Shoe making has been a really enjoyable hobby of mine for quite some time now, but I hadn’t yet applied those skills to repairing anything yet. This is the first time I’ve attempted to repair any shoes and I’m so thrilled with how it turned out. My kids absolutely love their Saltwater sandals – they’re super comfy, practical and seem to last almost forever. These sandals of Birdie’s were a little worse for wear and the saddle stitching and glue had both failed in a number of places. I made a little video for all of you on my Youtube channel about how I tackled this Saltwater sandal shoe repair and I really hope you enjoy it!
The issues with these shoes were that the saddle stitching had broken in quite a few places, and the glue that attaches the insole to the outersole had failed in those places as well. In addition the channel that protects the saddle stitches from making contact with the ground were worn back.
To fix all of these the first thing I did was to remove all the existing saddle stitching. I used some lino cutting tools to recreate the thread channel on the outer sole in the areas it had worn away. I then re-glued the insole and outer sole together. After the glue had dried I redid all the saddle stitching, which was really fun – i had never done saddle stitching before!
I really enjoyed this Saltwater sandal shoe repair and I’m really feeling much more confident about taking on more of these kind of repairs in the future. One of the pairs that i’ve got in my sights are my own Saltwater sandals, which i have worn so much that the leather has actually started degrading, so my plan is to completely replace the straps. I’ll keep you posted on my progress!
If you enjoy shoe making I’ve got a few more posts about my shoe making adventures:
Saltwater sandal shoe repair
Shoe making has been a really enjoyable hobby of mine for quite some time…
July 25, 2022
Replicating My Favourite Sandals, Part 1: The Plan
These are my favourite sandals of all time. I bought them from Country Road…
March 30, 2021
Making Basket Weave Mules
I’m so excited to show you my newest pair of handmade shoes! I keep…
September 30, 2020
