Soft Leather Ballet-Style Minimalist Shoes For Kung Fu

[kgirl91]

Hi Kgirl! Thank you very much for such detailed explanations! Well, if I understand well (english is not my first language), your wish is to make ankle high footwear which could fit like a second skin, with minimalist construction? If I had such a project, I think that I first could buy a pair of leather gym slippers. I could dismantle them to draw patterns from the different parts. Then I could use my own leather to make a similar new pair and I could draw the ankle part to sew it on the new slippers. I think I wouldn't use a snap to close them, but shoe lace on external side for better fiiting. What do you think of this idea?..

The person who inspired me to start this project did something similar (bought a pair of shoes, dismantled them, and made his own pattern). It worked great for him, so if you can find a shoe that would work for you, that's a great plan.

At the time that I started the project, I couldn't find anything affordable that fit the bill (or I would have just bought that and worn it) and I didn't want to spend $60 or $70 just to tear it apart. The ankles on my shoes ended up being lower than I wanted, but it's fine (that part was just another headache in terms of pattern making). I have thought about adding a top ankle part when I get to the hemming stage.

Laces are a good idea. I just didn't want anything that could get caught/would need to be retied. Now that I have a flap on my shoe, I might eventually end up putting laces underneath it.

[Phil2011]

Hi Kgirl! I agree with you about buying shoes to dismantle them! Better find cheap ones, of course!.. On the other hand, once you got patterns from a dismantled pair you can make several new pairs, even including some variants in construction or détails which finally look way far from the original shoe! For example, I made these soft soled boots: ...from a pair of traditional french slippers called "charentaises" like these ones: I Wonder if you could post some pics of your kung-fu shoes as you wear them, because I have to say that it's a bit difficult for me to make images in my mind, even if your description is very complete. If I see pictures, maybe I'll have a better idea than shoe lace...

[Gump]

Hi Kgirl; Your shoes look like ninja shoes. Check out some ninja sites [yes they exist] and you might pick up some ideas. Gump