All About Barefoot Sandals

Behind the Scenes at Jewels by Jan

I just came back to my home office desk after putting lasagna in the oven.  If you’ve never made lasagna from scratch (made your own sauce, prepared the ricotta, mix the meatballs, brown them, cook them in the sauce, then slice them, brown the sausage and boil the noodles) my advice is to start a few days early.  The prep work takes time but you’re not done until you put it all together.  Like any time-consuming project, the reward is well worth the work.   It’s like making a pair of sandals from start to finish – a process that requires an investment of time and a passion for producing your best work.

Of course it all starts with the order. Each order is a custom order based on the customer’s shoe size.   The first thing I do is pull out my women’s foot sizing chart to see how long to cut the length of Stretch Magic.   The chart is pretty handy because it shows how many inches each shoe size measures from heel to toe. Next I assemble all my parts. (I keep my beads in clear, 8-compartment plastic cases.  Each case is labeled with the  name of the design and everything I need to make that design is inside that case).  I use a handy bead mat to construct the sandals  on-it’s soft and cushy and the beads stay where you put them.

Before I actually start, I make sure I have all the parts I need and then lay them out in little piles. Since we make our sandals using tiny seed beads for the “behind the toe” portion, I add those to the cord first.  (You’d better have good eyes for this part – it’s a lot like threading a needle.)  Looking at the image of the design I’m making I follow the pattern using the parts on my mat.   Some designs take an hour, some two but the finished product is a satisfying accomplishment.  The sparkle and twinkle of those crystals make me forget that I just spent a long time stringing beads.

We receive  rush orders frequently.  In most cases, the bride has just found our site,  found a pair that she loves and HAS to have them within a day.  If it’s humanly possible – I’ll stop what I’m doing, make them and rush to Fed Ex or UPS.  I was a bride just 3 years ago so I know how important the little details are.  Making a bride happy is just what we do.

By the way, the lasagna turned out very well – maybe my best yet!

JAN