How to Embroider Canvas Tennis Shoes

Embroidery is a great way to bring a personal--and fashionable--touch to canvas tennis shoes. Whether you stitch your initials, flowers, a butterfly or other decorative images, you're transforming a simple pair of tennies into a one of a kind fashion statement.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Canvas tennis shoes
• Embroidery hoop
• Embroidery needle
• Thread in various colors, cut in 18-inch strands
• Steam iron
• Iron-on embroidery designs (optional)

1. Decide on a design before you start the project. You can get ideas from viewing embroidered tennis shoes for sale at stores and specialty boutiques. Also browse craft stores like Michael's for materials--and talk to the salespeople for inspiration.

2. Get your shoes ready to be embroidered once you've decided on a design. If they're old and dingy, throw them in the washing machine first. Use a steam iron to spot-treat any creases--it's very important to keep the fabric free of wrinkles before embroidering.

3. Apply any iron-on transfers you'll be filling in with embroidery. This is a great way to give yourself a framework for an artistic design that can come alive with colorful threads. Another option is to sketch out a design by hand yourself and then fill in with embroidery.

4. Separate the embroidery hoop, if you have one small enough to maneuver into the shoe. Otherwise, pull the fabric as tight as you can before stitching. Since brand new canvas shoes are very tight, a hoop probably won't be necessary--but shoes that have been worn and washed multiple times will have too much give, so you'll need to stretch the fabric before stitching.

5. Stitch your pattern. The chain and cross stitch are good for outlining and filling in, while the stem stitch is perfect if your design is floral.