The Sandalmaking Workshop: Make Your Own Mary Janes, Crisscross Sandals, Mules, Fisherman Sandals, Toe Slides, and More

by Rachel Corry

Custom-fit for comfort, custom-designed to suit personal taste, and stylish and satisfyingly DIY? Shoemaking checks all the boxes! Making shoes is a surprisingly accessible and increasingly popular craft, and with this photo-rich guide, even a beginner can make a comfortable pair of sandals in the course of a day with just a few simple tools and materials. From setting up a workshop and refining a design to making uppers, attaching soles, and adding finishing touches like buckles or studs, The Sandalmaking Workshop takes readers step by step through the process of creating modern leather sandals that are stylish and comfortable. The book includes traceable patterns for 14 of author Rachel Corry’s original sandal designs—both open- and closed-toe styles, including mules and slides—and covers a range of techniques so readers can build their skills and stretch the creative possibilities with each new pair they make.

• ISBN10: 1635862353
• ISBN13: 9781635862355
• Publish Date: 13 April 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Storey Publishing LLC
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 208
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

To be published on my blog at release: Nonstop Reader.

The Sandalmaking Workshop is a tutorial, style, and crafting guide to making wearable stylish footwear by Rachel Corry. Due out 30th March 2021 from Storey, it's 208 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

As shown on the cover, there are numerous beautiful shoes to create with a surprising amount of detail and style. The author shows step by step how to source tools and materials, design and create the shoes. The first 10% of the page content is given to a thorough introduction of tools and materials including specific appropriate tools and supplies (mostly leather, no alternatives given for vegan readers, although experimentation would surely provide appropriate non-animal materials - repurposed rubber soles with woven uppers?).

The second chapter covers the sandalmaking process - making patterns, cutting, lining, fitting, finishing, gluing, etc. The individual project tutorials are divided into two chapters roughly thematically: sandals and shoes. The projects are beautifully stylish and really professional looking. These are bespoke level shoes (literally - the author does bespoke work and these are at least some of her processes and techniques). All of the tutorials are well and clearly photographed.

The end of the book includes all the templates for the projects (in the final release version, not included in the eARC), along with an index, links for further info, metric conversion chart, shopping sources and lists, a short links list to other shoe artisan crafters, a glossary, and author bio.

There just aren't that many shoemaking books out there, and this one is quite good for beginners as well as intermediate learners.

Four stars. Well worth a look for the crafty reader. This would also be quite welcome for self sufficiency folks, smallholders, and the like. I would definitely recommend it to makers' groups, school library, scout activity groups, etc.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes