Leather Sandal Making

This one-day workshop is full of fun, good conversations, and learning new skills! You’ll work closely with Lisa Turnbull from The Shoe Camaraderie to make your own sandals.

The morning half of the day is the most intensive as you move through a range of steps such as glueing to prepare the soles and heels, tracing & cutting the leather, attaching buckles, a small amount of hand-stitching and then finally assembling the pieces. Each step is easy, but there are many of them. Enjoying the tea or coffee provided is the perfect companion during this stage!

After the lunch break, the second half of the day involves forming the shape of the sandals by lasting the upper, attaching the rand (the stitched border) to each shoe and then attaching the soles and heels. Once everyone’s heels are attached, the hard work is done and you can start relaxing into the end of the class with a glass of wine and cheese platter. The shoes are then taken off-site for the class facilitator to smooth the edges with a sanding machine. Finished work can be collected at Artisan in the week that follows or posted out to you.

What is provided:
All the materials and tools you need to make your sandals
A pair of custom-fit sandals made by you
Refreshments and drinks throughout the workshop

What to bring:
We’ll have aprons for you but please wear enclosed shoes and clothes that you don’t mind getting a bit dirty! Two weeks prior to your class date, Lisa will get in touch with sizing instructions on how to measure your feet (all shoes are custom-fit!!), as well as the style guide and colour chart to select from.

About Lisa Turnbull from The Shoe Camaraderie
Lisa Turnbull has spent the last several years producing handmade women's footwear with clientele throughout Australia, New Zealand, UK, France, Denmark and the US. She specialises in design and custom-fit, having created her own collections as well as collaboratively designing with her customers. Lisa started The Shoe Camaraderie workshops in September 2017 to share her shoe making know-how in a setting that enables others to walk away feeling proud of what they achieved and inspired to continue learning new things.