2019  Winter Playday at Softstar Workshop

2019 Winter Playday at Softstar Workshop

It's that time of year again... and no, I'm not talking about cleaning that scary drawer in the staff fridge. It's time to PLAY!

Twice a year, we set aside most of one workday to turn off the shoe production and turn on our ingenuity. The entire staff of Softstar shoes is encouraged to work on any creative project of their choosing. We are allowed to use the tools and scrap materials in the shop to make anything we want, or to reorganize a messy workspace or improve a broken system. Most of our elves choose the first option.

The purpose of our playdays is to improve creative thinking, learn new skills, boost morale and occasionally find a new product to make and sell. Overall, however, the number one goal is to have FUN!

Our first playday of 2019 was a huge success, and the first for many new elves on our crew. We were thoroughly impressed with all of the clever creations that were presented at the end of the day and we'd like to share them with you.

Keep in mind that these were fun prototypes and not products that are available for sale from Softstar... yet. Let us know which ones are your favorites!

If you like these, then check out our complete gallery of every playday project our staff has made over the years.


hava-moster-shoe-1

Elf Hava impressed us all with her monster sandal!


hava-moster-shoe-2

More views of Hava's monster sandal.


lauren-earrings

Elf Lauren made earrings out of leather scraps.


molly-synthetic-dash

Elf Molly experimented with a Dash RunAmoc made from vegan materials.


Elf Tsevle made fun new motifs from our existing die patterns (the spirals are made from our moon motifs).


tsevle-bag

Tsevle also made a leather bag with a bunny motif.


tory-sandals

Elf Tory experimented with new sandal designs.


sarah-tassels

Elf Sarah used leather scraps to make tassels.


crystal-vest

Elf Crystal made a Roman-inspired dog vest.


crystal-vest-2

Elf Crystal's dog Ptera poses in her handmade vest.


crystal-leather-accessories

Elf Crystal also used leather scraps to make mousepads and coasters for our shop.


crystal-trays

Elf Crystal also made trays from leather scraps.


martin-shoe-clips

Elf Martin made a variety of removable leather shoe clips for our Ballerine flats.


martin-motifs-2

Elf Martin also experimented with removable motifs for RunAmocs.


lindsay-sandal-motifs

Elf Lindsey created new motifs for Soltice sandals (and learned that polka dots are a nightmare to sew).


ali-neck-pillow

Elf Ali made her first stuffed project: a leather neck pillow stuffed with sheepskin.


ali-pouch

Elf Ali also made a pouch out of shiny leather scraps.


taylor-mask-0

A longtime Nacho Libra fan, Taylor made his first leather wrestling mask.


taylor-mask

Well, we had to show you what the mask looked like on Taylor, right?


taylor-hurache

Elf Taylor also experimented with a huarache-style sandal.


keita-roman

Elf Keita made a Roman sandal.


keita-purse

Elf Keita also made a waxed leather purse with fringe.


katie-shark-motif

Elf Katie designed a shark motif. She had this in mind for a customer with a special needs child who likes sharks on his clothes.


emily-galloshes

Elf Emily reused an innertube from the tire place next door to our workshop to make galoshes big enough for minimalist shoes.


elizabeth-rubber-moccasin

Elizabeth used the leftovers of Emily's innertube to experiment with moccasins made with rubber soles.


elizabeth-earmuffs

Elf Elizabeth also made a pair of earmuffs (perhaps inspired by Princess Leia?)


elizabeth-basket

Elf Elizabeth also set up a basket for customers to deposit their used bicycle innertubes for reuse on our Primal RunAmocs.


tolaria-uppers

Elf Tolaria worked on vamps for her first shoe design!


ken-knee-lift

Elf Ken used sheepskin scraps to make a padded knee lift. This tool is used by our seamsters to operate sewing machines with their knees, and the padding helps prevent pain after long periods of use.


levi-loafer-2

Elf Levi also worked on his first shoe design by making a loafer!


rob-rabbit

Elf Rob also experimented with his first stuffed leather toy and made... a skinny 2-legged rabbit that may scare small children.


rob-tree

Elf Rob also used leather scraps to make a decorative tree.

12 Comments

  1. Alexis
    I love the waxed leather purse!!!
    Reply
  2. Connie J Kenning
    Connie J Kenning
    I want galoshes!
    Reply
  3. Riley
    I don't think the bunny is scary at all. My kids liked it, they thought it was like a hornless jack-a-lope, but like a deer with the head of a bunny. It's very cute! The shark is awesome. That purse, though!
    Reply
  4. Soco
    Go ahead with the huarache style sandal! My husband wants a pair!!
    Reply
  5. Jill
    I love the clip on bows for the ballerines. I would totally purchase something like that!
    Reply
  6. Stephanie
    How much fun! Love it all, especially the fringe purse.
    Reply
  7. Lorelei
    Big fan of scary bunny and Vader flats.
    Reply
  8. Suzanne
    What a wonderful idea to have playdays! I love Hava’s monster sandal, Lindsay’s new sandal motifs, Martin’s ballerina clips and shoe tie motifs. The waxed fringe purse is so cute. Lots of great ideas here—but, then SoftStar Shoes has very talented and creative people!
    Reply
  9. Lisa T.
    Make more things with sharks! Our boy loves sharks;)
    Changeable style moccasins are so cute!
    Reply
  10. Emily
    LOVE the solstice sandals with the moon phases--I would definitely buy a pair if they were available!
    Reply
  11. Christine
    Loving the Roman Sandal!!!
    Reply
  12. Erica Gott
    There are some cool innovations there. I see some ideas worth pursuing for future sales. I especially like the idea of galoshes for mocs, and the shark motif is so cute, I want it on something, too. The jackalope 2-legged bunny is great and would make a great dog or cat toy. Something else for the charity side?
    Reply

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