We’re falling more and more in love with embroidery everyday. I personally might need to make a new Instagram account to keep track of all my embroidery heroes and inspiration. Recently we discovered Liz Payne and were blown away by her designs (check out her Etsy and Instagram). I mean, her work is WTF amazeballs. With the skills we’ve learned from Embroidery 101, we decided to tackle our own pair of embroidery sneakers for spring. It will take a long time so make this project this weekend or save it for a few days of Netflix marathoning. – white canvas sneakers 1. Unlace the sneakers and string your first color thread onto the needle. Tie the end of the thread to one of the shoe lace grommets. 2. Cover the sneaker in different patterns and stitches using various colors of thread. Scroll down below to learn basic embroidery stitches or learn in our class Embroidery 101! 3. String beads onto the needle and stitch them onto the sneaker for extra flair. Alright, I’m not going to lie, the type of canvas sneakers are made from is a lot harder to embroider than the cotton you would normally slide into your embroidery hoop.
But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. This project took about 10 hours and can easily be done while you Netflix and party. To make the embroidery 100 times easier, unlace both sneakers to really get that needle working. Tie the end of the thread to one of the shoe lace grommets. You can tie a knot at the end of the thread but it may get in the way of stitching. By tying it to the grommet, it will hold the thread in place and will help avoid the needle from bumping into knots when embroidering. Poke the needle through the sneaker starting from the inside. Wrap the thread around the needle four times. Stick the needle back through the sneaker right next to where it emerged. Hold the thread in your left hand while you pull the thread with your right hand on the inside of the sneaker to create a nice tight knot. Cover the sneaker with tons of french knots. Space them out to create a polkadot look or place them close to each other to create a textured patch. Satin stitch is used to fill in an area or a shape.
Simply make basic stitches right next to each other until you create a solid color-blocked area. What I find most fun about embroidery is thinking of the string as a pencil. Create stitches just as you would create lines on a page to make fun markings. Back at it again with the satin stitch to create small triangles. Make the second stitch right next to the first but slightly longer to create a triangle shape. Change up the colors of your thread to create a dynamic pattern or keep it all monochromatic and focus on texture, texture, texture! To create a semi-seamless longer stitch, try using a split stitch. Back stitch into your first stitch so the thread comes up through the fibers of the thread. If your fingers are getting sore — I bet they are — try covering more surface area with large triangles. Finish up the tops of the sneakers with some beaded embroidery. Slide a bead onto the needle and then poke your needle through the sneaker to secure the bead in place.
Repeat over and over to create a beaded masterpiece. Beading is also a time commitment, so if your patience is thin, go ahead and finish off the space with some satin stitches. Start with the needle coming up from the inside, poke it back into the fabric right next to wear it broke through. Don’t pull the thread all the way. Instead leave a loop. Bring the needle back up about a stitch-length away and pull the needle through. Insert the needle through the loop behind the stitch and pull tightly. Continue this process and you will start to see a chain forming. Shapes + embroidery + color (um teal!) + sneakers = dream shoes for sure! Show us your project by tagging us on Instagram + using hashtag #iamcreative! DIY Production and Styling: Kelly Bryden Photography: Brittany Griffin and Kurt Andre Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.In our latest column, "Ask a Fashionista," you can solicit our strongly held opinions on everything from how to wear a midi skirt without looking like a tree stump to whether a certain retail CEO should go ahead and resign already.
.Q: I own lots of pairs of high top sneakers but don't know how to style them to look flattering with jeans or skirts. — Allison, Chicago, ILA: Don't panic. The high top conundrum is real. As a person who prefers the high top version of every shoe, from creepers to Nike Dunks, I've struggled with styling my kicks for decades – and I'm going to share everything I've learned. The first step to figuring out how to wear the tricky sneakers is identifying the type of high tops you want to wear. I break them into two categories: thin and thick. A thin high top is something like a pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars, a shoe that is made of a light fabric that, when tied to the top, rests snugly against the leg. An example of a thick version would be a Nike Air Force 1 that is wide at the ankle and has more bulk. OK, let's start with the harder of the two: the thin high top. The issue with a thin high sneaker is that when laced all the way to the top tightly it can make one's ankles look awkward and small – especially when paired with skinny jeans or tights.
My first trick is to never, ever lace the kicks to the top loop, and instead tie them in the middle loosely so that the sneaker tops aren't tight against the ankle. The second trick is to wear pants with your high tops that are wide at the bottom or allow for a peek of skin to pop out between the pants and shoes – this will keep your body proportions feeling right.The picture of Kati Nescher above is a good reference for a casual look, while I also love this just rolling the bottoms of jeans to create volume to offset the sneakers. For the most part, I'd say steer clear of dresses or skirts with thin high tops – it's maybe a little too Avril Lavigne at the prom? – but to each her own. Check out these high tops for some thin sneaker inspiration.5GalleryAnd now for the thick high top ....When it comes to a chunky sneakers, you can go down one of two roads. The first is to pair it with bare legs and a miniskirt, like Ashley Madekwe did above. Because the shoe has weight, it can stand on its own, and usually looks best without baggy pants or tights competing with it.