If it’s a shame to throw away your old boots because they are made of excellent quality material, you should find a new use for them. Here are some interesting ideas on what you can make from old leather boots. Stylish clutch or small handbag
If the problem is only a cracked sole, you can sew a chic clutch or a stylish small handbag from the leather part of the boots. From our master class you will learn how to sew a clutch from genuine leather
Using decorative elements such as rhinestones, beads, bows, brooches, you can decorate the product and disguise small scuffs or holes. Warm insoles
photo: sdelaysam-svoimirukami.ru; makezine.com Autumn and winter boots are usually with natural fur, cowtail or wool insulation. Therefore, from an old pair you can make insoles for other shoes. To do this, you need to stand on a sheet of paper and trace the outline of your right and left legs with a felt-tip pen. Then transfer the insoles patterns onto the leather from the boots and cut them out. Light slippers or flip flops
photo: instructables.com Old boots will make wonderful house slippers and flip-flops. Corners for small items
To do this, they cut out parts of the desired shape and size, sew them together and store coins and other small items that are abundant in every home. Flower pots
photo: homeepiphany.com Lovers of decorative flowers and plants can use old boots to make original and durable flowerpots. Stylish chair cover
photo: collegelifediy.com To update one chair, you will need two boots, the tops of which must be cut and sewn together. Then cut out a part slightly larger than the seat of a chair or stool and secure the cover. Exquisite bracelet
For lovers of unusual jewelry, old leather boots are an excellent material for creating leather bracelets in ethnic and rocker style. From our master class you will learn how to make a leather bracelet with rivets. Leather sheaths for knives
A very convenient and necessary accessory not only for hunting knives. Such a case can be sewn for knives that are used for hikes, picnics, and trips out of town. Cover for a book or diary
Making your own cover couldn't be easier! Take a very ordinary cover and use its sample to make a pattern for a leather cover. Read how to quickly and easily sew leather covers at BurdaStyle.ru Decorative lampshade
photo: favecrafts.com Cone-shaped parts are cut out of leather and sewn together. The sides are secured at the top and bottom with metal rods and the lampshade is placed on the lamp. Mittens for baby
photo: alaskafurproducts.com For children under one year old, fingerless mittens are usually made. If the boot top is made of soft leather or suede, and the inside is lined with fur, then such material is suitable for making mittens for a baby. It is necessary to cut out 4 identical parts and sew them together with a buttonhole stitch from the front side with the fur inward, leaving the hole for the handle open. Case for glasses
Medium-density leather makes excellent eyeglass cases, and sewing them is not difficult. It is enough to cut two identical rectangular parts from the top of old boots, slightly larger than the glasses, and sew a cover from them.
A flower pot, birdhouse, jewelry organizer - this is not all that can be made from old shoes and boots. They will be useful even when it seems that they are no longer any good. What is it like - the second life of old shoes?
If the shoes have not lost their attractiveness outwardly, but have become small, chafing, or cannot be repaired, they can be used for green decoration. Once you plant several small plants in them and place them on the balcony or in front of the front door, not only the shoes, but also the space itself will be transformed.
Not so long ago, shoes and sandals with thick transparent soles were very popular. But fashion changes and now they are not very relevant, all that remains is to send them to the trash can, or turn them into a creative flower pot. It will decorate the interior very stylishly and will definitely surprise guests.
It is convenient to work in the garden in sneakers or high boots with thick soles. But the more often you have to work in the garden, the faster such shoes become unusable. But don’t throw away your old shoes; they will be useful for decorating the garden and will become an interesting decorative element.
This idea will appeal to those who love to sew, embroider or do handicrafts, as well as those who have small children. The baby's shoes have to be changed most often, and they are so worn out that they can no longer be given to someone else or sold. But this is not a reason to throw away children's shoes. You can make a comfortable and beautiful pincushion out of it.
The same old garden shoes can easily be converted into comfortable birdhouses where birds will fly and delight with their singing. A very unusual use for old shoes!
Even old soles can be useful in everyday life. You can use them to make a budget garden path. This will not require any expense or time, but will last a long time and will be a practical solution for the garden.
Surprisingly, if you have some imagination, it’s not difficult to turn old shoes into beautiful and stylish jewelry organizers. This storage system will fit well into the interior of a woman’s bedroom.
We found more
For those who want to learn how to work with leather (or rather, transform old, out-of-fashion leather items into new ones), we offer you an original set - a leather bag and a belt and a cap, combined from fabric and leather, which is perfect for any suit or short coat.
We have no doubt that if you carefully rummage through your household “deposits”, you can always find a pair of worn-out or hopelessly outdated boots. But here’s a paradox: if the vamp wears out (changing it in a shoe shop is often not much cheaper than buying new boots) or becomes old-fashioned, then the tops, as a rule, always remain as good as new.
