Heart and sole! How to sew your own sneakers with Sneaker Stitch

You’ve sewn the dress. The jacket. The trousers. Maybe even the bag. But when it comes time to head out the door, chances are you’re still reaching for the same old sneakers. Leesa thinks your shoes deserve a little more imagination. After all, if you’ve already made the outfit, why stop at the ankles?

Through Sneaker Stitch, the Brisbane maker and sewing educator has helped thousands of people discover that creating their own comfortable, custom sneakers is far more achievable (and fun!) than it sounds. Her premium sewist-friendly kits, step-by-step tutorials and welcoming online Makers Club open up a world of shoemaking possibilities. Not always something we always think of as doable! But hey, it really is the next natural step in a handmade wardrobe.

We caught up with Leesa to find out why making your own shoes puts you a step ahead.

After running a sewing studio in Brisbane for over eight years, and teaching thousands of children and adults how to sew, I suddenly found myself at a bit of a crossroads. The little studio I’d been working from was being sold, and with nowhere else to go, I decided it might just be time to take on a new challenge.

Then one day, these incredible handmade shoes popped into my inbox from an overseas creator, and I was instantly in love. They combined three of my favourite things: sewing, beautiful fabric and shoes. Add flowers into the mix and you’ve pretty much got all my favourite things!

I started researching and very quickly discovered this amazing product called Sneaker Kit, created by Dutch designer Roderick Peters. That discovery started a whole new journey for me, eventually leading to becoming the Australian distributor for a product I genuinely believe belongs in the sewing world.

Once I started doing a deep dive into the world of sneaker-making, I realised this was something sewists could absolutely do with just a little experience with both machine and hand sewing..

Putting together that first pair was such a buzz, but the real turning point came when I ran a big test group with a whole bunch of sewing friends. Watching everyone create their own sneakers, choose their fabrics and then actually put them on their feet was amazing.

There’s something so joyful about making something that looks fabulous but is also genuinely useful, something you can wear every day and proudly say, “I made these!” Seeing that excitement in other makers was when I knew this was something the sewing community was going to love.

There’s something so joyful about making something that looks fabulous but is also genuinely useful, something you can wear every day and proudly say, ‘I made these’

Our Maker’s Kit includes all the specialised tools and components you need to turn your fabric into a pair of sneakers. You bring the fabric and your sewing machine, and we provide the sneaker-making bits!

Each kit includes our comprehensive 25-page Maker’s Guide and all the required patterns, plus a tool kit with our special sewing awl and hole punches. You’ll also receive your sneaker soles, fusible foam, a fray-stop pen, grommets, shoelaces and thread in your choice of colour. Our soles come in three colours: white, black and natural gum, with sizes ranging from EU 36 (around an Australian women’s 6) right through to EU 47 (around an Australian men’s 14).

And yes, beginners can absolutely give it a go! You don’t need to be an expert sewist, but some basic sewing skills and confidence using a sewing machine will definitely help. We’ve put a lot of time into making sure our kits include the right tools and a really comprehensive step-by-step guide. There’s also plenty of support available through our Makers Club on Facebook, so you can ask questions, share your progress and learn from other makers. If you’re more of a visual learner, we have some fantastic videos available online, created by us and our overseas partners, that walk you through some of the more intricate parts of sneaker making. So I’d say, don’t be intimidated. Give it a go! You might be surprised by just how achievable it is.

One of my favourite descriptions from our makers is that they feel like ‘little clouds on your feet!’

I completely understand why people might be hesitant, because you don’t necessarily expect a pair of handmade sneakers to be as comfortable as the shoes you’re used to buying. But honestly, one of my favourite descriptions from our makers is that they feel like “little clouds on your feet!” They’re soft, flexible and really easy to wear, and we’ve had wonderful feedback from people with wider feet too. Many of our makers also find they don’t have those uncomfortable rubbing or friction points around areas like bunions or little toes.

Another great feature is that the insole is removable, so if you wear your own orthotics, you can simply take the existing insole out and replace it with your own. And just like making your own clothes, making your own sneakers gives you the opportunity to make small adjustments to suit your individual needs. For example, we have a wider tongue adjustment if you need a little more room across the top of the foot, and if you have two different-sized feet, we can even help with two different-sized soles. One of our makers has adapted a pair for her daughter to accommodate a foot brace, which was wonderful to see. You can also add an extra layer of foam if you’d like a little more padding, while keeping the shape where the upper joins the sole unchanged.

But I think one of the biggest advantages is simply being able to create a shoe that is completely your own. You can play with fabrics, colours and different finishing techniques like piping or binding. You can embroider them, feature a favourite textile or incorporate another craft you love.
Of course, everyone’s feet are different, so I always say there’s really only one way to find out: make a pair, pop them on and try them for yourself!

