There are a couple of things that you should know about me when it comes to fashion.
For the most part, I prefer simple classic looks, and I hate spending a lot of money on clothes.
My husband may disagree, but he often clumps fabric and clothes shopping together, so… 馃槈
Enter…these shoes.
I found them on the clearance rack just in time for ALT so I snatched them up. They worked fine for bouncing around to parties at a blogging conference but they have since felt a little too loud and hard to style with my everyday wardrobe. Not that I don’t like red. I have a pair of red flats that I adore, but the red plus the height = too much for me…so, I felt it was time for a make over!
I considered all the options: spray paint, fabric, paper, even gold leafing and finally went with mod podge and fabric.
I won’t share a tutorial because these two are fabulous: Love Maegan and Make It and Love It.
But I’ll share some tips and my take on the whole process.
#1 This is deceivingly a super time consuming project.
The next time you say to yourself, I should cover those shoes with fabric. It will totally be a quick project…slap yourself. This project is tedious and long. It’s not totally painful, but it did take me a full nap time and an entire evening. That could have a little to do with my fabric choices, which I explain in tip #4, and the fact that I am a perfectionist.
I am not saying this to discourage you! Just make sure you are realistic about the time it takes going into it so you don’t end up frustrated. Also, the first shoe takes longer than the second shoe. So, once that first one is done, you are more than halfway done. 馃檪
#2 Never too much mod podge. Make sure you have plenty of it when you begin because you will likely use more than you thought would need.
I used outdoor mod podge which I felt worked really well. Some parts of the shoes ended up darker than others though. I think I applied it too thickly in those areas?
#3 Consider using your rotary cutter and exacto knife.
If you have a small rotary cutter, even better. It helped me get nice precise cuts. The exacto knife was not as handy as the rotary cutter, but it did help better than just using scissors. I used the blade to help me tuck the edges of the fabric into the folds of the shoe.
#4 Consider your fabric carefully.
I used this thick, gray, stretchy fabric (source unknown – from the $1 Walmart bolts) for the main shoe, so I have some puckering that was harder to get rid of. The fabric also did not curve into the inside as cleanly as I would have liked. It frayed as you can see. The fabric I used on the heel was a quilter’s cotton and was MUCH easier to apply. If were to do this again, I would use quilter’s cotton.
Other Notes:
– I did not clip the fabric before turning it under into the inside (see the tutorials I have already linked to if this is confusing). Most fabrics have at least some stretch to them, use that stretch instead of cutting it if you can. Just to make sure I am not being confusing…When I say that it didn’t curve into the inside cleanly, I am only referring to the fraying.
– Because of the thicker fabric that I used, I also did not fold the heel fabric to get a cleaner seam. Again…using a thinner woven cotton would be better for this project so you can get a cleaner finish to your shoes.
– I didn’t include the ribbon that Love Maegan used on her shoes. I tried tucking the fabric into the fold of the shoe with the exacto knife instead and I think that actually turned out really well. I used the blade to grab the edge and then I firmly pushed it into the seam of the shoe while the mod podge was still wet.
Even though this project took a while, it was fun choosing my own fabrics to get a look I couldn’t buy.
Which… I should have been more careful with because… I don’t have a lot of dresses or skirts that these heels go with right now. Doh! Wasn’t that the point? It’s okay…you can laugh at me. 馃檪 Oh well, I’ll just have to get sewing. 馃槈 And now, at least the shoes are more “me.”
The heels go well with jeans for now. Not really everyday wear with kids, but totally appropriate for a date.聽
Now, for my thoughts on how the shoes actually wear:
My husband asked if they were uncomfortable or scratchy because I mod podged the edges over into the inside. Honest answer: No. That could depend on the shoe though. These were not super tight at the heel or the toes before, which I think helps a lot.
Do they get dirty? Not really, but I mod podged the entire surface of the fabric with a generous layer of mod podge. This darkened the color of the shoe a bit, but has been great for keeping it clean…er. It’s still a shoe after all.
Sources:
Jeans – Forever 21 |聽Blazer – H&M 聽|聽Gray Tee- Old Navy | Necklace – DIY tutorial found HERE聽| Gray fabric – Walmart Clearance | Cross Stitch Aztec Print – JoAnn (old stock, I have been unable to find more, or I would have likely covered the whole shoe in it)
I adore these Delia! I love your choice of fabric, even if it did pucker a bit. I might need to try this!!!
