I love using hand embroidery for my everyday life! Adding embroidery to my wardrobe is a unique and playful way to customize my clothing and accessories. So when it came to embroidery to my foot ware, I was all for it.
Since shoes aren't something you can easily place in an embroidery hoop, hand embroidering a pair can seem daunting. As someone who's embroidered quite a few pairs of shoes, and written a whole book on how to embroider your shoes, DIY Embroidered Shoes, here's seven tips I think you'll find helpful when getting started with shoe embroidery.
Try These 7 Tips for Embroidering Your Shoes
1. Shoe Type
Pick shoes you can easily stitch on and get your hands into. I recommend fabric shoes that lace up. You can stitch on pretty much anything, however, some materials take more planning and preparation than others. Lace up fabric are the easiest place to start when delving into shoe embroidery.
2. Needle Type
Shoes are much thicker than the usual fabric for embroidery. This is because shoes need to be durable. Using long thing needles will make it easier to stitch through the fabric and find the needle inside the shoe while stitching.
Another type of needle you might not have considered but could find helpful are curved needles. These sound weird and look even weirder, but curved needles are helpful for getting into tight spaces like toe boxes. They take a little while to get used to, as they're tricky to thread and hold, but can be very helpful for tight spaces.
3. Needle grippers
These are grippy rubber thimbles that make pulling the needle through the fabric easier. Instead of pushing the needle with your finger, the grippers will help you pull the needle. Trust me, your fingers will thank you!
4. Take Breaks
Stitching on shoes is hard work. Make sure to stretch and give your hands and body a break. Try these 5 helpful tips for taking care of your hands when stitching.
5. Transferring the Design
A sticky water soluble transfer paper makes getting your pattern onto shoes easy. Simply print or draw your design onto the paper. Peel off the paper backing. Then press it sticky side down onto the outside of the shoe. Use the paper as a guide, like a coloring book. Then wash away the transfer paper with warm water after you're done stitching.
6. Short Stitches
Stitch length is important for wearable embroidery. The longer the stitches, the more they can pop away from the fabric and get caught on things. By keeping your stitches short so that they stay flush with your shoes.
7. Protect Your Embroidered Shoes
As someone who lives in a very rainy city, I know how quickly a pair of shoes can get ruined. Help your shoes stay clean and last with a shoe protectant. This aerosol spray is a quick fix for protecting your shoes from rains and stains.
If you do need to clean your embroidered shoes, be gentle. Use a damp cloth and soapy water the gently wash away any dirt. Avoid any vigorous scrubbing or brushing as this can ruin the stitching.
Shoe Embroidery Workshops
Want hands on help embroidering your shoes? Join fiber artist and author of DIY Embroidered Shoes, Melissa Galbraith of MCreativeJ, for a hands on workshop.
Melissa's classes are beginner friendly and walk you through getting started with hand embroidery. She breaks down each step to make it feel approachable and fun.
***Thanks for reviewing my recommendations. Should you purchase an item listed, I may receive a small portion of the sale.***
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