How To Decorate Converse Shoes

1
Remove the shoelaces of the Converses completely. This will open the shoes up more and give the tongue more flexibility. It will allow you more space to maneuver inside the shoes as you stitch your designs.
2
Sketch a design on the canvas with a pencil. The rubber toe of your Converses is not suitable for embroidery, but the canvas is ideal. When you have a design in mind, use a pencil to sketch an outline onto the canvas.

If you decide you don’t like your idea and want to start over, you can even wash your Converses on low in your washing machine to wash the pencil out.
Embroidering lends itself to lettering. If you’re stuck for ideas, you could embroider your birthday or initials.

3
Pick a durable thread. A strong, vibrant thread, such as DMC’s Pearl Cotton, will make your design stand out and last for a long time. When selecting thread, consider that thicker gauge thread will be more difficult to push through the canvas than a thinner thread.
4
Use a chenille needle. Chenille needles have very sharp tips and a larger eye. The sharp tip will be better able to penetrate the stiff canvas of your Converses more easily, and the larger eye will make threading thicker thread easier.^[4]

The needles of most home sewing machines will be too fine to successfully sew through the side of your Converses. To keep from wrecking your sewing machine, embroider an item like this by hand.

5
Use a thimble and needle nose pliers to protect your fingertips. It’s wise to use a thimble to protect the sensitive pads of your fingers whenever you are sewing. Needle nose pliers will help you pull the chenille needle through the stiff canvas of your shoes more easily, too.

Take your time while stitching. It is easy to injure yourself when sewing thick or difficult materials.
When you’re ready to wrap up your stitching, perform an anchor stitch—a stitch that runs parallel to the stitching surface back through the last several stitches—to secure your work.^[5]

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