This post was originally published on DIY Network’s blog Made + Remade in February 2014.
Springtime has me thinking about all of my favorite warm weather clothes. (I’m so ready to send my winter boots a-packin’.)
I was inspired once by a girl who always seemed to keep her footwear looking fresh, and her trick in doing so was to adorn her shoes with colorful, fun accents. Shoes are endlessly customizable to fit your personality.
I jumped on the DIY shoe trend, if you want to call it a trend (I do) by adding mint green bows to my favorite brown flats, making use of two unexpected products: hair clips and bias tape that is traditionally used for quilting. Make some for yourself (see the easy tutorial below) and be inspired to creatively revamp your own footwear this spring. (Looking for other ideas? Glitter shoes!)
Step 1
I love a simple pair of ballet flats, but to customize them a little bit I decided to use miniature hair clips and a pretty piece of bias tape. Bias tape, of course, could be substituted for almost any material, like a nice thick ribbon, or a piece of twine for an earthy look, but I really like the weight of the bias tape, which is fabric cut cross-grain (the bias) and folded to create a finishing edge used primarily for quilting projects.
Step 2
I made my bow by cutting an 18″ piece of bias tape and forming and shaping it around a pencil. You’ll appreciate having an extra long length of fabric to play with, because it’s easier to manhandle when you have enough material, and also so that you don’t come up short with your tails.
My best tip for making a great bow? Lots of futzing. Once you have the general bow shape formed, alternately pull and adjust the loops and tails to even and tighten the bow. It may take several attempts to get loops and tails that lay in a flattering way.
Step 3
When your bow is done, trim the tails to your preferred length. So cute.
Step 4
Remove the bow from the pencil or dowel, and add a touch of hot glue in the gap left behind. This will help your bow to keep its shape.
Step 5
Attach a hair clip to the bottom of the bow using hot glue. A heavy Bobby pin might work well, but I had some child-sized micro clips that worked perfectly for something of this scale.
Step 6
Snap it onto your favorite shoes! A little something pretty to accent springtime fashion.
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