Thank you Jess! 馃檪
Delia this is awesome !!! I saw bottles of Mod Podge at a Dollar Tree here in Dallas so guess where I’m going today. I have about 20 pairs of shoes that need a makeover due to me just tossing them in the closet and whatever the coating is has peeled and chipped off. Thanks for sharing this idea
Oh sweet! Nice mod podge find. Have fun with it!
Wow, these loook amazing!
Thanks Penelope!
They look awesome, cool way to make oddly colored clearance shoes work!
Thanks Janet!
When your post came through my feed, it did not show any text. I actually thought. “Wow, Delia! Great idea! Just let the pictures do the talking! No need to fuss with writing the post if you include enough pictures of the process!” And later when I came back to pin it, I was able to see the full post. Which is great by the way!
Your shoes look great! I think they look better than before!
haha…that’s not too bad of an idea. 馃檪 Thank you Dora!
I die! these are amazing Delia!!
Thanks so much Charissa. 馃檪
So cool! Not only are they unique, but so beautiful!
Thanks Jenilyn!
It looks great 馃榾
Daniela
http://curlymade.blogspot.pt/
Thank you Daniela! Your site is lovely!
Those look great! I’ve never covered a pair of shoes in fabric, but I have painted a pair and I was a bit surprised at how long it took. =) If I find a pair of shoes in a shape I like but a color I won’t wear often, I know what to do with them. =)
I know! Not a quick project, but rewarding in the end. 馃檪
Soy una fans del rojo y adoro los zapatos en rojo, pero me encanta la alternativa que has escogido. Se ven increibles y para nada invasivos !!!
Besos
Thank you Sandra!
I have thought about doing something like this. Your finished shoes look lovely. Have you gotten caught in the rain in them yet. I was wondering if the mod podge got tacky when wet? And if so, does it dry clear again? Thanks!
I haven’t yet, but I am hoping the outdoor mod podge helps? I hope! 馃檪
They are awesome!
Thanks!
I would never think of recovering shoes, and these look fabulous! I think they’d even look good with a simple black dress, since you said you don’t have much they go with. Time to go shopping, I guess. 馃檪
True! I do have a navy dress that I haven’t worn in a while. That should work. Thank you for reminding me of that!
I would not have thought of this either! Such a great idea, thank you for the tips too. The shoes look amazing!
These are stunning! Great job on making them work for you better! I do this all the time, think, “This new this is so ME” and then look through my closet and realize that I have nothing to go with it. 馃檪 Oh well. At least you know that they look great with this outfit!!
I saw a tutorial on a local TV show about 30 years ago that showed how to cover shoes with fabric. She started with a rectangle of fabric the length and width of the shoe. Fold one end of the rectangle and make a seam on the end. Turn right side out and line the seam with the center back of shoe. This eliminates the folding on the back of the shoe. Looks really neat. The open end of the rectangle will lay nicely over the toe. Slice open the middle of the piece of fabric and trim to fit. Glue fabric to the shoe.
Genius! I mean absolutely genius. How many times have I passed up a pair of shoes because I thought I had nothing to wear with them. What a great idea!
Such a great idea! I LOVE the way they turned out! CUTE CUTE CUTE! I definitely need to choose an old pair of heels to fix up!
These are really great tips that even a layman and a beginner could easily understand. Thumbs up.. I like!
Wow I love these shoes! Definitely a project I’ll have to try sometime. It’s such a great idea for clearance rack shoes, or to up-cycle old ones too. I love the uniqueness of the shoes. Super cute! Thanks for sharing!
Hi! Nextime can you do a videotutorial the fabric covered shoes? I’m having troubles on cover with fabric my old ballerina flats
Sorry about that! It is a long and tedious process and definitely gives different results depending on the shoe and the fabric.
Hi,
I do mine with a layer of diamond glaze at the end. So they resist a little shower.
For not fraying, you can use FRAY CHECK or you cut at the outer line and add some nice trim .
It is even more fun to do patchwork and embellishing f.e. on boots!
Have fun!
Iris
Love this idea. I used rather thin fabric and the mod-pod he left it permanently too dark after it was dry. Any suggestions?
If I were you and I really didn’t like the end result, I would peel it off and start over. The peeling process will be a lot of work, but I think it’s possible. I hope you get it to how you want it. Best of luck!
This is SUCH a cute DIY! I just featured it along with a few other creative ideas in a post over on my blog. Thank you so much for coming up with it!
http://www.lipstainandlegos.com/22-shoe-refashions-for-2017/
Thank you so much Lisa!