Making clothing isn't very difficult, just time consuming. You need a good pattern but you can make that yourself. When I've made things I've made the patterns myself based on the measurements of clothes I already have. Given cloth or leather I could make very acceptable clothes. Shoes are a little more difficult, but I could make sandals pretty easily. But then I do a fair amount of leather work and everything is pretty much just a combination of measuring, cutting and stitching.

There's no way I'd wear sandals made from old tires. I used to work at a recycling place which ground up old tires. The wires in the steel belts and beads are bad news for feet and if they're damaged in any way (like being cut into a sandal pattern) they'll eventually work their way out...possibly into ones feet.

Ever since I helped a guy who had a tire bead wire go through his rubber boot, then his foot, then the boot again to the hospital I've been super careful with cut up/damaged/shredded tires.

And his ammo. And knife. And, well, you get it. Like the tee shirt says, "if you die first, we're splitting up your gear"...

Actually if your plan was to take stuff from folks who don't need it any more it might be good to have some tailoring skills so that you can make the clothes fit better (or fit period) and repair any wear and tear so that they last as long as possible.

I think of this issue not in regards to TSHTF but related to being out in the bush for an extended period of time and having wardrobe problem. I carry a change of clothes but if something bad happens to one shirt or one pair of pants, I know I'd do a poor job of sewing together a repair...but I'd still try.

This isn't so hard to believe as I used to think it was. If I fall in a rocky area and shred a pair of pants, I have to switch to the spares. If I soak/shred/etc that pair too, I'm going to want to change especially if it's cold...the first pair could be unwearable unless I do something to fix them...not a job to undertake while hypothermia sets in. To leave them shredded I might as well leave them in the bush and save myself the weight. Either way it's in my best interest to repair those pants as best I can. Even a knee hole should be fixed right away as it could lead to further unrepairable damage. We don't carry reams of cloth and sewing machines do we?

Repairing clothes is a very valuable skill indeed.

To make new ones entirely? bit more to that one.

gives me some ideas for a new project next time I am in the field.

Making my own knives is one thing. Making a new uniform may get me a visit to the mental health nurse.

Thats a good, point, I doubt I'll ever need to make clothes even though I could. But I have needed to repair clothes. I don't carry reams of cloth or even patches with me in the field. But I do carry denim stuff sacks which could decompose pretty easily into patches. And unlike ready made patches they're big enough to cover the whole butt of my pants if I need something that big. Or I can cut one up and make several smaller patches.

Old tires make a decent shoe tread. We made some open toe'd zapatas out of cut up old bias ply ties and scrap leather thong. they weren't the most comfortable, but they were far superior to wearing nothing. Japanese wooden sandals are even more basic; just don't plan on going miles a day in them. Sabot are okay but they are a bit tough to mfr. It's usually done with special wood gouges that scoop out the insides to fit. Mocassins are okay, and I happen to have enough saddle leather to make decent soles, but the suede soled variety won't last any longer nor be any better than a good pair of socks.

Most shoes and clothing that you can easily make at a a home or primitive level will come from the middle ages. Here are a few pages to get you started.

SSRsi's Sewing & Tailoring Page
SSRsi's Shoe & Boot Making Page
Make Your own Tire Sandals
Shoe Making

Footwear of the Middle Ages

Making Mid 19th Century Shoes

A Beginner's Addendum to Making Shoes
Making Medieval Shoes
Shoe making
The making of medieval shoes according to methods from the turn of the 14th century

If I the zombie infestation had driven me out into the woods, I think my sewing skills would soon improve, from jsut wanting to keep things together and also because I would want something to do to keep my mind busy.

If you want to make clothes, several skills may be needed. One, you will need you cloth, whatever it is, and preparing that is going to take some doing. This could involve, spinning fibers into threads or yarns. It could involve tanning hides, weaving threads, knitting, and probably a number of other things.

However, if one had cloth, then that ratty pants that have passed surviving another day as anything so much as a loin cloth, may have one further use, as a pattern. Years ago, I wanted to make a ball that seemed to be made from fur. In order to make a pattern, I cut the cover off a baseball. I think I could get a pair of pants or a shirt apart and use it in the sme way.

I know that I can sew, ive made shirts without a patters and know how to make beanies and pants, and im currently working on a pair of all leather shoes