Remaking Shoes - Part 2

Finding shoes that fit my feet is hard. I take at least a size 9, and I need a wide width. When I find a pair that I like and that fit well, I try to do everything I can to wear them until they can no longer be repaired.I bought this pair of platform sandals and wore them a couple of times. I loved them, but while walking into work one day, I noticed that the left shoe was rubbing my foot. On closer look, I discovered this: See how the brown plastic ring has broken off - I have no idea when this happened, but it made them very painful to wear.  When I limped home that evening, I took them off and realized that either I find the missing piece and try gluing it back on, or I'd have to remake them somehow. I could not wear them again that way. And so they sat for weeks. I was upset that they weren't wearable, and since I had worn them several times AND thrown away the receipt, I couldn't take them back. 

Finally, I decided to do something, anything, to be able to wear them again. 

I examined them and realized that the plastic ring was really just decoration. It was not needed to hold the pieces together. I could remove it with no effect on the shoes.

Taking out my trusty hammer and a scrap piece of wood, I removed the offending plastic ring. I will add that I tried using a pair of pliers to snap the ring first, but it would not break. I wouldn't even chip off. I have no idea why the ring broke in the first place, but I needed the hammer and several hard whacks to break them off. And now, the shoes look like this: And note that not all clothing remakes make use of sewing supplies. My tool of choice here was a hammer! And here is a detail of the left shoe: There is a hole through there that I can put something else - I've thought about wrapping a piece of ribbon and gluing it in place. 

Before you give up on a piece of clothing or an accessory, take a good look at it and see if it can be remade. It is exciting to put them back in your wardrobe when you thought they were ruined.