How to Make Japanese Zori Sandals - No Sewing Required!

Before the Geta sandal became gemon in Japan, most people wore the Zori. This was becausepeasants could make Zori sandals out of straw and old rags without having to make a single stitch. Today, creating a Zori is a popular craft in Japan. Just like here in America for quilting, Japanese people have funworkshops in which they learn how to make this type of shoe. It isn't difficult, and no special equipment needed. In just one afternoon, Ican make a pair of Zori sandals on my own.

There is only one problem with making Zori sandals- all of the directions on theInternetare in Japanese!I can't read Japanese writing, and online web translators do a terrible job switching the language over to English. Also,Zori directions are rare in America.Thankfully, I managed to find a way to make the Zori sandal. This guide will go through the steps of making a Zori. In the end, you'll have a wonderful gift for a man, woman, or child. Or you might keep these gefortablesandals for yourself.
Note: This guide will make a woman's size 8 to 8.5 shoe.
Must-Have Materials


2 yards of fabric preferably a solid color (cotton, wool, fleece, satin, etc.)

1 yard of patterned fabric (patterned on both sides and not stiff)

Scissors

A large, heavy wrench or a similar item with a fork
1. Cut off two 1-yd strips from the patterned fabric. They should be between 1/2 to 1 inch wide. Line them up together side to side. Nowget out the wrench and form an arch with the strips of fabric over the bottom of the wrench (the end with the loop). Then using your foot as a guide, hook the two ends of the fabric strips in the fork of the wrench. Crisscross to the opposite sides at the bottom of the wrench. Then gently tie the loose ends together. You should end up with a shape that looks like a pretzel.
Note - To make a larger sandal, cut out longer strips out of the patterned fabric.

2. Cut off a 4-yd strip of the solid fabric. Flip theknot you made in step one out of the way of the loop below.Tie this piece of fabric to the bottom of the loop made by the patterned fabric. When you tie this piece of fabric, leave a 4-inch strip. Do not trim it for this strip will be used later.

Now you can begin to gently weave the solid fabric over and under the four strings made by the loops. Do not weave in the two loose ends of the knots you made on the patterned loop earlier. For this zori sandal, I used patterned fabric to make the sole of the shoe, but I personally think a solid color fabric would have looked better. The pattern makes it difficult to see the nice weave.

3. After a few weaves, put your fingers in between the three holes made by the loopsand push down on the fabric. This will tighten the gaps between the weave. Then, with your fingers still pushing down on the weave, gently push the wrench forwardto tighten the weave even more.

4. Continue to alternate between weaving the fabric and tightening the weave. When the weave has reached about two-thirds of the way (or almost to your ankle), stop where your are. Now you are going to make the strap of the zori. Cut out two 1-yd strips of patterned fabric. Then twist them together. Rolling the fabric in between your palms is the quickest way to do this. To keep from the two strips from unwrapping, place a heavy object on one end.
5. Remember the 4-inch strip of solid fabric you made at the beginning of step 2? Pull this strip down so it is on the bottom side of the zori. Then weave it back about 2 inches. Find a gap in the middle of the sandal and pull this strip out to the top. To attach the strap of the zori, tie the strip around the middle of it.
Attaching the other ends of the strap is simpler than it may appear. Weave the two loose ends on each side of the strap in between the loops of the sandal's sole. There is no particular order you need to go in, but do try to alternate between the strips. Make sure the strap of the sandal ties tightly near the end of your foot. The sandal will be very floppy if the strap is tied too close to the front of the foot. Thankfully, there is a way to solve this problem in case it pops up. The instructions to the solution will be given near the end of this guide.

6. After weaving the four ends of the strap at least a couple times each, tighten the weave again just like in step 3. To finish attaching the strap, tie the loose ends to the strips on the far end of the sole. Do not tie the straps on the two middle strips for this will create ungefortable knots in the sole.
7. At this point, you are very close to being finished. Continue to weave with the strip of solid fabric you were working with before. If you find out that the fabric strip isn't long enough to finish the job, then tie the strip to the side and trim the end. Then cut off another long strip of the solid fabric, tie it onto one of the strips and go back to weaving. You can also put different colored stripes in the sole by using this technique. It took about me about an 8 or 9 yard strip to weave the entire sole of the sandal. It is too difficult to weave with a strip that long for most people, though, so I suggest weaving with a strip between 2 to 4 yards long.
8. When you weaveto the point that you find you have two loops left at the very end, continue to weave just a little bit more until you fill in the empty space. Then, wrap the strip around the end of the sole until it makes a nice curve. Tie the strip to the sole and trim the loose end.

9. Here is the last step (unless you have a floppy sandal). Now you must finish the front of the sandal. You should still see the strips of the veryfirst knot you tied at the very front of the shoe. Untie this knot and wrap these four strips around the front of the shoe. Then tie them to one of the sole. If you want a bigger patterned tip on the front, the patterned strips you cut in the very beginning will need to belonger than 1 yard.

Tada! By now, you should have created your first Zori sandal! Unfortunately, this sandal is a floppy kind, so I will have to go on to step.
10. (Optional) The simplest way to fix a floppy sole is to add straps to the back that you can tie together around your leg. To do this, simply cut four 1-yd strips of patterned fabric. Twist two together just like you did in step 4 making a pair of straps. Tie a knot at one end. Then tie the stripson the loose end of the straps onto the sole of the shoe. I suggest putting them vertical from your ankle. You may either trim the loose ends, or tie them into bows (trimming is more traditional).

For my sandal, Itried something slightly different. I tied the straps closer to the heel of my foot. Then I decided to weave the strap over to my ankle and tied it again. In the end, you should have a shoe that looks similar to the one in the picture below.

There are many variations available for this guide. For example, you may add beads, or use straw instead of fabric. Hemp for the sole would also look nice. If you decide not to make very flashy Zori, then you can make two pairs of sandals for less than $4 if you buy discount fabric. Some Zori sandals are so pretty that they'd look good on display. It is an very economical gift, but I would not give them to anyone who has terrible balance since these sandals lack traction. You can try tohot glue the sole to a cheap flip-flop if you want more traction and support.
Whatever you decide to do with your Zori, the best advice I can give you is to have fun.