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Embroidered shoes.
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DIY Embroidered Shoes

Learn how to turn cheap canvas sneakers into a pair of gorgeous custom designed shoes with simple embroidery stitches. No embroidery experience needed!
Prep Time4 hours

Equipment

  • Small scissors
  • Thimble/thread puller or Wondergrip optional

Ingredients

  • 1 pair White Canvas sneakers with laces
  • Embroidery Floss in desired colors
  • Embroidery Needle

Instructions

  • Remove laces from shoes and thread needle with all six strands of embroidery floss.
    Embroidery thread, small scissors, canvas shoe with laces removed.
  • Create a flower using eight lazy daisy stitches. Each lazy daisy stitch starts in the center of the flower. Come up from the inside of the shoe, then poke the needle back down in the same spot you came up, but do not push the needle all the way through. Instead, bring the needle back up about a quarter of an inch away. Take the thread and place it under the needle, then pull the needle all the way through.
    Embroidering a lazy daisy stitch to make a petal.
  • This traps a loop of thread to make a petal shape. Go back down with your needle on the other side of the loop to secure it, and your first petal is complete. Repeat seven more times to make a flower.
    Embroidering eight petals to make a full flower.
  • When your flowers are complete, add vines using a backstitch. Come from the inside of the shoe at the start of the vine and go back down about a quarter of an inch later. Then come up about a quarter inch past where you went down, and go backwards this time, meeting the end of the line and going down there. Continue coming up a stitch length past the end of the line, and stitching back to meet the line. Add leaves using a lazy daisy stitch.
    Embroidering a vine with leaves on the side of a shoe.
  • Tie off on the inside of the shoe and start new thread as needed. Continue embroidering vines and leaves until you like how the space is filled. Replace the laces and your pretty custom embroidered sneakers are finished.
    Shoes with flower embroided on the side.

Notes

Please refer to the step by step video included in the post under the heading "Video" for more details.