4″, 1/4″ in from the edge. After you have punched stitching holes all around the shoe, use the simultaneous running stitch to stitch the upper to the sole. When this stitching is complete, the shoe is complete. Now make the other one!