Shoe Redo.............

It is Back to school time!!!! I am just plain giddy!! 
I love my kids, but I need some ME time.

Every year the kids and I have the same routine. Clean out the closets.
Sort things like this........
If it fits...keep It.
If it is too small ....pass it down to the next kid in line.
If it is torn..... mend it. 
If it can be refurbished....do it. 
If you don't love it..... Donate it. 

After that job is done. Then the shopping begins.With a BUDGET....... You would be surprised how they would rather have refurbished shoes.......Then they can spend there cash on fun new jeans, tops and accessories. 

This year while refurbishing the shoes........ I had a genius idea !! Instead of buying new shoe strings for the "Chucks".  MAKE SLIP-ONS !!!! 
Their shoes never stay tied anyway. Am I right??

The girls LOVE them!! They are super easy to slip on, look good as new and best of all they didn't have to spend the cash. New Converse All Star Chuck Taylor's are a whopping $40 now.


Let me show you how to do it.
First clean up your old shoes. ( I'll give great tips at the end of this post )

Grab 2 pieces of 1/4 inch elastic. Each 36 inches long for kids. 45 inches for adult.( Yes, the Men love slip-ons too)

And away we go............

Using the elastic. Lace up your shoes like you would with strings. Until you get to the last grommet ....

Go through the top and pull the elastic behind the tongue of the shoe. On the back of the tongue...... line up the elastic on the bottom of the label sewing stitches and pin.

Try to get it as straight as you can. We will be trying to hide our stitching in the shoes label.

This part is a bit tricky. Wrestling that shoe tongue under the foot of the sewing machine. But one you have it lined up. Put the presser foot down and sew. I made two lines of stitching here.

See the stitches? Kinda hidden......

There you have it....Slip-ons. They look shiny and new. But they also have that cool worn quality.
Can you believe those Blue ones are 2 years old and the red ones are on there 3rd owner and are almost 4 years old??? Breven wore them almost everyday last year. Now Bridgitt gets them , and she says they are super comfy ...and no strings to trip her up. She is 7.

One Chuck , Two Chuck, Red Chuck, Blue Chuck.............

A Few Words About Cleaning..........

Your going to need some stain remover spray, some oxygen cleaning powder and a Magic Eraser. These are the products I used. The bathroom Magic Eraser isn't needed. Regular will do. It is just what I had ...... If you have a cleaning brush it will help scrub them up.

This is how I do it.
Take out the shoe strings and disgard. Spray down well with stain remover and let sit overnight.
Then fill your sink up with hot water and a couple scoops of oxygen powder. Soak shoes for an hour or so. Then scrub up the fabric of the shoes with a brush and clean all the rubber and soles with the magic eraser. It is amazing how much I got off with the magic eraser. My oldest daughter had even written on her's with markers...........
After they look good and clean. Toss them in the washer on rinse and spin. That should get all the soap out. Then dry under the sun outside. 

Here is one before and after. I wish I had taken more pics of the really filthy ones. These weren't that dirty. But you get the idea........

So there you have it......
Have fun redoing the shoes.