Extend The Life Of Your Favourite Shoes With These DIY Patches

Extend The Life Of Your Favourite Shoes With These DIY Patches

We all have a favourite pair of shoes, ones we just can’t bring ourselves to throw out despite holes being worn in the toes or heels. Cover up those holes and get a little more wear out of your favourite shoes with these affordable DIY patches.

These patches should be used on the upper portion of your shoes only. Even if you use a durable final fabric like leather, suede or canvas, this is mainly a cosmetic fix, so if you’re dealing with something structural or in the sole, take those well-loved shoes to a cobbler or replace them entirely.

You will need:

  • Scrap fabric: to be used as a pattern for the patches
  • Final fabric: this is what the patches will be made of
  • Scissors
  • Pen or pencil
  • Glue: carpenter’s glue works well
  • Small paintbrush: to spread the glue evenly on the patches

Lay the scrap fabric over the area you want to cover and outline the shape of the patch. You should make a pattern for each shoe since they may be slightly different due to differences in wear over time. Use the pattern to cut your patch from the final fabric. Make sure you buy extra in case you need to redo a patch.

Spread glue on each patch, using the paintbrush to make sure the glue is even and extra won’t ooze out from the edges. Line it up where the sole meets the upper fabric part of the shoe, then smooth the patch over the shape of the shoe moving upwards towards the top of the shoe.

Wait for the glue to dry, then use the paintbrush to dab more glue into any edges that aren’t fully glued down. You will have to re-glue the patches over time, especially if you get your shoes wet, but at least you’ll be able to squeeze a little more wear out of shoes you love.

DIY Patches for Well-Loved Shoes [Heart and Habit]


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