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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Make an old pair of comfy shoes look new

• Dress your feet in flowers

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Fashion Writer

New sandals not in your budget?

Sigh. If you're in Carrie Bradshaw "I've got to get a mortgage and stop buying shoes" mode this summer and eschewing yet another pair of Manolo Blahniks, join the club.

I'm on a shoestring budget in the aftermath of my Europe jaunt, so new sandals are a no-no. Instead, I decided to embellish my own to make them work in 2003.

First I checked out the spring issues of Lucky, Vogue and Elle, as well as catalogues from Neiman Marcus.

Next I pulled out two pairs of sandals from my shoe shelf, each at least five years old, still serviceable but rather blah and dated: one white, the other camel.

Next I rifled through my sewing room to see what I had on hand. Voila! Scraps of earth-toned Ultrasuede, a bouquet of silk flowers and some vintage coconut buttons.

For the white sandals, I chose the silk flowers: I cut them off at the thinnest part of the stems and stuck the stems through the pukas in the woven upper. (I had to use a needle to push open the weave a little to allow the stems to go through.) With sturdy upholstery thread, I sewed the flowers and stems into the sandal straps to anchor them. For those who don't like to sew, I think a glue gun would also work.

For the camel sandals, I made a template out of a piece of cardboard and cut flowers from Ultrasuede in several sizes to get the proportion right. I used two sizes, each a different color, and played with them until I liked the look. To anchor them and add texture, I used the coconut buttons.

While Ultrasuede is expensive at $60+ per yard, it can be purchased in increments as small as 1/8 yard. There are also other suede look-alikes for $7 per yard at Fabric Mart or $32 per yard at Kaimuki Dry Goods. Sometimes craft stores carry fabrics that might work.

Caution: These sandals have not been tested in rainy weather. Ultrasuede should survive rain, but other look-alikes may not.

And the silk flowers? I think I'll take them off and run barefoot in the rain, just like small kid time.