My Shoe Strings

My ideas are often practical and come from something that I need or want to improve. My shoe laces are often too short because of the height of my arch and because I need to wear a leg brace. My husband bought me a pair of new shoes. I didn’t have any extra long laces around the house so decided to sew my own. I found some matching fabric in the box (large flat rate priority mail box-just one because I don’t like to keep a fabric stash) of scrap fabric that will in the future be used for small projects.

I made the laces as if I was making bias tape. I cut the strips to two inches wide and extra long at 60 inches. (I cut off the extra after I threaded the shoes.) The fabric was then ironed in half (lengthwise) and then the edges were ironed in half again so there were no raw edges visible. Then I sewed a straight line down each of the sides and sewed a zigzag in the center strip of the laces to give them a little body and stiffness. I could have used a decorative stitch, but I wanted a zigzag.

After I laced and tied the shoes, I placed a knot on the edge of the laces to prevent them from slipping back through the holes and cut off the excess. Here is a photo.

You can make these as wild or as tame as you would like. I think it is a great gift for kids or anyone who wants a fun look. Also, you can make these as wide or narrow as you prefer. I like the wider ones because on days that my carpel tunnel is acting up, I can’t seem to grab anything thin or narrow.