In this tutorial, Johanna Hadley (a fully qualified ballet teacher with the Imperial Society of teacher of Dancing) shows us how to sew crossed elastic on a soft ballet shoe.
To get started, you’re going to need:
- A pair of scissors
- Your ballet shoes
- A pencil
- A needle and thread as close in colour to your ballet shoes as possible
- 4 pieces of elastic
Here’s the full tutorial and a text summary below:
Why Crossed Elastic?
Crossed elastic is much more than just an aesthetic choice. It also helps to ensure that the heel of the shoe stays on the foot properly.
How to Sew Crossed Elastic
How you get started will depend upon the shoes you’re using. Johanna demonstrated with a firm favourite - the Roch Valley canvas split sole ballet shoes. The main difference the shoes make to this particular process is that some (like the ones Johanna is using) come with elastic already partially attached. Others come with 4 pieces of loose elastic for you to fit entirely on your own.
The full tutorial is really clearly laid out in the video by Johanna, but here are some top tips and considerations:
- Use light pencil to make all your measurement marks.
- If you’re working with completely loose pieces of elastic (as opposed to pieces already partially attached) then note that there isn’t a particularly precise place to attach them. But they should be close to the back of the shoe because this gives us the most secure fit to keep our heel in place.
- When you first tie the cord onto the shoe, don’t use tight knots as this will make it difficult to undo later. Instead use bows.
- Wear the shoe and cross the inside elastic over your foot to mark onto the outside the spot where you want to sew it.
- Repeat this with the outside to inside elastic ensuring marks are in light pencil
- Before sewing, check the colour of your thread to ensure it’s a close match to the colour of the shoe
- Sew along the top edge of the elastic
- Be sure to try them on once complete and ensure you’re happy with the fit
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