Everyone should know how to tie their shoes, but when kids are too young to grasp the technique, laces are nothing more than an inconvenience. The ties are usually way too long anyway, and they invariably end up untied, even when double-knotted. If you or your child have lace-up shoes that are difficult to secure, make life a little easier by turning them into slip-ons. You will be able to put them on without tying anything, and they will likely look better than they did when outfitted with traditional laces.
Use Stretchy Lace to Make Stylish Slip-Ons
When selecting shoes to dress up a pair of shorts or jeans, consider something with lace. You can beautifully enhance a pair or women’s or children’s tennis shoes while solving a common problem. Swap out ordinary laces for stretchy lace. Tie and double knot the stretchy lace, and thread a needle with clear monofilament. Stitch the knot with clear thread to keep it from coming undone. Wrap the ends of the lace with clear tape to give the strands a finished appearance. Stretchy lace makes it easy to transform ordinary lace-up shoes into stylish new slip-ons.
Fill the Eyelets with Metal Brads
A pair of shoes with missing laces and open eyelets look incomplete, even if shoelaces are not required to keep them on your feet. Consider filling the open eyelets with metal brads. They come in a wide range of colors, but if you want a specific hue, nail enamel can be used instead of paint. Apply small pieces of heavy-duty duct tape to the backs of the open brads to keep them from rubbing against the tongue of the shoe. The tape will also help to keep the improvised hardware in place.
If you have artistic talent, use sparkling yellow nail enamel to paint basic brads, and use paint pens to draw flower petals around them. Connect the rows of blooms with green stems and foliage. Your shoes will look as gorgeous as designer varieties.
Use Knotted Elastic Hair Ties to Transform Lace-Up Shoes
Colorful stretchy closures are available for securing lace-up shoes, but they are overpriced and unnecessary. You can easily make closures that work just as well using fabric-covered elastic hair ties and a pair of scissors. Cut the circular hair ties in half, and thread the elastic bands through parallel eyelets. Turn the lace-up shoes into slip-ons by securely knotting the ends. The repurposed elastic hair ties will stretch as needed, and they will keep your shoes on your feet.
Source: Advanced Crafting Education and Experience