And it’s simply a sin to send such material to the trash heap. That's why we will make a bag out of boots. Of course, the ideal option is if the old boots that you find for this purpose have a straight boot from the ankle to the top, are high enough and made of soft leather. Then success is guaranteed! Moreover, the very shape of the tops seems to “dictate” the choice of bag style - a pouch or a kind of backpack is so popular, especially among young people and middle-aged women. So, let's get to work.
Carefully cut off the sole, while trying to preserve the heel and vamp as much as possible (even if they are worn or cracked in some places), since even the smallest piece of leather goes into use.
Remove the heel, vamp, lining, insulation (if any) and zipper. Unfold both tops. What do you see? Not only is this a great material, but it's enough to make a medium-sized bag. If the boots have decorative trim, think about how it can be used to decorate the bag.
After all, as a rule, it is located so that when connecting two tops it will be exactly in the middle of the bag. And this advantage must certainly be used! When you have decided on the finishing issue (we remind you once again that only those who had the appropriate source material can do this), sew the tops together. Now wash (yes, that’s right, we didn’t make a reservation) the skin in warm water - preferably with shampoo, not with washing powder or soap, and then stretch it on a wooden board (you already know the technique for working with leather). When the material is dry, you can begin the main work.
Of course, the model that we suggest you make is quite complex, so those who are not very confident in their abilities can simply stitch the bottom, insert a zipper at the top and sew on some kind of handle. Those who want to try to create a kind of “masterpiece of bag art” continue to create.
The height of the bag, as you already understood, is “set” by the initial height of the boot tops used. We will not process the top of the bag; for this we will use the finished hem of the top of the boots. By the way, if there is not enough leather, a belt can be made, for example, from a ready-made belt from an old leather coat or jacket.
The main thing is that it harmonizes with the bag or, on the contrary, is of a contrasting color (black and white principle) with it. Attach a buckle to the end of the finished belt (size 5 x 83 cm) and stitch it to the middle of the front seam on the front surface of the bag (the back seam is not yet sewn).
In the workshop, punch holes for the cord and process them with blocks. You can do this yourself (glue thick leather from the inside out in the places of future holes, and then punch holes through two layers), but in this case there is no guarantee that it will turn out “branded”. Now make a cord. To do this, fold 2 strips of leather (each length is 28 cm), stitch 0.5 cm from the fold, and trim the edges to 0.2 cm.
Thread through the blocks and secure from the inside out. The ends of the cords can be tied (for beauty) in a tight knot. Sew a seam on the back surface of the bag and sew the free end of the strap (bag handle) on top of it.
Now cut out the oval bottom of the bag from thick leather (length around the perimeter - 63 cm). For strength, it can be additionally reinforced with an adhesive pad. To make the bottom reliable, we duplicate the leather oval from thick cardboard, but 1 cm less. The length of the perimeter of the bottom is 1-2 cm less than the bottom of the bag along the edge.
Sew the bottom from the inside out, turn the bag right side out and insert the cardboard. Gather the sides at the top with a soft gather, secure and apply a metal bracket or cover with a strip of leather, tucking the ends into small vertical slits. On the back surface of the bag, at the level of the cords, pull and secure the elastic band and, having fixed the size of the entrance to the bag you have chosen, pull and tie the cords, placing the knot in the middle of the buckle.
Don't forget to line it. We made the bag. But we still have small pieces of skin left. There are just enough of them to combine with fabric to sew a cap that is so fashionable now and the same belt that can be put on top of a sweater (as in our photo). As a result of the work, you will have a beautiful and stylish set.
The cap pattern fits two sizes - 57 and 58.
Choose a fabric that matches the color of the leather you used to make the bag. By the way, they should also be in harmony in texture, so soft but dense fabrics, such as tweed or brushed wool, are suitable for this purpose. Leather looks very good in combination with checkered fabric. Make the top of the visor from sewn vamps from boots, and the finishing button from the remnants of leather from the heel. To do this, wet it, stretch it and sew around a regular button.
Cut details:
I - lower frontal part - 2 parts;
II - upper frontal part - 2 parts;
III - side wedge - 2 parts;
IV - occipital wedge - 2 parts;
V - visor (the leather top of the visor is marked with a dotted line).
Using the patterns (check size 4 x 4 cm), cut the fabric (you need 30 cm with a width of 1 m 40 cm), carefully selecting the pattern, especially if you are sewing a checkered cap. Treat the parts with an adhesive pad, and treat the visor with a double one. Please note: the patterns are given with seams, the seam is 0.8 cm. We will work simultaneously on both sides of the cap, spreading out all the seams by 0.3 cm. Sew parts I and II along line 3-4.
