DIY Sequin Ruby Sneakers
When I made the first pair of ruby slippers, my mom couldn’t wear them like I was hoping she could. She loves them and has them on display in a lighted display case, but I wanted her to have a pair that she could get some use out of. Rather than make her another pair of ruby slippers, I decided to mix it up this time and make a pair of ruby sneakers. Influenced by my own shoe biases, I’m sure, sneakers just sounded like the more comfortable option. Maybe I’ll make a pair of ruby sandals for myself, since that’s what I would live in year-round if I could! Ruby slides, anyone?
Back to the sneakers…
The process for making ruby sneakers is actually a lot like making the ruby slippers, which you can read about here. I wrote out my whole process there. There are a few extra steps in this process, as well as a few things I did slightly differently, so I’ll highlight those.
Here are the supplies I used:
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For the shoes:
Rit dye
gloves
E6000
toothpick
scissors
red acrylic paint
paint brush
For the bows:
small piece of red leather/faux leather
red rectangular rhinestones (8x10mm)
red bugle beads
I decided that slip-on shoes were the way to go for this project. I didn’t want to mess with laces and all that comes with that. I ordered a pair of Keds and had my mom try them on to make sure they fit before I did anything else.
I used the same dye to dye these shoes as I did the ruby slippers, and I even brushed it on with a foam brush the same way. I didn’t bother protecting the rubber outsole because I knew I’d be painting that anyway. From the research I did, it sounds like a lot of people use acrylic paint on canvas shoes, so that’s another way to go if you don’t want to mess with dye. I already had the dye from the ruby slippers, so I just used that.
I used acrylic paint for the outsole. I wanted to use something a little more special than plain red, so I found red metallic paint. I tried two different brands, and they both looked a little too pink for my liking, so I ended up using a red paint I already had and a coat of red glitter. In hindsight I wish I’d also brushed on a protective coat of acrylic or something similar, and I may end up doing that still.
Once the paint had dried, I stuffed the shoes with plastic bags, taped off the outsoles, and took them outside to spray them with two coats of Scotchgard. I don’t expect these shoes to be worn in super wet weather, but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. I also didn’t know if the glue would bleed through at all, so I decided this was just an all-around good barrier.
As soon as the shoes were dry, I grabbed my E6000 and started gluing! I started on the back of the first shoe. I glued the right side of the first sequin and placed it down low—just above the outsole. I left the left side glue-free so that I could tuck the last sequin in that row underneath it, and you wouldn’t be able to tell where I started. I continued my pattern from last time of squeezing a 2-4 inch long line of glue, covered it with sequins, and then took my toothpick and tapped them all into place. I made as many complete rows as I could, but after 3-4 rows I ran into the bottom of the elastic part on the side.
As it turns out, this is one difference between the slippers and sneakers. There wasn’t anything to navigate around on the slippers. All along I’d been sorting out any broken sequins and setting them aside. 15,000 sequins and you’re bound to find a few of those. They came in VERY HANDY here. I had pieces of all sizes, and I was always able to find the perfect piece to fit around the fabric trim on these shoes. When I eventually ran out of pieces, I found that I could easily cut the sequins into the pieces I needed. I had plenty to spare, so I cut a bunch of sequins into two pieces each—in different ways—and I had a nice assortment to choose from when I needed them.
The last row of sequins went all the way around the fabric trim along the opening of the shoe. It gives a very nice finished edge to the shoes.
I made the bows for this pair at the same time as the ones for the ruby slippers. After all of my agonizing over finding the right rhinestones, the 8x10mm octagons, 4mm rounds, and bugle beads ended up looking beautiful.
I glued on the bows with E6000, and then I was done! Except I wasn’t. I couldn’t get over the way the elastic looked. Just too pink compared to the sequins. I decided to go for it and use the same paint I used for the outsole. I stretched it out as I was painting to make sure the paint got down into it, and it looks great!
I gave these to my mom as soon as they were done, and I’ve actually seen her wearing them several times already! She said they’re very comfortable, and they’re holding up well. I did see a little bit of paint peeling along the outsole on the inner edge of one shoe, but I think that could be remedied with a protective coat or two. In my quest for the perfect color, I ended up painting so many coats that you really don’t notice the issue unless you look closely.
As much as I love the ruby slippers, I appreciate the wearability of these. I can tell they’re going to get a lot of love and wear by my mom, and I hope you love yours just as much if you decide to make a pair of your own.
