One of the most fulfilling aspects of leather crafting and sandal making in particular, is when I make a new design. Besides being pretty, a pair of sandals must compliment the foot and the outfit.
For the Erato sandals I wanted a design that is better suited for the casual style, which can be combined with a pair of jeans or a simple skirt. The sandals need to be comfortable enough to be worn all day.
I started by cutting the shape of the sandal and drawing where I wanted the leather straps to be. I wanted the front straps to be wide and to cross each other. I only focused on the front end because I had a clear idea of what I wanted for the back straps and I didn't need to design them.
Then, I cut the holes with the hammer and I also cut two paper straps with my scissors.
I didn't like the fact that the straps were crossing on top of each other, so I made a cut on the right one and the left one went trough it.
Finally, I checked the new sandals with the shoe last to see how they looked and whether the length of the paper straps was correct.
I named the sandals after the muse Erato. According to Greek mythology, she represented the singing of love songs and poetry and played a lyre.
You can order the Erato sandals here.