DIY Macrame Gladiator Sandal

 As much as I love fashion and shopping I've made a conscious effort to stop purchasing items we don't need. This includes craft/sewing items for me. We move often and live in smaller spaces which means downsizing as much as possible. You realize the amount of unnecessary stuff you acquire that ends up being donated or trashed. So instead of shopping for more sandals this summer I decided to make my own. All I used was a basic pair of flip flops which most people have a few and tshirt string. 

Tutorial below…

 Cut the original top off the sandal so you just have a sole with holes. 

 Using jersey string from a tshirt or fabric pull through the holes and knot to hold in place. Mine measured about 1inch loops. 

 Do all three. You may want to hot glue the knots for extra security. Who wants a shoe malfunction?

 Cut long strips from jersey fabric/tshirt or use cording. I used 3 long strings as shown in the photo about 53 inches long. Knot through the loop as shown in the photo above. 

 Begin your macrame pattern. I've shown several videos with different patterns you can use and get familiar with the knots.  Here 

Follow the videos to create a macrame pattern and continue your knotting till you reach the ankle. 

Once you reach the ankle braid the sides to create the part that will wrap around the ankle. 

You will get to the end and it will have 2 small strings left. Knot these a couple times around the larger string and snip them. As you braid see how many times you want it to wrap around your ankle. You don't want to tie the braid it will be too thick so that's why you use the one string to tie together. 

Think of all the colors and patterns you can create...add pom poms or beads even.