For this project I had to design shoes that were mean to be given as a gift to a partner and the shoes had to be made based on the style the partner is interested in. I as well as required to go to the laser lab to cut the fabric that make up the shoes.

During the process, I felt intimated to sew since I have never experienced a project that required to sew. I also was wary about how my design will be implemented on the shoe and if it will achieve a eye catching look to the audience.  When I went to the laser lab I came prepared to cut a piece of a design that I wanted to implement to the shoes. I had carefully constructed the design by sketching out and then cutting the design based on the size and placement on the shoe. Once I was in the laser lab I laid the fabric on the machine expecting the laser to cut on top of the fabric and successfully transmitting the design on the fabric. Instead the laser had cut through the fabric which prevented the design from looking like it was more engraved than just cut with scissors. I still thought that I can used the fabric to my advantage and sew it on the shoes anyway to hopefully still have an presentable design. Yet as I was ready to sew the fabric on the shoes, it easily kept tearing apart preventing me to smoothly apply the design. The design included parallelograms which were the most fragile areas and quickly ripped away from the fabric  had I constantly tried to cut pieces of the fabric and try to position it on the shoe to add an aesthetically pleasing style. Still, the design did not look pleasing with all the torn up fabric.

The design that was going to be stitched on the shoes

Sewing was not as successful as I thought. Initially I wanted my shoes to have a smooth craft with equal measurements on both shoes. Some parts of the shoe felt it had a disfigured shape. As I continued stitching the fabric the shoe started to morph into a narrow look than a more rounded curve to the toe area. I constantly had to look over my stitch to see if it was not disorganized and if the leather was positioned in the right place. There was a strap  that looked bigger than the other. For this reason, I needed to restitch the strap after they were cut to the equal size of the other straps.  Still the the shoes did not have cohesive measurements and made me wary about how the shoes would present themselves while model wears them. I thought that the shoes would look rushed or disorganized based on how the stitching did not look well constructed as I thought.

Stitching the front parts of the area

Stitching Process

One of the stitched straps

Yet when I presented my shoes to the class they turn out to enjoy the shoes more than I expected. During the critique people commented on how they liked the craft and the way I decided to add the flaps and straps to the shoes. One student stated that they like the love the punk look while another commented on how the shoes felt futuristic. The shoes have been successful based on the theme that the shoes portray. I intended for the shoes to have an dark and punk appearance to them. I especially added high soles of the shoes. I achieved the style that matched my partner’s likes and interests like the high soles and the dark aesthetic the punk aesthetic they wanted.

                             Final Results