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DIY $1 Minimalist Shoes

Katy Bowman can give you all the reasons minimalist shoes are good for you, but what happens if you're a cheapskate, on top of a body nerd?

Never fear, my friends! This is so easy and has massive cute potential!!



What you'll need:

a pair of cheap flip flops, with straps that poke all the way through to the bottom

18-24 inches of 1/4 inch ribbon for the loops, or make your own, starting with strips of fabric about 1 inch wide

2 pieces of about 4 feet of 3/4" ribbon for the straps, or make your own, starting with strips of fabric about 2 1/2 inches wide.



Cut off the plugs that hold the straps on. Throw the straps away, or think of something else to make out of them! You'll have three holes on each shoe now.



If you're making your own ribbon, fold the raw edges of your strap down, wrong side together. For the narrower ribbon, I just fold the edges in till they meet in the middle (about 1/4 inch down on each side.) For the wider ribbon, I fold about 1/4 inch down. Press. Fold the whole thing in half. Press. Top stitch along the edge. For the wider ribbon, tuck the ends inside and top stitch. On the wider ribbon, I also top stitch along the folded edge.



Make a loop with the narrower ribbon and thread it through one of the holes. As you hold it in place, thread a strap (on the top side of the shoe!) through the loop. Test it on your foot.



You want the strap to be loose enough that it's comfortable but tight enough that it doesn't feel sloppy. Mark the loop from the bottom of the shoe.

Take the loop out carefully from the shoe. At the point you marked, wrap a piece of thread around it, many times really tightly. Measure the length, because you're going to have to make another one just like it. Tie a knot. Trim it off, leaving good long tails.



Thread the loop back through the shoe. Pull on it hard to make sure it's really seated in the hole. Rethread the strap and test the shoe again. You'll probably have to make adjustments, but you left yourself long enough tails on the loop, right? Once you get the right length, trim it right up against the knot on the bottom of the shoe and dab some hot glue into the hole (on the bottom of the shoe).



Repeat for the remaining holes on the shoes. I personally found that the loops near my ankles had to be longer than the loops between my toes, but again make it feel right for you. When you're done with all loops, thread the straps through all the loops, crisscross around your ankles, tie, and go forth in your stylin', CHEAP minimalist shoes!

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