Cut Out + Keep

Dyed Shoes

New Dress a Day: The Ultimate DIY Guide to Creating Fashion Dos from Thrift-Store Don'ts

https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/dyed-shoes • Posted by Random House

Julia Roberts knew just how to make those boots work in Pretty Woman, and she also knew how to maintain them— hello, Sharpie! These shoes I found were white satin (probably a wedding cast-off) but had some red crayon marks that didn’t scream “buy me,” except that’s just what I did. I had brand-new kicks with no signs of crayon at the end of the makeover! Now, where’s my Kit De Luca screaming “Work it baby, work it, do it” while I strut in my new heels?

You will need

Project Budget
Cheap

Time

1 h 00

Difficulty

Nice & Simple
Medium screen shot 2012 12 18 at 22.53.22 Medium screen shot 2012 12 18 at 22.54.01

Description

Julia Roberts knew just how to make those boots work in Pretty Woman, and she also knew how to maintain them— hello, Sharpie! These shoes I found were white satin (probably a wedding cast-off) but had some red crayon marks that didn’t scream “buy me,” except that’s just what I did. I had brand-new kicks with no signs of crayon at the end of the makeover! Now, where’s my Kit De Luca screaming “Work it baby, work it, do it” while I strut in my new heels?

Instructions

  1. Small screen shot 2012 12 18 at 22.48.31

    Using dye techniques, boil water on the stove top, add salt, and add the dye color. (Be- cause of the red marks, I went with Cherry Red to match and hide.)

  2. Small screen shot 2012 12 18 at 22.52.33

    Wet the shoes, saturating them totally.

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    If your shoes won’t fit in your dye pot, you can use a plastic container large enough to hold them. (I used a plastic shoebox from my closet, which was the perfect fit.) Add the wet shoes to the container filled with the red dye—make sure you cover your work space with news- paper or a plastic garbage bag in case of any spillage.

  4. Small screen shot 2012 12 18 at 22.53.22

    Let the shoes saturate long enough for the shade to hide the markings or until the desired color has been reached. I let them soak over- night, removed them from the box with rubber gloves, and washed them with warm water followed by cold to get all the excess dye out. To dry, I hung the slingbacks on a hanger in my shower with a few layers of newspaper un- derneath to catch drippings.