Today I'm going to show you how to alter a pair of boots. This is one of two footwear alteration tutorials I'm planning on.
I bought a pair of An*Tai*Na white boots last winter, I probably paid too much for them as they were second and but I really wanted a pair of white boots, but since I received them they've been nothing but trouble! The first problem I had was the zip broke on one of them the first day I tried to wear them. I've since fixed this by sewing another zip over the top. The second problem is that all though they fit the base of my foot perfectly length and width ways for what ever reason the fabric over the top runs really tight in one point over both of the boots (It's that part where the stitching meets, for some reason it's 0.5cm-1cm tighter than the rest of the boot making it unbearable to wear. I have tried heating them with a hair drier and all manners of stretching them to no avail. I'd honestly given up on them until a few days ago when an idea popped into my head - why don't I alter them to make them fit? I do it with clothes, so why not with shoes?
I'd suggest you only try this as a last resort - if your shoes don't fit, try asking a local cobbler to stretch them for you (They wouldn't try my boots!) So don't try this on your best Louboutins!
You will need:-
- Boots
- Matching fabric
- Silicone glue or other flexible glue
- Pencil
- Craft Knife/scissors/cutting tool
- Tracing paper/paper
- Masking tape/String
- Take your boots and give them a through clean, the glue won't stick if you've any dirt on them, don't polish them at this point else the glue may not stick properly.
- Stuff the feet of the boots tightly with news paper or carrier bags to hold the shape.
- Mark out where they are too tight - mine are too tight across the bridge of the foot, so I've marked out where I need to remove fabric from.
- Cut out the markings.
- Draw a long oval roughly the size of the hole you've just made and cut it out. You can also make any embellishments that you might want to add.
- Check the fit of the template over the hole, you need enough room to stick the material on to the boot but still enough fabric to allow extra room. Adjust it if need be.
- Trace the template onto the fabric and cut it out.
- Check the fit of the new part against the hole to double check, then paste the the two pieces together using the silicone glue.
- Using the silicone glue paste a small amount around the edges of the hole on the boot being careful not to get any on the stuffing.
- Stick the patch to the boot.
- Use masking tape or string if necessary to hold the patch in place until dry.
- Once dry remove any bindings and polish up the boots!
And there you go! Hopefully your boots should now fit! It's important you use a flexible glue else it'll just crack when you bend your foot and the patch will come away.
I hope this tutorial has been of some help to you!
Ta-ta for now!
x
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