How to make Ankara shoes in 7 easy steps



Love fashion? How about making your own fashionable accessories? You can do it following our simple steps on Ankara shoes.

Ankara fabrics are fascinating. They are so colorful and diverse in prints. This fabric can be used for a variety of fashion and design purposes. Once you learn how to make Ankara shoes, you can use it to renovate your outfits and turn old shoes into pretty new ones. The fabric is essential for African fashion and this DIY project can help you stay tuned and trendy at all times.

Another reason to make your own shoes using Ankara is to match them to your outfits. You can look flawless with shoes exactly fitting the print on your dress. Plus, such handmade shoe décor is unique. It will be a certain head turner at the party or even on the street. You can upgrade and tuned up any pair of shoes starting with sneakers and ending up with high heels. Get ready for your complete shoe transformation!
List of materials:


Ankara fabric
Old or new shoes
Gum glue for fabrics
Scissors
A knife
Pencil or piece of chalk (leftover soap)
 A razor
A small hammer
Shoe last





1.  Prepare the shoes
Since you are going to glue the fabric on the shoes, their surface needs to be clean and even. If any part of shoe material (like old leather or faux leather) peels off, that could create air bubbles once you wrap the shoes up with the African prints.

So, the shoes have to be cleaned well and deoil, especially if you have already worn them. The skin oil can prevent glue from doing its job. Deoil the shoes from inside and outside. You can use glass cleaning sprays to do that or just any alcohol. It easily removes the oil.

If you are dealing with a pair of spikes, you should remove the shoe base or the sole both from the bottom and underneath the heel. That is if you want the shoe base to look neat and professional and you want to wrap the spike along with the shoe.

You may leave the spike unwrapped to contrast the Ankara fabric. This way you would be able to glue the fabric underneath the sole. Next, you sand-paper the shoes on the top. If the shoes are shiners, they are too slippery and smooth. Sanding them helps making little dints for the glue to hold on to and fill in. Finally, if you are wrapping the heel, too, you should remove the tap off of them. Now your shoes are ready for the great revamp and tuning them up to the latest Ankara fashion trends.


2.     Measure and cut the material
Measuring is crucial. What you want is two shoes that look alike. It’s a pretty hard thing to do with the latest Ankara styles and prints. You need to make sure the print fits similarly on both shoes. So, how do you make Ankara shoes so, that they match?

You measure the fabric and fit it carefully.
First you measure and cut the first piece and then cut the second one exactly the same size and the same print direction and pattern. Do not start with one shoe, glue the fabric up and then move to another. You would never be able to match them up like that. First cut both pieces, match them and then move on to gluing.





3.     Wrap up
Find the center on both pieces of fabric and mark them it by notching the edges on two sides. These notches would help you properly place the fabric and center it on the shoes. Use a shoe last to place it inside the shoe. This will make the task easier for you. If you do not have one, you may stuff the shoe with some newspapers or paper to make it hold its shape and not to bend in. Make some sort of handle for you to hold the shoe, when you apply the glue on it.

Now, you need to use glue which takes time to dry up. Do not use the instant one. It would not let you make any adjustments of the fabric on the shoe. Apply the glue on both shoes with a pretty thick layer. You may use a small brush to do so. Spread it out evenly. Let it soak a bit. Do not apply the glue on the shoe bottom.

Take out the shoe last and start adjusting the fabric.  You have a rectangular piece of it. Place the center notches on the shoe back and front parts. Smooth the fabric down to make it slightly stick. Now cut open the middle part, where the leg is inserted. Make a straight cut at first and smoothen down the fabric on the top edge of the shoe.

Cut out excessive fabric in the middle leaving over-measure to wrap it around the edge. Now pull the fabric a bit and glue it on the sides of the shoe. Wrap the lower end over the bottom edge. All the fabric wrinkles should be on the sole, and not on the sides of the shoe. In the front part just wrap the fabric tightly around the toecap and make it go under.

Move to the heel and wrap the Ankara around the entire heel, if it is a spike. For wider heels you should wrap only the back part and the under part wrap with a measured and cut separate slice of fabric.   You are done with the wrapping right now.





4.	Trimming
This is another crucial part of the process. Trimming can be done with scissors or with a sharp razer. Remove the extra fabric on the bottom of the shoe. If you are decorating only the shoe platform heel, you should trim the edges with a razor.
 
5.	Clip the edges
Start with the top edge. Clip the over-measure fabric inside the shoe and glue it there. Apply fresh glue and press it down to stick well. When you put on or take them off, you do not want any fabric to get easily unglued. Move to the sole part. Apply glue to all the edges of the bottom, clip the fabric and glue it down.
 
6.	Glue back the sole
If you have removed the sole before wrapping your shoes, you need to put it back. Removing the sole is highly recommended. Otherwise, the fabric on the bottom would easily wear off, get unglued and your shoes would start peeling.
Apply the glue to the entire shoe bottom and on the sole.

Then glue it back. Use a little hammer to beat on the shoe sole and make it stick well back. If any edges remain unglued, put some more glue to fix it.

Put back the tap and let it dry.

Place back the tap and set your shoes to dry. You may put something heavy inside the shoes to make the bottom part stick better. Read the glue instructions on how long the drying process should take.

Now you know how to make pretty Ankara shoes. You can decorate them in a variety of styles.

This is an awesome way to revamp old shoes and create a bright and fashionable outfit. Be creative and produce your own styles.