Sewing Pointe Shoes Part 2

Bonjour readers!
Today I'll be finishing part two of sewing pointe shoes. As you can guess, this is the ribbons, and depending on how much preparation you've made, this can be an extremely fast process.
                   Techniques Needed: Basic sewing skills               Supplies List:
                                                                                                 Pointe shoes (with elastic attached)

             Pointe shoe Ribbon (pre-cut and burned)
             Pins and Needles
             Thread
             Scissors
        * Optional Supplies:
             Pin cushion

      

 Step 1: After you have measured and burned your ribbon (to burn I always use a candle), double check the lengths to make sure they fit properly around you ankle. Also, be certain that you have enough ribbon to double knot it. I know what it's like to realize you have short ribbon after you've sewn everything.

Step 2: Take your ribbons and pin them directly across from each other on both sides of the shoe. Since my shoes have cross ways elastic, I put my ribbon right behind it(as in next to). If you sewed your elastic the traditional way, then place your ribbon right around the center arch seem.
            When sewing, I like to give myself about a quarter of an inch tail underneath of my sewing line because it gives me relief of how much tension I put on the ribbon.

Step 3: Like sewing the elastics, I highly recommend using the back stitch in sewing the ribbon as well. You can never go wrong when using this stitch. Also, remember to double thread your needle and triple knot your thread.
           Other people like to do a whip stitch around the edges of their ribbon, but that makes it much more time consuming than it needs to be.


Step 4: After your ribbons are both securely sewn, tie the shoe on you just to make sure everything is just right. If you find that your ribbons are too short, a simple extension can be sewn on your ribbons. Take some scrap lengths and sew them to the attached ribbon with a back stitch. even if the type of ribbon is different, it won't show since you tuck the ends in.
            Enjoy your completed shoes!

I hope these last two posts were very helpful to you now or will be in the future. I will later post some techniques for breaking in shoes that I'm sure you'll find useful.
Thanks again for reading and please leave a comment. I love feedback.

Your writer,

Bobfransisco Bob