DIY Bohemian Tapestry Teva Sandals

Last week I had the chance to pop by the NYC Lord & Taylor store for a special event that Teva put on for people to DIY their shoes. While I look back on a lot of the shoes I've DIY'ed and cringe a bit, they are some of my favorite projects to embellish.

At the event, the Teva folks had a bunch of supplies to use on the sandals from studs to rhinestones. I had to take my sandals and do my DIY'ing at home because I had to go to Puppy Prom for work. :P

Since the Teva sandals are a perfect shoe for casual summer parties and music festivals, I wanted to incorporate that bohemian vibe into my project. I decided to attempt doing a rough tapestry weave into the shoes and here's what I used below. (My Tevas are the Original Universal in Terra Cotta.) You can use any embroidery thread to structure the weave but I think the important element is the jute. It adds an earthiness that embroidery thread doesn't have by itself.

The first thing I did was stitch a weaving base into the straps using some nylon thread cord. It doesn't have to be perfectly spaced if you want that handmade aesthetic.

Next I started weaving the jute thread into the weaving base. I also had to trim some of the straggling jute so that the sandals weren't wiry.

After that, I started weaving in some of the embroidery thread in different colors.

Add some beads and you're done!

Perfect summer shoes for hanging out on my balcony and walking around the park! To see more Teva DIY projects, visit their Pinterest board! And also check out the Teva blog-- it's full of summer projects and inspiration. :)