14 Mar 2011

WhatIWore:  It’s kind of silly to ever call denim a trend, but I’ve been seeing a lot more of it than your typical wide leg vs. flare vs. skinny leg discussion.   I was inspired to do a little makeover on these Pierre Hardy for GAP* wedges.  Here’s how!!

Materials:

• Shoes to upcycle
• 1/4 yard of 100% cotton denim
• 3 yards of trim
• 1 package of clothes line rope
• 1/4 yard muslin (to make your pattern)
• Hot glue gun
• Needle and thread

First I created a pattern by laying muslin over the shoe and tracing the edges.  Next, I cut out my denim, giving myself a seam allowance for to sew the front to back and for the top strap and side straps.

Slowly and carefully, I glued the denim to the top strap of the shoes, turning edges under and notching in corners for a smooth fit.

Repeat for side straps

For the body of the shoe, I sewed the front and back pieces together, using the seam already on the shoe as a guideline. Make sure your fabric is taught and slowly and carefully glue to shoe.

Note: The less glue, the better - you can add more as you need it and gloppy hot glue won’t give your shoes the professional look you’re going for.

Next, add trim to cover your raw edges. I started and ended my trim on the inside of the shoe and used a diagonal cut to hide the start/stop point.

Finally, I laced up my sandals with some clothes line rope I picked up at the Rural King. I love how it really adds to the nautical look of the shoes! 

What do you think?! Are you planning on adding any denim accessories to your Spring shopping list?