Flip-Flop Refashion: Part 1 (Braided Straps) | Make It & Love It (2024)

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July 13, 2011 - By Ashley Johnston 86 Comments

Summer is great. And warm.

And full of outdoor activities and trips to the pool and random walks around the neighborhood.

I love it.

And my shoe of choice for these warmer months?? Sandals, of course. However, I have big feet. Big, as in, a size 12. (Boo.) So it’s hard to find variety. Or colors that I want. And if I do find my “special” size……they’re usually expensive. (Boo again.)

So, I saw a tutorial for this flip-flop makeover (great work Mother Huddle), floating around the web…….and the wheels started turning. And then turning some more. And now I have about 3 or 4 new ideas I am working on. And I can’t wait to share. And all are made from cheapy Old Navy flip-flops. Fantastic.

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I decided to just string all of the ideas together and create a whole series. Just for fun. And who knows……maybe some of you have big feet like me. Or just want to make some inexpensive little creations of your own. They’re perfect for some summer fun. Old Navy has about 50 different colors of flip-flops to choose from. Which is perfect for this series.

First up?

A quick and easy flip flop…….made with some braided knit fabric scraps, using the 5 strand braiding technique, shown here.

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These soft braided straps streeeeeetch the perfect amount, right around the back of my heel……..keeping the flip-flop snug and in place.

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I added little loops of fabric to the sides, to keep the braided straps in place. Works great.

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These little sandals are so light, they’re soft and stretchy, and my favorite part……..they’re inexpensive.

($2.50 to be exact)

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These flip-flops make me think of the beach……and make me miss GA.

I guess I better find a sandy spot at the lake.

Would you like to join in on this little series and start off with these flip flops with braided straps?

First of all, I found a very inexpensive pair of flip flops at Old Navy. (Or dig in your shoe stash. You know you have some in there.) Then, cut the plastic straps off of both flip flops.

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Next, snip pieces of the flip flop away on the back of the flip flop, right around each hole of the flip flop. Don’t cut all the way through, making the hole bigger……..just make a bigger resting spot for your knot to lay (that you’ll be placing here in later steps). Cut about 1/3 of the way through the thickness of the sole.

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Next, create a long strand of braided knit material, following the tutorial here. Make sure you’re using a semi stretchy knit fabric so that the strap will fit snugly around your foot. This will help the sandal to stay in place. To determine whether or not the braided section in long enough……wrap the braided knit around the back of your foot and then up over the top of your foot and down through your toes. And then make sure that there is enough to stick through the sandal and then tie in a knot. (Having a little more than you need helps.) At the ends of the braid, I just wrapped with thread really tightly, and then knotted it in place.

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Now, you need to shove the raw ends down into the hole by the toes of the sandal. I used a pen (in the “off” position) to shove the ends down in there. The hole will stretch so you can really shove a lot down in there with some effort.

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You should have both ends coming out the bottom of the sandal. Be sure that the braid isn’t all twisted on the other side.

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Next, tie really tight knots into each end of the braid and then trim off the excess fabric.

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Then add a little hot glue beneath your knots and into the crevice of the flip-flop that you dug out earlier.

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While the glue is still hot, press the knots into the foam sandal and as hard as you can, to really secure the knots in place…….and to force them into the sole of the sandal. (Depending on how big your knots are, depends on how much you should cut out of the sandal. You may feel the knots a bit while walking if you have bigger knots, so keep that in mind as well.)

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Now, cut more strips of your knit fabric and make a loop of fabric on each side of the sandal, including the braided strap as you loop the side strap down in place.

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After you have both side loops in place, make knots in the bottom and trim off the excess. Glue them in place the same way.

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Your sandals should now look like this.

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This next step is optional but it really helps make the section that goes between your toes, less bulky. I just wrapped some thread around the toe section over and over again as tight as I could (without breaking the thread) and knotted it in place.

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And that’s it.

Now your flip-flops are done and ready to wear.

Enjoy.

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