"Some enchanting sandals!" - one for the Vintage fans

“These Enchanting Sandals are simply made from old stockings and scraps of silk”

Here at Make it and Mend it, there’s nothing we like better than a bit of creative upcycling and these slippers are absolute corkers! Just right for the vintage fashion fan.

I came across them whilst leafing through some old knitting books that belonged to my grandmother. This cutting from a newspaper was slipped inside the pages and has complete instructions for making a pair of sandals from old silk stockings. Admittedly getting silk stockings is a bit of an issue these days, but I am sure that with a little creativity you could find a reasonable substitute and you could make a great pair of sandals. In fact we will offer a prize for the first person to make a pair and send us the photos. Very much in the wartime "make do and mend" manner.

Instructions – as per 1940s
"These simply-made slippers are as pretty as any we’ve seen. The comfortable built up soles are made of plaited silk stockings and are wonderfully long wearing.

You will need a pair of cork or felt ‘socks’ for the soles [presumably in-soles would do?], some pretty scraps of silk or cotton for the tops – just under ¼ yard of 36 inch material [hope the metric police won't arrest us for using inches!] – and twelve old silk stockings for each slipper. If you have too few yourself perhaps you can beg some from friends!

Plait the stocking together in threes. Only plait the silk leg parts together and cut off the lisle welts and feet. You will need four of these plaits for each slipper. Stitch them together to make one long plait.

Lay the plait, narrow side down, on the sock sole, and secure the plait to outer edge of the sole all round with double oversewing, then coil the plait round and round inside this outer line, until the sole is covered, catching the coils together here and there with matching strong silk.

Cut the strip of fabric for the heel, 17 inches long and 3 inches wide. Make a small dart in the centre of one long edge, ¼ inch wide and 2½ inches long, when sew to shape it for heel. Roll all the edges of the strip and finish with double oversewing. Oversew central part of the long undarted edge round heel part of sole, leaving ends to tie.

For toe sections, cut two strips of material each 6 ½ inches by 3 inches, and roll over all edges and double oversew. Then oversew on 3 inch end of each strip to side of sole, to tie over toes.”