How To: Sew Elastics Onto Pointe Shoes

What you will need:

• Pointe shoes
• Pointe elastic
• Needle and thread (the Stitch Kit is particularly good as it is a waxed thread therefore it doesn’t break & doesn’t slip)
• Scissors

Sewing elastics to create a loop at the heel:

• Find the adjoining creases on either side of the stitching at the heel of the pointe shoe.
• Place and pin the elastic using the crease as your marker for the inside of the elastic.
• Place the shoe onto the foot to measure the firmness of the elastic to the liking of the dancer and pin the other end in the matching location.
• Once the placement is correct sew the elastics into place with small stitches all the way around the ribbon creating a rectangle shape.
• Be mindful that you do not sew through both layers of the pointe shoe, you should not be able to see the stitching from the outside of the shoe.

Sewing elastics to create a criss cross:

• Find the adjoining creases on either side of the stitching at the heel of the pointe shoe.
• Place and pin the elastic using the crease as your marker for the inside of the elastic.
• Place the shoe onto the foot to measure the firmness of the elastic to the liking of the dancer and pin the other end to the stitching on the outside of the pointe shoe, it should sit just behind of the ribbon location. 
• Once the placement is correct sew the elastics into place with small stitches all the way around the ribbon creating a rectangle shape.
• Be mindful that you do not sew through both layers of the pointe shoe, you should not be able to see the stitching from the outside of the shoe.