DIYGift IdeasUpcycled

DIY Fabric Covered Sneakers

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I was inspired by the fancy floral patterned sneakers all over the internet recently, but I was not inspired by the expensive prices. A quick trip to the fabric store where I found some gorgeous butterfly material, a stop at the dollar store for super cute canvas sneakers, and I am all set. Scroll down to see how I use HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl® gel coating to create DIY Fabric Covered Sneakers that are ready for Spring!

Dollar Store Sneakers Covered in Fabric by Creatively Beth #creativelybeth #fabriccraft #diycraft #fabriccoveredsneakers #diysneakers #diytennisshoes

Upcycled Dollar Store Sneakers Covered in Fabric

I will walk you through all the steps as well as tell you what not to do. Learn from my mistakes and missteps and find out my hack for making the eyelet part of the sneakers blend with the material. Using HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl® from Therm-O-Web makes the tennis shoes water-resistant and I can't wait to wear them everywhere!

Sneakers Covered in Fabric by Creatively Beth #creativelybeth #fabriccraft #diycraft #fabriccoveredsneakers #diysneakers #diytennisshoes

This post, DIY Fabric Covered Sneakers, contains affiliate links. Using links to these sites means I will earn a percentage of the purchase at no extra cost to you. This post is sponsored by Therm-O-Web but the opinions and ideas are my own.

Here's what you need to make Sneakers Covered in Fabric:

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Here's how to create Material Covered Dollar Store Tennis Shoes:

STEP ONE

To begin the DIY Fabric Covered Sneakers, gather all supplies. I found these canvas tennis shoes at the Dollar Store for just $5.00, so they are perfect for this upcycled craft project. These sneakers have a trendy style with a chunky sole and are all canvas with no rubber toe, so they are perfect for adding material to create a custom pair of kicks! Whenever you are using fabric for a craft project follow these steps before you start. Pre-wash material without fabric softener, tumble dry, and then iron to remove wrinkles. Remove the laces and set them aside.

STEP TWO

Stuff the sneakers tightly with plastic bags. This will give the canvas added sturdiness and provide a water-proof barrier. Using the DecoFoil Parchment Paper, trace the outline of each section of the canvas tennis shoe with a pencil. These sneakers have a left side, a right side, and a toe section. Use the seams as guidelines.

STEP THREE

Rough cut the material utilizing the areas of the pattern that you want to highlight. I love the large butterfly and positioned it right on the toe of the shoe. Roughly cut out the DecoFoil Parchment Paper patterns with scissors. Lay the pattern over top of the material and cut it out with scissors. The Parchment Paper is transparent, so you can line up the design perfectly within the pattern.

STEP FOUR

Apply a generous coat of the HeatnBond® Liquid Vinyl Gel Coating to the canvas toe and tongue of the sneaker with a soft bristle paintbrush. Place the material on the sneaker and apply a top coat of Liquid Vinyl. Using small detail scissors, cut around the perimeter of the toe and tongue section of the tennis shoe. Let the rubber sole and stitched edge be your guide. Apply additional Liquid Vinyl to the edges and gently burnish with the handle end of the paintbrush to make sure that you have good adhesion of the material to the canvas shoe. Repeat this step with the second sneaker.

STEP FIVE

Repeat this same process as above with the right and left sides of the sneakers. Apply Liquid Vinyl to the right and left sides of each sneaker then cover with fabric, and then go back and apply the material to the right sides of both tennis shoes. Use the stitched edges and rubber soles as guides. Then make sure all edges are sealed.

STEP SIX

And here is my secret hack. I wondered how I was ever going to cut around all the lacing grommets and then I had an idea. I happened to have the exact color match for the background color of the fabric in my craft stash, so I painted those areas instead. You can see the difference in the photo below. The painted areas make the sneakers look finished. This tip also works to cover up any places where your cuts might have been a bit wonky. Let paint dry and apply a light coat of HeatnBond® Liquid Vinyl Gel Coating.

STEP SEVEN

Laces, who knew it would be so hard to select the correct color of shoelaces for these sneakers? I tried satin ribbon in coordinating colors of robin's egg blue and lilac, but they just looked too busy to me. I texted my crafty bestie, Laura, and she agreed that the plain white shoelaces made the fabric on the shoes the star of this project. It's nice to always have someone to bounce ideas off of. White laces for the WIN!

Weatherproof DIY Fabric Covered Sneakers

Use my tutorial for covering canvas shoes with fabric using Therm-O-Web Liquid Vinyl as a jumping-off point to try some new craft products very soon. I was intimidated at first by this new HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl Gel Coating product, but after reading the directions on the Therm-O-Web website, I felt equipped to create a pair of upcycled weatherproof tennis shoes covered in material. This project turned out awesome and I cannot wait to try the Liquid Vinyl on all the ideas floating around in my head.

