So I decided to tackle this alligator tennis shoes project last Tuesday after watching some wildlife documentary. Figured it’d be cool to repurpose materials responsibly. Here’s exactly how it went down step by step.
Getting Started
First off, I drove to this old leather supplier downtown where I’d heard they might have scraps. The guy looked at me funny when I asked for alligator hide. Took three different stops until I found this sketchy basement shop with a whole roll of ethically sourced alligator leather – cost me nearly double what I expected.
The Messy Part
Cutting that tough leather was nuts. My fabric scissors just bounced right off! Had to borrow industrial shears from my neighbor who does upholstery. Then came the real struggle:
- Pattern disaster: My first paper template completely ripped when tracing
- Glue everywhere: Used too much adhesive and it bled through stitches
- Sole fiasco: Bought cheap rubber bases that kept separating
Almost quit when I sliced my thumb open handling the scales. Wrapped it in duct tape and kept going – commitment issues I guess.
Putting It Together
Finally figured out the trick: soak the leather overnight before stitching. Used my grandma’s heavy-duty sewing machine that weighs like a cannonball. Punched holes with an awl and did triple stitching on stress points. The smell of wet alligator mixed with rubber cement was… special.
Final Result
Took five full days of cursing and band-aids. The finished shoes look like something a swamp cowboy would wear – bulky but kinda badass. Comfort? Zero. But when I wore them to the grocery store, some teen actually stopped me to ask where I got ’em. Might try crocodile next time if my hands recover.
Biggest lessons? Real leather doesn’t forgive mistakes, and good bandages are worth their weight in gold when you’re playing amateur cobbler.