Sewing elastics on ballet slippers

[harls321]

Hi,

This is a silly question but do you sew on the elastics for regular ballet slippers before or after you tighten the drawsting?

[koshka]

Hi,

This is a silly question but do you sew on the elastics for regular ballet slippers before or after you tighten the drawsting?

 

It doesn't matter, though I guess after is preferable.

The elastics should be sewn so that they do not interfere with the action of the drawstring, and the drawstring should be knotted securely, but loosely enough to allow for readjustment as needed.

[thedancingj]

Or you can be a lazy bum like me and NEVER SEW SLIPPER ELASTICS EVER. I just keep mine knotted in a loop and cross them under the sole... been doing it that way for years and years out of sheer habit.

 

Not to confuse the issue or anything.

[Guest pink tights]

I do the cross under the sole, except I sew mine. It takes 5 minutes! But I spend a lot of time sitting around (in my car), waiting for my dd--at dance, music, school, blah, blah, blah...I should knit myself some decent leg warmers...

[ami1436]

I do the same under the arch thing! Oh I'm so happy to find someone else who does - most of the people who know me here think I'm nuts. But lately have had to sew elastics for shows...

[Guest tutuonmymind]

Now you tell me I don't have to sew them on? I was just feeling good Monday night because I sewed on my first elastics ever. I always got the kind where they were already sewn on.

 

I didn't draw the strings first though. My ballet teacher told me to fold up the back part of the heel of the shoe and sew the elastics on at the point in the side where the fold meets at the side of the shoe. In order to keep the thread from interfering with the drawstring, I sewed my stitches in the same place as the stitching under the drawstring. Since this was my first time, I was extra careful with the other side. I tried the shoe on, pulled the elastic over my foot to make sure it was comforable, marked it (using the eyeball approach) and then sewed the other side on at approximately the same side on the shoe. They seem to be okay now.

 

But next time I'll try to remember the "loop and cross approach".

[thedancingj]

Hehe, no, good job, tutuonmymind! You did it the PROPER way! Plus it's good practice for sewing POINTE SHOES one day. I discovered the lazy tie-underneath way when I was about 14 and my mom said she wasn't sewing my shoes anymore, and I never looked back... (Wow that was a long time ago. I am pretty old.) Come to think of it, I've never even had them sewn for shows... sssshhh, don't tell!

[ami1436]

Ooh my teachers would not be happy if I didn't sew them for shoes. I do both the knot trick or just sew the ends together (one twisted - so that they lay flat on your foot) and then cross/loop.

 

All that said - I don't know that this works for everyone. I have a decent arch and all, but a very shallow/low profiled foot. I know some people who have those gorgeous luscious insteps feel that the elastics start to cut off circulation if they are looped like this!

[Guest pink tights]

Ami--I have a high arch and they don't cut off the circulation, but the elastic gets very stretched out. My dd has amazing banana feet--I sew the ends very close together, without a lot of overlap--she complains they are tight at first, but eventually the elastic stretches.

 

DancingJ--when I sew them the proper way, they always look uneven. I re-sewed one pair about 4 times...too tight, too loose...

[lampwick]

They cut my circulation, so I usually end up un-doing the whole thing during barre, and have a GIANT loop of tied elastic hanging around my foot.

 

I think I'm just going to do away with the elastic altogether. The shoe seems to stay on anyway.

[Guest pink tights]

Some brands have longer elastics.

[Swiss_Chard]

So since we're on the subject of elastics and I just got a new pair of slippers, what is the purpose of criss-crossing the elastics? On my previous pair, I just had one elastic going across my foot. This new pair has two sets pre-attached. Looping them over my foot didn't work, because the elastic was too short. I've been trying to sew them on, but they don't feel comfortable, so I think I might just detach them and revert to one elastic. Ahh, extra work.

[NutsaboutBallet]

I think it's just a trend!. You really do not need the elastic at the heel unless your heel slips off!

[Dance_Scholar_London]

The time-consuming part for me is always to figure out at what length I shall cut the elastics... looking at old shoes does not really help as they are too stretched out. The actual sewing does not take long at all though...

[missvjc420]

I find that having 2 crossed elastics helps the shoe conform to my arch better. Conversely, on pointes I like 1 elasic across the foot and and elasticized ribbons.