Conjure Up the Perfect Shoes, and He Can't Help but Fall for You

Will you be on time?  What will you talk about? Are they your happily ever after?  Is it time for that spellbinding first kiss?  What shoes will you wear?! A big date night can be taxing enough, at least you can easily answer one of those questions.  Who needs Cupid's arrow when a pair of spelltacular spike wedges can just as easily pierce his heart!

Difficulty: easy-medium

Materials:

Wedges

Ruler
Tape measure

Purple acrylic paint

Fabric medium

Shoe Goo (clear)

Screw spikes

Worbla

Paintbrush

Heat gun

Fabric (to match our shoes)

Scissors

Pen

Tracing paper
Sewing pins

Chain

Needle
Drill
Drill bit
E-6000

Heavy duty thread

Lobster clasps

Eyes (that's what the bag at the craft store called them)

Jump rings

Pliers
Safety goggles

Start by finding your charming shoe match. These hexcellent pumps may not be the right colour, but they have extra height around the back of the ankle which makes them a fableous fit.

If necessary cut off the excess ankle strap.  Use a tape measure and a ruler to ensure the cut lines are even.  To make sure the shoe doesn't come apart at the cut line, mix some clear Shoe Goo with purple paint and apply the mixture to the cut edge. (Only add a tiny amount of paint to the goo, or it won't dry right). You can also edge stitch the opening if you are worried about it pulling apart.

Remove any zippers from the back, by cutting them out of the shoe.  Stitch the back of the shoe closed by hand.  Sew it together on the inside, leaving the same amount of space that would have been taken up by the zipper.  This will create a big indent, but it will get covered up later. (Oops I forgot to take pictures till later in my process, those date night jitters I guess)


Next mix acrylic paint and fabric medium according to the manufacturer's instructions and give your shoes a few coats of paint.  The layers of paint should be very thin and even. It usually takes me about 7-10 coats depending on how dark the shoe starts and how light my final paint colour is.  The shoes I used are faux suede. If you use pleather or leather shoes adjust your materials accordingly. See Cupid's enchanting pumps for ideas.

Once the paint is dry, trace out the shape of the extended back piece.  (The part that goes just a bit higher than the rest of the shoe in the center back. )  To do this, pin a small piece of tracing paper flush to the back shoe, and sketch out the shape.  Once you remove the paper make sure to smooth and measure your lines.  Your pattern should be symmetrical along the top edge, but the bottom should follow the shape of the shoe.

Now, it's time to combine two pieces of Worbla (you want it extra sturdy).  Cut the pieces a bit larger than the finished shape. Heat them up and press them together (shiny sides up, you'll see why in the next chapter).
**Be extra careful around the heat gun and hot Worbla! Getting stood up isn't the only thing that can burn... **
Once the fused pieces have cooled, trace the pattern.  Magic mirror the shape for the other shoe.  Cut out the Worlba pieces along the trace lines.

If you had to remove a pesky zipper, you might need to fill the gap.  I just placed another piece of Worbla into the hole so that everything was flush with the rest of the shoe.

 Now slightly reheat the back piece so that it can form to the shape of the shoe. Since the piece doesn't have much support, you don't want to get it super hot, just heat it enough to bend it slightly.  The hotter it gets the more sticky it gets as well. At this point in time, you don't want it to stick to the shoe.  So, double check that the the non shiny side is to the shoe. This side has less glue so it is less sticky. The painted surface also helps to give a slight barrier between the glue and fabric, but you still need to be careful that it doesn't get stuck.

While the Worbla is cooling completely, cut out a piece of matching fabric that is large enough to fold around the edges or your newly formed piece. It's time to play matchmaker, try to find a fabric that is similar in texture and colour to your original shoe. Remove the cooled piece from the shoe back, and reheat the outside of the Worbla. Heat it just enough so that it is slightly tacky on the top, but it is still sturdy enough not to bend out of shape.  Remember, the top should be the stickier side.  Press the fabric to the Worbla and wrap the edges around the sides. Allow to cool.













Next, paint the fabric to match.  Since it is the same material as the shoe, they should make the perfect couple.
Once your paint has dried, measure and mark the placement of the spikes.  Choose a drill bit that will create a hole that the screw back snugly fits into. Put on some safety goggles, and drill holes in both the sides of the shoe and the Worbla piece.
You don't want to attach the Worbla to the shoe before the spikes are in place because the screw backs are too short to go through all the material.  Plus, you won't want to have the metal back rubbing against the back of your heel.  To prevent the side screw backs from rubbing on your foot, you can cover them with a piece of moleskin.  Mine didn't rub, so I left them visible.

Screw all the spikes and use E-6000 to glue the back piece to the shoe.
Once that has dried, it's time to glue the spikes that go up the back of the heel.  I would suggest attaching the screw backs, allowing them to dry, and then adding the spike pieces.  If you directly glue the spikes, you won't be able to remove them for storage purposes.  The screw backs also have a bit more surface area to help hold them in place.

**Please be aware that there is a lot of leverage on the spikes.  The larger the spike the more leverage.  The probability that you will kick something and they will pop off is high.  The elasticity of the E-6000 will help hold them in place, but order a few extra spikes should you need to replace them.**



 Now it's time to add the final touch.  While wearing the shoes measure the lengths of the chain drapes.  I kept mine a bit shorter to help hold the shoe to my foot.
Thread your needle with heavy duty thread, and sew one side of the chain to the inside of the shoe.  Using pliers, attach a jump ring and lobster clasp to the other side of the chain. Then sew an eye to the shoe.  Remember that the clasp and the eye will drape differently than the side attached to the shoe.  You will have to experiment with the placement till they hang even.







With that you are ready to snag any Charming!  Though it might be helpful to find one first.... I hear they are fairy easy to make, if you know the right spell.  Give this one a try~

Materials:

Low top canvas sneakers

Blue tape
Scrap paper

Blue acrylic paint

Textile medium

Paintbrush

Difficulty: super easy 

Begin by finding Mr. Almost Right, don't worry fairy tales with some patience you can make them perfect~

Remove the shoe lacing, and carefully tape off any part of the shoe that you don't want to get paint on.  Next, fill the shoe with scrap paper for support.

Mix acrylic paint with fabric medium, just like before, and begin painting thin coats until all of the original colour is covered.  Try priming your shoes a lighter colour first, especially if they start dark and you are mixing the perfect princely shade of paint.  Allow to dry, lace, and coerce someone to wear.







 
Now that all the date night prep is out of the way, you can give your new creations a try.  But be warned! With shoes as spellbinding as these, it won't take any dark magic to knock him off his feet~

Special thanks to Anna for being a spelltacular friend, a hexcellent sport, and totally 100% Charming!