DIY - Modifying boring boots
So I thought I'd do a post on how I modified my boring old boots into lolita style boots. Here's the end result:
I started off with this picture of some boots I liked the look of :
These are the boots I started off with. I never wore them anymore and they were too expensive to throw or give away:
So I started by cleaning them with methylated spirits to get rid of any dirt or oil and to prep the leather to be dyed. I'm no expert on this, so it's best to ask for tips when you buy the leather dye from your boot repair shop. After 3 or so coats of the black leather dye, this is what I ended up with:
Next I cut two really long 'U' shapes out of white vinyl and after drawing a template on the wrongside, cut out the scallopeed detail. Then I punched out the holes where the laces will go. You can use an existing pair of boots to measure the distance apart you want the holes. Then using an eyelet kit, I stamped the metal eyelets into the holes to strengthen them from being torn by the laces. The picture below shows where I have pinned the white 'U' shape onto the black boot in the desired position, ready to be sewn on. I sewed most of it on my normal sewing machine, sewing on the slowest speed. You can only get down so far as the zip goes, so the rest I had to sew by hand. My leather thimble really saved my fingers here!!
The picture below shows me marking the scalloped detail on the strip of vinyl to go around the top of the boot. I used a template to make sure all the cut out hearts were the same size. (No pic of cutting out the hearts, sorry!)
The top cuff of the boot fastens over the zip with a press stud. In this pic I had the cuffs pinned to the top of the shoelaces, but they kept falling down so I've ended up sewing them straight onto the top edge of the boot. The four little black bows were hair clips I just clipped onto the laces. But now I only have three because one fell off :(. I might sew them on by hand next time :D
The finished product! I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. I wear them a lot more now they're not ugly brown boots sitting in the back of my wardrobe. I'd wear them more, but the black dye is rubbing off onto the white vinyl which makes them look dirty :( I wish I had known more about dyeing leather so I could have prevented this!
I'd love to hear if you have modified your own boots or something similar! ^_^