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.
