DIY Shoe Makeover: Malachite St. Patrick’s Day Sneakers

 When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, most of the time I really can’t be bothered. I don’t decorate the mantle, or even put out a wreath. If I wear green, chances are it’s a total accident.

Last year I spent the day at home, alone, working and getting things done. What I didn’t know was that since I hadn’t seen my nephews on THE day, it meant that green was the thing when I saw them a few days later. And wouldn’t you know those little guys were working the twisting pinches! I had no clue what was going on until I was told “it’s makeup St. Patrick’s Day and you don’t have on any green!” Bah!

So this year I’m going to be totally prepared. Since I tend to wear OUT the DIY shoes that I make over I thought I’d get a pair of green sneakers in my comfy shoe rotation. And when they come running at me in 2014 I’m going to just point at my shoes. Check it and keep those grubby little fingers to yourselves children!

For this project you will need:

• Malachite print fabric (or any print really)
• black sneakers
• Fabric Mod Podge
• black fabric paint
• x-acto knife

Take your fabric and cut a piece that can generously cover each shoe.

Brush your fabric Mod Podge directly onto the sneaker, avoiding the piping. Apply a thin but easily visible layer.

Place the fabric on top of the glue and push down. Set aside for 2 hours, or about 30-45 minutes in a sunny location.

Pull the fabric up around the edges and apply more Mod Podge to seal down nicely and smoothly. You can totally get the Mod Podge onto the rubber soles because it won’t adhere well and you can pull it right up. The piping however can be an issue, as I learned because this formula dries shiny and will be very noticeable in spots and patches. Allow drying fully.

Using a very sharp X-acto knife, run along the rubber sole and the piping to trim the excess. Don’t worry tons about a perfect cut, we’re going to doctor it so it’s not terribly noticeable.

And just so you can see, here is my cut edge. It’s hardly perfect though I tried to make it so!

Repeat for the sides, applying the Mod Podge, to the fabric, allowing it to dry, and trimming the excess.

Take your black fabric paint and lightly go around the piping and nearby. What you want to do is blur the edge of the fabric so that it isn’t a hard line. This way it won’t be noticeable from a distance!

You can tell where my Mod Podge dried on the piping… see how it looks a bit lighter? That’s even with a few coats of fabric paint to cover (and see how my cut lines are so much less noticeable with the painted edges – wahoo!

Now you don’t specifically have to use malachite fabric, you can use any pattern really. But malachite is hot and perfect for St. Paddy’s in style!

Allison

A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.