Upcycle ugly, ill-fitting espadrilles into cute DIY espadrilles that match your outfit!

I made shoes again! Yay! 😀 This time I upcycled ugly espadrilles that didn’t fit very well. I used leftover mint-green denim fabric from my jeans-to-skirt refashion and made matching mint green espadrilles! I love how they turned out and they’re so comfortable to wear!

Update in 2024: Because the store-bought espadrille soles were uncomfortable, I reused the uppers of these espadrilles and made DIY espadrilles from scratch with jute crochet and leather soles. These DIY espadrilles from scratch are much more comfortable! 😀 Click on the link below for my tutorial.

Related: How To Make DIY Espadrilles From Scratch

DIY Espadrilles – Shoe Making Tutorial

You’ll need:

• sturdy fabric – I used mint green denim fabric
• crochet yarn or linen sewing thread
• sewing needle – I found that a leather needle worked best
• awl – or something similar like a knitting needle
• scissors

DIY Espadrilles Upcycling:

Cut off the fabric uppers close to the sole. Use the uppers to make a pattern. Cut out a muslin and pin it to the sole to test the fit.  Adjust the pattern if necessary.

Now cut out the new uppers + seam allowances. You need two layers for each upper (you can use the muslin as lining). Then finish the raw edges like here: With wrong sides together, sew around the uppers. Leave a small opening for turning the uppers inside out. I frayed two of the edges for a casual look. You can also finish the raw edges with bias binding like I did here.

Pin the uppers to the espadrilles soles.

Sew the uppers to the soles with blanket stitches. This is the most difficult part: Try different sewing needles – I found that a leather needle worked best!

Using an awl pierce through the uppers to make holes for the lacing.

Then lace your DIY espadrilles. I used twisted cord as lacing.

Here I’m wearing my matching mint-green espadrilles with my refashioned denim skirt.

If you like the upcycled DIY espadrilles, please pin it!