Look what I made!
Sweet Mary Janes with pretty floral bows! If you’ve got a pair of ballet flats that could use a little something to make them more special, this easy peasy DIY is just the ticket.
To make your own Bow Mary Janes, you’ll need:
- Some ballet flats (either plain ones or ones with simple embellishments that can be removed)
- A glue gun and glue sticks
- 2 large press studs
- Scissors
- Iron on adhesive such as Vliesoflex (to bind 2 pieces of fabric together)
- Dressmakers chalk
- Ruler
- Iron
Step 1
If your shoes have any embellishments, carefully remove them. The shoes I used had funny bows sewn on, which I unpicked. Don’t try to remove embellishments that are glued on as it’s likely that in doing so you will damage the shoes.
Step 2
Use your ruler and chalk to draw up 4 rectangles, each 13cm x 7cm. Mark the rectangles on the wrong side of the fabric so that they won’t be visable when you’re finished.
Step 3
Cut out the rectangles and, following the instruction on your adhesive, bond them back to back, so that you have 2 double sided rectangles. The adhesive will also reinforce the fabric and make your bows more structured.
Step 4
Pinch the centres of the two double-sided rectangles to form bow shapes, and secure with glue.
Step 5
Cut out 2 strips of fabric approximately 3cm wide (for the centres of the bows). Fold the raw edges underneath and press.
Step 6
Wrap the fabric strips around the centre of the bows (with the raw edges tucked underneath) and secure with glue. Trim away any excess fabric from the ends of the strips.
Step 7
Cut out 4 strips of fabric for your ankles straps. For each strap fuse two fabric stips together with adhesive (back to back), then trim them to the right size. My straps are a bit over 2cm wide and about 21 cm long (from tip to tip) but I have very wide feet, so make sure you test the length of the straps and adjust them to fit, before you glue. I also trimmed the ends of the straps so that they were round.
Step 8
Glue one half of a press stud to the rounded end of each strap.
Step 9
Put the shoes on and postition the straps where you would like them to sit. Use chalk to mark where the other halves of the press studs need to go and where the strap needs to be attached on the other side (on the inside). Glue the straps on, and…
Ta da! You’ve got yourself an adorable new pair of shoes!
Team your Bow Mary Janes with colourful tights and wear them for picnicing in the park, wandering about the farmers market and going on leisurely Sunday drives! Hurrah!
