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DIY Fabric Shoelaces

March 19, 2013 - By Ashley Johnston 71 Comments

Has anyone ever been summoned to Jury Duty? I haven’t. Ever. Until today…..my 32rd birthday. (Shouldn’t there be a law that excludes you from Jury Duty on your birthday/anniversaries/favorite days of the week/etc. ;) Haha! ) I keep hearing of friends and family calling the night before reporting for duty, and not needing to attend. So, I had my fingers crossed extra tight. Well, I should have crossed them tighter because my juror number was summoned. (Okay, but secretly…..I’m kind of curious/excited. :) )

So today……I have something really speedy to share. But fun, all at the same time.

And this can be created for girls, boys, young, old, etc.

What a fun and unexpected way to spruce up a pair of shoes, right?

Boring laces are out……and chunky/funky colored ones have taken over.

These laces are made out of long strips of fabric……….and the ends are pinched tight and are sewn securely to allow for threading.

What could be more fun (and quick) than adding a little spunk to your shoes? Not much. :)

Would you like to make a few shoelaces of your own?

Let’s get started.

Begin by cutting out long strips of fabric that are as long as you need your laces to be. I cut my strips on the BIAS for several reasons. (Need help with cutting on the bias?) First of all, strips cut on the bias will curve better and I wanted my laces to go through the shoes better and the bows to be floppier and less stiff. Also, cutting on the bias allows for a little more stretch……..just like regular laces have a little stretch to them. It seems as though with that added slight stretch, the bows tie tighter. It’s up to you though. Also, I cut my strips 2 inches wide so that I would end up with a 1/2 inch wide lace (if it was any bigger, it wouldn’t have fit) but be sure that whatever width you choose, you’ll still be able to fit it through each lacing hole.

If you don’t have enough fabric to create one long strip cut on the bias, sew 2 shorter pieces together. The best way (and to eliminate bulk) is to connect the two strips on the diagonal. (More info on connecting bias strips here.)

After you have your long strips, fold them in half lengthwise and iron flat. Then, open it up and fold both raw edges in towards that center ironed line, close it back up, and iron again. You have just created Bias Tape. (More info on creating Bias Tape here.)

Now, sew the strip closed along the long edge.

Now, fold the ends in towards itself, as small as it will go. (Sort of rolling the end tightly works well too.) Then place a pin through the fabric to hold the folded/rolled fabric, nice and tight.

Then, slide this end under the sewing machine presser foot, with the pin facing you. Adjust your zig-zag stitch WIDTH to as wide as it will go but decrease the stitch LENGTH really low. Put your presser foot down, about 1 inch from the end and begin sewing around both sides of the folded fabric end. Keep the fabric centered, while the needle goes up and down along both sides of the folded fabric. Be sure and allow it to go through the fabric just a bit as well, so that the zig-zag stitches are actually securing themselves to the fabric as well. Back-stitch and forward stitch several times to really knot your stitches in place.

Then begin sewing forward, up to the end of the fabric. It helps to pull the fabric from behind and then use the pin in the front to keep the fabric centered. As you sew forward, slowly pull the pin out as well, so you’re not sewing through the needle. Once you reach the end, back-stitch several times, making sure to allow the needle to go through the fabric as well, to really knot all these stitches in place.

If you weren’t able to create enough zig-zag stitches to cover most of the fabric (and create a stiff end to thread the laces through the shoes) re-peat the above steps and add more zig-zag stitches to the fabric.