// DIY | Fabric Covered Shoes a la Erdem//

Ever since I saw the fabric covered shoes on Erdem’s S/S2010 runway I have been dying to make a pair for myself. It seemed like a difficult ordeal at first but the process was surprisingly easy, and so rewarding!

Liberty of London peacock printed cotton lawn fabric covered shoes by yours truly. I also made a tutorial for those shoe crazed savvy diy-ers.

Read on to get the tutorial!

Materials:

 

You will need a pair of shoes, 1 yard of fabric (I recommend using cotton the first time), 1 yard of self-adhesive fabric OR Temporary Fabric Adhesive Spray*, Sobo craft glue (make sure it’s okay for fabric), scissors & a pencil.

*If you cannot find self-adhesive fabric, you can opt to spray temporary fabric adhesive spray to one side of the cotton fabric pieces. This will make the fabric temporarily adhere to the shoe to trace the pattern pieces— then you just peel it off.

Determine Pattern Pieces:

 

I decided to break up my shoe into 5 sections:      

    *Toe
    *Wedge
    *Outer side from center back
    *Inner side from center back
    *Side to toe

It is up to you whether you want to make as many sections as I did. I was unsure about using large pieces of fabric to cover entire sections— so I was cautious. Now I have learned that you could get away with using larger pieces.

Make Pattern Pieces:

 

There are two options for making the pattern pieces: (1) Spray the back of muslin with spray adhesive and lay the fabric over various parts of the shoe. The spray will not make the fabric stick to the shoe permanently, or (2) Lay self-adhesive fabric over your shoe sections and trace the outline of the shape.

Wedge Pattern Piece:

  

Add Seam Allowance + Notches:

 

First I traced the wedge heel pattern piece, and then the rest of the shoe. Trace exactly where your sections meet, you can add seam allowance later. 

Once you have traced each section of the shoe, lay your pattern pieces onto your chose fabric and add about 1/2” seam allowance to the insides— or the parts of the pattern pieces that will fold into the shoe for a clean edge. Notch these pieces for ultimate flexibility.

Make sure to think about how to cut your pattern pieces— I wanted each shoe to have the same part of the peacock print on the toe and the heel.

Apply Glue:

 

I poured some of my fabric glue onto a piece of paper and painted the glue on to the first section with a paintbrush.

Apply Fabric:

 

Then you lay the pattern piece onto the glued section. I started at the top, folding my notched edges into the shoe, and worked my way to the sole. Look out for folds, gathers and bubbles. Get the fabric as taught as possible.

Continue gluing the rest of the pieces.

Tip: For the pieces that meet up or overlap with this one, I ironed the seam allowances under before attaching them to the shoe for a clean look.

Straps + Seams:

 

For the straps I measured their length and cut rectangles accordingly & added seam allowance. After applying the fabric to the straps, I poked the fastening holes with a safety pin to ensure I’d be able to strap the shoes on once the glue dried.

Tip: For the center back seam (and other pieces which overlapped) I ironed the seam allowance of the overlapping piece under before attaching it to the shoe, for a clean edge.

Lastly, I trimmed the fabric edges with scissors to reveal the thin strip of black leather sole. You can spray your shoes with a matte-finish protectant to keep them from getting damaged. I used Krylon matte finish spray but I don’t like the slightly shiny finish it gives the fabric, even though it is supposed to be matte.