Okay, so I’ve been wanting to try customizing some shoes for a while, and I finally took the plunge. I had this old pair of white tennis shoes, you know, the basic kind, and some leftover denim scraps from a jeans-hemming project. I figured, why not combine them? Here’s how it went down.
Gathering My Supplies
First, I needed to get everything together. This is what I rounded up:
- The Shoes: Plain white, canvas tennis shoes.
- Denim: Scraps from old jeans. Different shades are good for variety!
- Scissors: Gotta cut that denim.
- Fabric Glue: This is key, I choose the strongest one.
- Paintbrush: to help spread the glue evenly.
- Optional: Some studs, patches, or other decorations.
Prepping the Shoes and Denim
I cleaned the shoes first with a damp cloth to make sure there wasn’t any dust or dirt. Then, I started cutting the denim into different shapes and sizes. Some strips, some squares, some raggedy-edged pieces – just playing around with it, you know? I didn’t want it to look too perfect.
The Gluing Process
This was the messy part! I started by applying a thin layer of fabric glue to the back of a denim piece, and then carefully pressed it onto the shoe. I used the paintbrush to smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles. Then I just kept going, overlapping pieces, adding different shades of denim, until I liked the look. It’s really about eyeballing it and seeing what feels right.
Adding Some Extras(Optional)
Once the glue was mostly dry, I decided to add a few little studs around the heel for a bit of extra flair. I just pushed them through the denim and canvas – easy peasy. You could totally add patches, or even paint on the denim, whatever you’re into.
Letting It Dry
This is the hardest part – waiting! I left the shoes to dry overnight, making sure nothing was touching the glued areas. It’s super important to let the glue cure completely, otherwise, the denim might start peeling off.
The Final Result
The next day, I checked the shoes. Success! The denim was stuck on tight, and the shoes looked totally transformed. They went from plain and boring to something unique and, dare I say, pretty cool. I wore them out, and they are really comfortable, I love them!
It was a fun, super easy weekend project. If you’ve got some old shoes and fabric lying around, I definitely recommend giving it a try!.
