I don't have pictures of the progress (sorry!) but the whole thing only took a couple steps:
Supplies:
shoes, appliqués, good scissors, lighter, fabric glue, needle and matching thread
1) I took a while to play with the lace a few ways and see which way it looked best on my shoes. You want to be very sure of how you are going to lay the lace on your shoes before you make any cuts.
2) I made the cuts to my appliqués according to what would fit on the shoe. Cut off any extra flowers or patterns very carefully. In order to stop unraveling of the pattern I used a lighter to burn the lose threads. You have to be very careful with this part. Hold the lighter about a 1/2 inch away from the thread. This should be enough to make it melt slowly as opposed to lighting it on fire, you do not want the flame to make direct contact with the thread.
If you do end up burning a piece (I know I did) you can use your scissors to trim the burnt piece. Use the same lighter method to seal off the lose threads caused by trimming.
3) I cut off the excess mesh from the pattern and used the lighter (again very slowly) to melt the excess so you couldn't see the mesh around the outside.
4) I used "API's crafters pick fabric glue" to glue the applique onto my shoes. I spread a little glue on the pattern and spread it with a small foam brush. It was a little thick, but this glue is permanent, flexible, and dries clear. It will make your fabric look wet if you get any excess on there, so less is more in the beginning. I let it dry for a few hours then went back and glued down random places that weren't sitting right.
5) Optional step. I went back with a needle and thread and secured the lace on the outer edges. Simple stitch held them in place and made sure the applique wouldn't budge. The matching thread won’t be visible and will fade into the lace pattern, but it gives the shoe much more security.
The whole project only took a couple hours, and I really like that they're still casual enough for me to wear after the wedding.
The only lace shoes I could find were over $200 on Etst (ep!). I did these myself for roughly $40. It was much easier than I expected too :)
posted by angelapicklebottom 1 year agoSuper cute! You did a fabulous job. I might have to make some of these for myself juts to pair with cute summer dresses. Can you post how you did it?
posted by MsBrownie 1 year agoWhere did you find your appliques for the shoes?
You did a great job!!
posted by weddingbound 1 year agoI bought the appliques on amazon from this seller:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A2JEANNCTJKXCZ
I don't have pictures of the progress (sorry!) but the whole thing only took a couple steps:
Supplies:
shoes, appliqués, good scissors, lighter, fabric glue, needle and matching thread
1) I took a while to play with the lace a few ways and see which way it looked best on my shoes. You want to be very sure of how you are going to lay the lace on your shoes before you make any cuts.
2) I made the cuts to my appliqués according to what would fit on the shoe. Cut off any extra flowers or patterns very carefully. In order to stop unraveling of the pattern I used a lighter to burn the lose threads. You have to be very careful with this part. Hold the lighter about a 1/2 inch away from the thread. This should be enough to make it melt slowly as opposed to lighting it on fire, you do not want the flame to make direct contact with the thread.
If you do end up burning a piece (I know I did) you can use your scissors to trim the burnt piece. Use the same lighter method to seal off the lose threads caused by trimming.
3) I cut off the excess mesh from the pattern and used the lighter (again very slowly) to melt the excess so you couldn't see the mesh around the outside.
4) I used "API's crafters pick fabric glue" to glue the applique onto my shoes. I spread a little glue on the pattern and spread it with a small foam brush. It was a little thick, but this glue is permanent, flexible, and dries clear. It will make your fabric look wet if you get any excess on there, so less is more in the beginning. I let it dry for a few hours then went back and glued down random places that weren't sitting right.
5) Optional step. I went back with a needle and thread and secured the lace on the outer edges. Simple stitch held them in place and made sure the applique wouldn't budge. The matching thread won’t be visible and will fade into the lace pattern, but it gives the shoe much more security.
The whole project only took a couple hours, and I really like that they're still casual enough for me to wear after the wedding.
posted by angelapicklebottom 1 year agoWOW thanks for the detailed process!
posted by weddingbound 1 year ago