making my own tennis shoes


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Old 08-04-10, 08:54 PM
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making my own tennis shoes

hello, i was wondering if anybody can help me on a project; i want to make my own tennis shoes, so far i've already found who can sell me some parts of the shoe, all i need is someone who can sell me the upper part of the shoe, the fabric that i have to sew to the sole, also i need tips on sewing, if anyone can recommend a good book or a tutorial that will be great!!
 
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Old 08-05-10, 04:15 AM
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Wow, that's quite a project. Shoes are a rather complex assembly and a proper tennis shoe is one of the most complex. I hope this is not your first sewing project. I've made my own heavy duty cell phone cases and turning it inside out when I'm finished sewing is probably the most difficult part.

You asked about who will sell you the upper of a shoe? Good luck but I doubt you will find just uppers. You can find leather at some fabric/sewing supplier or look online. Many of the fabrics and pieces like eye loops used in tennis shoes are proprietary and made by the manufacturer so they may be unavailable to you unless you take a vacation to Malaysia.

As for sewing tips I'd start with the machine. Do you have access to the required heavy duty machines? You will be sewing through several layers of thick fabric and/or leather and working in very tight locations which require some specialized sewing machines. Years ago I bought a used Union Special machine from a local parachute manufacturer. I changed the pulleys to slow it down a bit and so far I've not sewn my fingers together Try searching the archives of TV shows like "How It's Made" for episodes where they show shoes being made. A picture may be worth a thousand words.
 
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Old 08-05-10, 09:18 AM
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Well, the Singer books on sewing are the best, but I don't think there's any book that will tell you how to sew shoes. That would be way too involved! You'd probably need a course on shoemaking.
You'd also need at the very least, an industrial walking foot machine. There are also industrial's specifically made for the shoe industry. There's no way you'd be able to do this with a home machine.
Good luck!
 
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Old 08-06-10, 10:12 AM
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If you need tips on sewing, this doesn't sound like a good first project
 
 

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