Alright, let me tell you about this little project I did the other weekend. Had this old yoga mat just sitting in the corner, collecting dust. Bright blue thing, used it maybe twice. Anyway, I needed some new flip flops for just bumming around the yard, and thought, why not try making some outta that mat? Seemed like a decent idea, you know, reuse stuff.
Getting Started
First thing, I grabbed the mat. Then I hunted down some stuff I thought I’d need:
- A good sharp pair of scissors (turns out my kitchen ones weren’t quite up to it).
- A marker pen, like a Sharpie.
- An old pair of flip flops that fit well, for a template. The straps were broken on ’em anyway.
- Some strong glue. Found some contact cement in the garage, hoped that would do the trick.
That was pretty much it for materials. Kept it simple.
Making the Things
So, I laid the yoga mat flat on the floor. Took one of my old flip flops and placed it on top. Carefully traced around it with the marker. Did that twice, obviously, one for each foot. Gotta make sure you flip the template for the other foot, learned that the hard way once on another project!
Cutting them out was next. This yoga mat foam was thicker than I expected. My first pair of scissors just kinda chewed at it. Had to dig out my heavy-duty workshop shears. Even then, it took some effort to get clean lines. Wasn’t perfect, edges were a bit jaggedy, but good enough for yard shoes.
Now for the tricky part – the straps. I salvaged the plastic V-shaped straps, the ‘thongs’, from the old broken pair I used as a template. Cleaned ’em up a bit.
Figuring out where the holes go was easy, just copied the old flip flop sole I traced. Making the holes? I tried punching through with the scissors, made a mess. Ended up using a drill bit, just twisting it by hand carefully to make the little slits for the strap anchors to push through. Pushed the little anchor bits on the bottom of the straps through the holes from the top side. They popped through the bottom okay.
Then came the glue. This contact cement stuff is sticky. Put some on the bottom of the sole where the strap anchors poked through, just to keep them from pulling out easy. Put a bit around the top where the strap entered the foam too. Let me tell you, it got a bit messy, had to wipe off the excess quick. Left them outside on some newspaper to dry properly, didn’t want those fumes in the house.
The Result?
After letting them sit for a good few hours, I went and checked. Glue seemed dry. Slipped them on. Hey, not bad! Surprisingly comfy, actually. That yoga mat foam has some nice cushion. They look a bit rough, definitely homemade, you can see the marker lines faintly and the cuts aren’t factory perfect. But who cares? They’re for kicking around the garden and taking the bins out.
They work. Job done. Felt pretty good making something useful out of that old mat instead of just throwing it out. Might even make another pair if these wear out.