My biggest tip is to make something that feels completely you. Choose your fabric carefully, have fun with the design, and give yourself a little time before you start to read through the instructions properly.

Like any sewing project, it’s so much easier when you understand the whole process rather than just working through it one step at a time without seeing the bigger picture. And when you get to something new, like sewing into the sole, slow down. Stop, have a look, think about what you’re doing and don’t rush it. The first time always feels a little unfamiliar, but before long it starts to make sense.

I think making also gives you a greater appreciation for the things you wear. They become more personal and meaningful because you know exactly what went into creating them.

Sustainability is something we’re continuing to think about and learn from as Sneaker Stitch grows. I wouldn’t want to claim that everything we do is perfectly sustainable, but we do try to make thoughtful choices wherever we can.

One of the things I love about making your own sneakers is that you don’t need a huge amount of fabric, so it’s a wonderful opportunity to dive into your existing stash, use leftover pieces from another project or give an upcycled fabric a completely new life. Our soles can also be reused. If your sneakers have reached the end of their life, or you simply fancy a change, you can unpick the fabric upper from the sole and create something new with it rather than starting again with a whole new pair.

We’ve also chosen to package our kits in reusable shoe bags made from recycled fabric. They’re designed to become part of the product rather than packaging that gets thrown away, and they’re perfect for storing your sneakers or taking them with you when you travel. I think making also gives you a greater appreciation for the things you wear. They become more personal and meaningful because you know exactly what went into creating them.

Community is a really big deal to us. Since starting Sneaker Stitch, we’ve been proud to support events such as Frocktails and QuiltNSW, and to introduce more makers to the joy of creating their own sneakers.

Our Facebook Makers Club is a free community that anyone making our sneakers can join, and it’s honestly one of my favourite parts of what we’ve created. What I love most is that it’s not just about us providing support. If I’m not there to answer a question, often another maker will jump in with a solution, an idea or some encouragement. They help each other troubleshoot, choose fabrics and work through those little moments when trying something new can feel a bit challenging.

I absolutely love seeing a finished pair pop up in the group and then being able to share those creations with the wider Sneaker Stitch family on social media. One person’s fabulous idea often sparks something completely different for another maker, and that sense of sharing and inspiring each other is exactly the kind of community we want Sneaker Stitch to foster.

Turning one feels both a little scary and incredibly exciting! It’s amazing to look back at how much has happened in our first official year, and I really wanted to celebrate the milestone by sharing the creativity of some of the wonderful makers and designers we’ve connected with along the way.
That’s really where our first Makers Collaboration project was born. The idea is to work with Australian makers, artists and designers and give them the opportunity to interpret our sneakers in their own completely unique and creative way.

We’ve already been incredibly lucky to work with Wonderland Co and Cloth Cuts, as well as Queensland-based fabric designer Denise Burkitt, who works with FreeSpirit Fabrics. We’ve also created some beautiful shoes with Jo, an Indigenous textile designer, and we have an exciting collaboration with quilt designer Sarah Fielke that we’ll be able to share more about very soon. And this is only the beginning. We have around eight more collaborations in the works, with some incredibly talented creatives bringing their own style, fabrics and ideas to Sneaker Stitch.

One person’s fabulous idea often sparks something completely different for another maker, and that sense of sharing and inspiring each other is exactly the kind of community we want Sneaker Stitch to foster.

One of my favourite stories actually comes from a lovely customer we first met at a craft show. Last Christmas, she decided to make every one of her grandchildren their own pair of sneakers as Christmas presents. She chose their soles and then created each pair completely differently to reflect their individual personalities. Her grandchildren ranged in age from around 12 to 26, so every pair was unique to the person receiving them.

That just filled my heart with joy. There’s something so special about receiving a gift that someone has not only made by hand, but has thought about every step of the way: the colours, the fabrics and what that particular person would love. I’ve been lucky enough to meet her several times since, and she’s become one of my favourite makers.

We’re definitely not going anywhere! We’re incredibly proud to be the Australian distributor for Sneaker Kit, and as we head towards 2027, it feels like we’re really only just getting started. We’re also getting ready to launch leather options very soon, which opens up even more possibilities.

For me, the future is about getting out there and spending even more time with the making community. We have some wonderful workshops and retreats coming up, we’ll continue travelling to some of the fantastic craft and sewing shows around the country, and we’re looking forward to working with more sewing shops and stores so they can introduce sneaker making to their own communities. Ultimately, wherever makers are gathering, creating and sharing ideas, that’s where I’d love Sneaker Stitch to be.