We sew the dart on part III and, placing the processed end to point 4, sew along the line 2-4-5. Along line 5-6 we grind part IV to wedge III.
Sew the resulting two halves of the cap along the line 1-3-5-7. Unstitch the seam. Along the wrong side, sew the upper (leather) and lower (fabric) parts of the visor and turn them right side out so that a fabric edging is formed.
Sweep away the exposed internal parts of the visor. Place the finished visor with the leather part on the front side of the cap and stitch along the wrong side. Cut the lining according to the same patterns and sew in the same sequence. Place the finished lining on the cap face to face and stitch it along the edge with a 1 cm seam, leaving the hole above the visor unstitched. Turn the cap inside out through it and stitch to the edge, leaving a piping on the wrong side of the cap.
Sew up the hole under the visor on your hands. Close the intersection of all lines at the top of the cap with a leather button. If the cap is a little too big for you, pull it at the back of your head with a thick thread and secure it. All that remains is to carefully iron the cap. We will sew a cap from the remnants of the leather cut of the cap and bag belt, as well as from pieces of fabric.
How to sew a belt
The sequence of its sewing is shown in the figure. But here are some details. Place the prepared pieces of leather and fabric on a thick lining fabric, leaving an edging from it. Pin and then double stitch. Sew the same buckle as on the bag. It would be nice to trim the belt with metal fittings. However, it must match the color of the buckle. In the figure, the leather parts of the belt (size 5 x 19 cm) are indicated by the letter “a”, the parts made of suede (the wrong side of the leather) are indicated by “b”; the letter "c" indicates the parts of the belt made from cap fabric.
Light-colored boots are so beautiful, but unfortunately their lifespan is very short. Either you stumble on your toe somewhere, or I don’t even know where the scratch came from...
Here is an idea on how to update these boots and extend their life. The best thing about this makeover is that the boots can be worn, and not just indoors or on stage.
So we have light-colored boots that need updating.
First you need to thoroughly degrease the surface of our boots. For this we use alcohol. If you don't have it, you can use dishwashing detergent. This is practically the most important stage of our work. If you cheat at this stage, the painting will quickly fly off. Therefore, we are not lazy at the preparation stage.
It is clear that during wear the boots received abrasions and scratches, so we cover them entirely with a thin layer of paint. For paint, I advise you to take white acrylic silver and add literally half a teaspoon of bronze-colored acrylic paint to it. Mix the paint thoroughly and cover the entire surface of the boots with a thin layer. (Recommendation for paint color: it can be any, but it must be a little darker than the color of the boots, otherwise it will be difficult to paint over scuffs and scratches. You will have to apply a thicker layer of paint to these places, and this does not look nice). The paint on the boots should be applied in small strokes with a brush, in different directions.
Let the boot dry and admire the result.
Now let's start decorating. To do this, you can use a ready-made acrylic outline, but you can also use white acrylic silver that we already have. We place the paint in a bottle that has a nozzle with a thin tip. (You can use a tube of hair dye oxidizer).
Well, that’s it, now it all depends on your mood and desire.
The sole and heels also need updating. Carefully paint them with black acrylic paint.
Now we apply the decor. We do this with small touches using a bronze-painted washcloth.
The heels and soles need to be varnished. It is best to apply two coats, allowing drying time between coats. (Recommendations for choosing varnish: it is better to use acrylic parquet, it dries quickly and lasts well).
So all your favorite boots are back in action.
Get inspired by the idea and create! Good luck!!!
Thanks for the idea to Olga Tomas!
How to get leather from old boots? To do this, you need to properly “disassemble” them. First we evaporate the lightning. Then we cut off the frayed bottom, leaving only the boot. Next we tear off the lining. Now we have two useful materials at once: a piece of leather and a piece of fur. Besides, if the boots were good and expensive, then all this will be natural! As a rule, boots are not made from a single piece of leather, but from several. It is necessary to rip out the seams that sew them together. Don't even think about washing these pieces! They are impregnated with various chemical compounds, which, if washed off, will hopelessly damage your skin. The maximum that can be done is to wipe with a damp cloth without adding any detergents.
What is a piece of leather and fur from an old boot good for?
You can sew a leather coat with a fur collar for a Barbie doll.
You can use fur to make a covering for a paint roller, which you won’t mind immediately removing and throwing away after work.
You can make many beautiful and useful things from leather, from a case for keys to soles for slippers (in which, by the way, you can put insoles made from fur lining).
You can make leather jewelry if you know how to do it...
So don’t rush to throw away your boots in their original form. Old people you say? I am begging you! Archaeologists have found leather goods that are several thousand years old! And you say that last year’s boots are already old and are no good for anything! Yes, so many things can be done from their skin...
And throwing them away disassembled is much more interesting... 😉