Article 2 : Customising Your Shoes From the veil on her head to the shoes on her feet a modern day bride will want every aspect of her ensemble to be stunning and unique and our budgets sadly do not always stretch to a new pair of designer heels. Have you been struggling to find the perfect pair of shoes to wear on your wedding day?  Do you want to make a bold and unique style statement?  Whether you have chosen a skyscraper stiletto heel, girlie flats or a wedge why not have some fun with these unique ways to really personalise your wedding outfit. Technique 1: Dyeing  Whether you have chosen a traditional pastel pink colour scheme or you have gone for a bright and bold orange theme, dyeing is a cheap and easy way to achieve your perfect wedding shoes. Equipment Required: White or Ivory dyeable shoes (satin shoes are ideal.  Bear in mind that leather shoes are not suitable for dyeing.) Shoe dye such as Dyelon (Optional ) A loose piece of material for colour testing (normally provided with dyeable shoes) A pot to mix up your dye (that you are not going to require for cooking later on!) An old spoon or other mixing tool A clean sponge or brush for dye application Water If you require your shoes to be an exact match of your bridesmaid dresses it would be handy to request a swatch of fabric from your dressmaker or supplier Step 1: *Firstly, determine what material your shoes are made from.  If your shoes are a natural fibre like silk, linen or cotton you should use a natural fibre dye.  If your shoes are synthetic like polyester you will need a synthetic dye.  If you have purchased shoes specifically manufactured for dyeing they will normally come with a few loose swatches of fabric for you to have a trial run. Step 2: *Clean your shoes with a clean sponge  Step 3: * Make up your dye according to the package instructions.  Remember never to mix up your shoe dye in a pot that you will require for cooking.  There are a lot of chemicals in shoe dye that you do not want inside you! Step 4: * Test run!  If you have purchased shoes that have come with swatches of loose fabric make sure to have a few practice runs on these to ensure you are achieving the desired colour.  If not, you can test your dye on an old rag.  If you have a pair of old shoes to hand it is wise to have a practice on these first, not only to ensure the colour is what you are aiming for but to perfect your technique. Step 5: *Brush or sponge the dye onto your shoes starting from the back, apply evenly.  Step 6: *Dry your shoes for at least 24 hours. Remember to wash up your shoe dye immediately so it does not stain your pots and equipment. Technique 2: Embellishment If  you really want your feet to stand out from the crowd on your special day, embellishment is a fun and simple way of adding some sparkle to your shoes. Equipment Required: Shoes Scissors Tweezers Good Quality glue Plastic bag or cardboard to protect your surface in case of spillages Plastic bottle cap or similar to hold your glue Gems of your choice.   Shop online https://www.calicolaine.co.uk/Diamante-c7.html Step One: Preparation As with any project, it is important to have your tools and products organised before you start.  Fill your bottle cap with glue and place your gems next to it, remembering to lay down your plastic bag or cardboard to protect your work surface.  You should ensure that your clothes are well covered or that you are wearing old clothes that you do not mind getting dirty. Step Two: *No matter how good your glue, it is difficult for your gems to stick to a flat surface perfectly.  Taking your scissors, slice the fabric or material of your shoe is a criss cross way where you wish to place your gems in order for the glue to bond better. Step Three: *Using your tweezers, carefully pick up a single gem, dab the flat back directly into your glue and place onto your product.  As you will want your project to be neat and tidy it is better to use a strong glue such as we suggested above,  so you will not need to use a lot.  Depending on what look you want to create you can use a lot of different size gems to create an individual look that is sure to stand out in a crowd.  If you wish to create a uniform pattern you can gem in lines however, you will need to ensure that all of your gems are the same size and shape. Step Four: *There are a number of different ways of adding your gems in a pattern.  To achieve an extra sparkly look, add your gems randomly.  Try to stick your gems as closely together as possible to prevent the background colour coming through in order to make your shoes look as sparkly as possible! If you want to create the neat, uniform look add your gems in lines starting with the outside line, following the product all the way around.  Keep adding new lines until the product is covered.  As the glue does not set straight away you will have  a moment to rectify any mistakes but try not to move your gems around too much as this will weaken the bond. Once you have allowed your product to dry for a minimum of 24 hours your shoes will be ready to wear. Technique 3: Fabric Covered Shoes Equipment Required: Shoes Your chosen fabric (approx ½ yard) Shop online www.calicolaine.co.uk Tailors Chalk  Fabric scissors Permanent spray adhesive  Step 1: *Using your fabric scissors, cut a piece of fabric large enough to cover the toe, sides and top of the shoes.  Align the edge of the fabric with the edge of the shoes toe.  Using your tailors chalk, place a mark at the centre of the toe.  This line will be your guide for placement of the fabric later on. Step 2: *Keeping you chalk mark lined up with the toe, trace the outside edge of the shoe. Step 3: *Cut the fabric down the centre of the shoe opening, stopping about ¼” from the edge of the shoe Step 4: *Using your chalk mark as a guide, cut out the general shape of the shoe, just outside the chalk mark. Step 5: *Lay your cut out fabric on a piece of paper or cardboard and apray your adhesive all over the back of the fabric Step 6: *Working as quickly as you can so the adhesive does not dry, place the fabric over the shoe.  Start by lining up the toe mark you made earlier with the centre of the toe then gently smooth the fabric over the rest of the shoe.  You will have a good minute or two to smooth out any wrinkles before the glue sets. Step 7: *To wrap the fabric around the opening of the foot, make a few small cuts, then fold the flaps down and push them into the underside of the shoe. Step 8: *Cover the back of the shoe using the same method as above. Step 9: *Lastly, to cover the heel of the shoe cut a piece of fabric and apply the glue as before.  Wrap around the heel of the shoe.  Be sure to cut the fabric as close to the bottom of the heel as possible. You now have your very own unique shoes for your special day!  All tools and fabric can be purchased from Calico Laine, either on our website or by calling 0151 336 3939 where one of our friendly sales team will be happy to assist you.  Don’t forget to post pictures of your customised shoes to our Facebook page.