Shop Tombow

Create a pair of DIY Butterfly Fabric Sneakers with HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl Gel Coating by Therm-O-Web and make any fabric weatherproof and waterproof for year-round outdoor use. With all the rainstorms we get here in Florida, I am excited that these sneakers won't leave my feet soggy. The perfect coating for the kiddos sneakers, so they can go puddle jumping!

Sneakers Covered in Fabric by Creatively Beth #creativelybeth #fabriccraft #diycraft #fabriccoveredsneakers #diysneakers #diytennisshoes

Check out this quick and easy Hello Fall Pumpkin Garden Flag created with part of an old canvas dropcloth and  HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl Gel Coating by Therm-O-Web to make it weather-proof. I have all the instructions and FREE PATTERNS over on this blog post.

DIY Fall Pumpkin Flag with Therm-O-Web Adhesives by Creatively Beth #creativelybeth #thermoweb #heatnbond #gardenflag #waterprooffabric

Sharing is Caring!

Too busy to make this right now? Pin it for later!  I'd love for you to pin this DIY Fabric Covered Sneaker project to your favorite craft board on Pinterest and then it’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.

DIY Fabric Covered Sneakers with Liquid Vinyl from Therm-O-Web by Creatively Beth #creativelybeth #thermoweb #diy #fabric #sneakers #tennisshoes
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29 thoughts on “DIY Fabric Covered Sneakers

  • Your shoes are fabulous! Thanks for the wonderful instructions and tips. Lots of ideas buzzing around in my head.

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    • YAY, Bev! Excited to see what you make!

      Reply
  • I am sure that our granddaughters will love it. I will show it to our daughter and DIL
    I visited you via TEAM CREATIVE CRAFTS LINK PARTY #144
    If you are not already part of SSPS, this is a personal invite to hop over and come and share your posts with us at Senior Salon Pit Stop, every Monday to Saturday.
    See my entries: 13+14 and then navigate to the bottom of my page for the Senior Salon Pit Stop linkup, we hope to meet you there virtually.

    Reply
    • YES, Esme! I have been joining your linky party every week.
      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Awesome, I have not checked this week’s links as yet, been a crazy one for sure, Thanks for joining us weekly

        Reply
  • I cannot say I would have the patience to give this one a try, but they turned out too cute Beth! So creative, and unique, no one else will have another pair like them.

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    • THANKS, Cara! I cheated a bit on the wonky cuts by filling in with paint in the same color as the background of the fabric!

      Reply
    • Thank you, Claire Justine! They were easier than I thought they would be!

      Reply
  • They look amazing, what a fun product to try.

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    • Thank you so very much, Julie! The Liquid Vinyl is a game changer for so many fabric projects. I love it!

      Reply
    • Thank you, Paula! I have a few secrets I shared in the post to make the project much easier!

      Reply
  • Hi Beth! I loved this idea so much it will be featured in our next Home Imagined link party! Thank you for linking up and sharing your ideas with us!

    Reply
    • Thank you so much, Anna!! I love how easy they are to make!

      Reply
  • These are the cutest thing since the color pink! I love it. Thank you for sharing it with us on Farmhouse Friday. Featuring it this week. Hope you link up again soon. pinned

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    • Thank you so much Cindy! I just LOVE that fabric!

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  • This project is adorable! Love the fabric that you chose.

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    • THANK YOU, Vicki! I spoke to me at the fabric store, and that butterfly fits perfect on the toe!

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  • These are the CUTEST! You are so clever! I love the charming pattern. These look like expensive sneaks you would buy in a boutique! Well done my friend!

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    • THANK YOU, Missy! Those butterflies are my favorite!

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  • I have seen fabric covered sneakers tutorials before, but this one is the one I’m going to try! I never thought I’d get the fabric to perfectly cover the shoes but your painting hack is brilliant.

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    • Thank you, Sally! Yes, I was upset that the patterns weren’t exact, but painting the nooks and crannies really worked!

      Reply
  • I love these and I’m sharing on my Sunday Dirt Road Adventures. So cute.

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    • THANKS A BUNCH! I’ll be sure to stop by and take a look!

      Reply
  • I’ve been down the rabbit hole looking for tutorials for custom KC Current soccer shoes, and you make it look so easy!! Quick question, is the glue flexible, since shoes are made for walking 🙂 and do you recommend more than one coat of the top coat glue for longevity as I plan on wearing mine A LOT!

    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Hi Lori! Yes, the glue is flexible, and waterproof. I did one undercoat and one overcoat, but yes, I would recommend two overcoats if you’ll be wearing them alot. The trick is filling in any space where the fabric doesn’t meet with acrylic paint in the same color as the background of the fabric. Happy Crafting! Beth

      Reply
  • On the bottle of the liquid vinyl, it says to iron the project to set the glue/vinyl. Did you iron your shoes after applying the fabric? This seems very difficult to do… im not sure how I’d iron shoes 😅

    Reply
    • I did not iron the canvas sneakers, Xyleera, but the shoes have held up very well, I wear them often!

      Reply

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