Fabulous spring flats

Just in time for Easter Sunday, how about some pretty Spring ballet flats?

 I bought some sweet little basic white ballet flats for my four-year-old from the fancy French store they call Target.  Immediately, I decided they need a little brightening up for Spring.



If you have some fabric and ribbon scraps and a pair of  bored ballet flats, you can have delicious little Spring shoes in no time ( a grown-up version would be great too)!





Supply List

• Fabric scrap at least 8 in. x 10 in. to make bows
• 2 colors of grosgrain ribbon ( each about 12 in. or more) to make rosettes
• Glue gun
• Needle and thread
• Felt scrap
• Scissors
• Sewing machine ( helpful but not necessary)
• Shoe clips ( helpful but not necessary)

Fabric Bows

Cut fabric into two squares, ( my squares were 4 in x 5 in., so adjust this to fit your shoes).

 

Fold the fabric in half (right sides of the fabric together) and sew a straight stitch with your machine or just a needle and thread and then turn it right side out.

Fold in the side and sew a stitch across it.  Repeat on the other end, so that you have a rectangle (the top stitching on the sides helps the bow stand up better)



Accordion fold your rectangle and pinch it in the middle


Maintaining the folds, put a few stitches through the center to hold it in place.



Congratulations, you have a bow!  Repeat this process with your other fabric square.





Ribbon Rosettes

Cut two circles out of felt.



Tie a knot in the end of your grosgrain ribbon and clip the tail.



Hot glue your knot to  the center of the felt circle.



Twist and wrap the ribbon around, gluing as you go.






When your center is the right size, add your second color of ribbon ( my ribbon was wider, so I folded it in half and then continued gluing, wrapping and twisting until it was the right size).








When you are finished, tuck the end of the ribbon under the rosette and glue it.

Repeat this process to make your second rosette.





Glue your rosettes to your bows with hot glue.



I had good intentions of buying shoe clips to attach the bows to, but forgot.  If you have shoe clips, that is fabulous, attach your bows and you're done!  If not,  you have a few other options:

1) Throw caution to the wind and glue the bows directly to your shoes.

2) If your shoes have the little leather bows attached to them, you can stitch your fabric bows to your leather bows by sort of whip stitching it.


There is absolutely no method to this, it's just weaving in and out (be sure that you are sewing only the back layer of your fabric).  Hooray for improvisation!

Don your fabulous flats and enjoy the extra Spring in your step!

I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these awe-inspiring blogs.