At the North Texas Christmas campout, Ol’ Fashioned Christmas, we had a craft one afternoon that was a big hit with the attendees. And, once pictures were posted on Facebook after the event, a bunch of other Girl Campers fell in love with the project and wanted to know how to make their own. So here you go! Have fun decorating!
The supplies
To start, buy a pair of canvas shoes or look in your closet and see if you have any shoes you can revamp! Slip on shoes are great, because you don’t have to worry about covering the canvas around the shoelace holes, but that is still doable in a couple of different ways.
Next, decide on the look you want. Do you want to use scraps of fabric you already have? Do you want to do a certain holiday or theme? Or maybe you have favorite colors you want to do? A couple of coordinating fabrics are a great option, usually about a ¼ of a yard is all that is needed.
Besides fabric, the tools you will need are Fabric Modge Podge, foam brush, fabric scissors, fabric pencil/pen and wax paper. Fabric scissors are great to use as they will help you get a cleaner cut on your fabric.
The process
I turned my fabric over and centered it where I wanted it on my shoes. I then traced the section I wanted covered with that design. Next, I cut out the fabric slightly larger than I had traced it. That left room for error or curve of the shoe. I could trim up any excess once I flipped it over and made sure it would fit.
Some ladies used wax paper and laid it on the shoes and traced each section of the shoe. They then cut out the pattern and laid it on the fabric to cut out their pieces of fabric.
Once you have cut out your fabric, brush Modge Podge on your shoe is a smooth, even coat. Then, brush Modge Podge on the wrong side of the fabric and then adhere it to the shoe. Once smoothly adhered, brush Modge Podge as a topcoat on the fabric. If you feel the adhesive is too thick, add a small amount of water. It is best to have the adhesive on a plate and then add a small amount of water at a time to get the consistency you are happy with. Once the topcoat is done, check to see if any excess fabric needs trimming.
Trims, lace, ric rac, etc. look great placed along the fabric and sole or between the sections of the shoe. That is step is optional but can add some pop to the shoe and give it a great look.
Other options
A couple of campers did not get shoes ahead of coming to the campout. They went back to their campers to see what they could decorate. One camper came back with a zippered bag and the other with a cap. They started decorating and had a lot of fun coming up with hand decorated items, too!
Have fun, be creative and decorate those shoes! I would love to see what you come up with.
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Christy Taylor
Guide, North Texas
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