With this entry I
open a new section on the blog - tips/tutorials. I'll
be publishing mini ballet tutorials. I hope you will enjoy them and they would
prove to be useful in the future. Today
I will show you how to sew ribbons and elastics to the pointe shoes step by
step. Probably
every one of us had this problem once before. For me, it usually ends up on
multiple trials and errors.
Ok, here we go!
We need:
Pointe shoes ;)
ribbons
elastics
scissors
threads&needle
You can also glue leather tip protector in order not to damage the satin on top
Firstly I sew on my ribbons. The simplest method to find a perfect spot for them is to fold the heel in the manner shown in the picture. You sew on the ribbons in the place where it bends.
If you
have a satin ribbon, you cut it into four equal parts. Ready
bought ribbons are usually already pre- cut.
There is one good way to check whether you are sewing them on in the right place - you can see where your foot curves the most and sew them there. I show it on the photo with my old pointes. Ribbons must hold the inner sole under the line of the foot, so the best place is the highest point of your arch. In my pointe shoes they could possibly be sewn slightly farther in the direction of the heel.
Sew
on the ribbons at a slight angle to the shoe. If
you sew them at 90 degrees, they would not hold the foot tight moreover part of
material would be loose and look ugly.
After finding the perfect place for ribbons you can mark it with a pencil on the inside of the shoe. For sewing some girls use dental floss, while I use simple thread from sewing machine. For protection fold the end of ribbon to make a square that will be sewn into the inside of the shoe (as shown above). Sew each side of the square to the canvas in the inside, taking care not to pierce the satin on the outside! If you have a drawstring pointe shoes, watch out not to sew ribbons to the drawstring.
Then sew on the elastics. I like to have them a little more to the back of the heel than ribbons. We need to cut elastic in half so that it holds tight but not so tight it prevents circulation or movement.
After sewing on elastics the only thing that remains is the leather tip protector. You have to try them on the shoe and cut off the excess. The best glue for leather is the strongest you can find, they like to come off easily.
Viola! Once dry, we have a ready to use (or actually break in ;)) pointe shoes.
Have a nice day!
Photo collaboration with Galianova Photography
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