Dancers darn their shoes to keep them lasting longer, and to create a more defined platform on the shoe that makes balancing and turning much easier. Darning a pointe shoe looks complicated and scary, but when broken down into steps and a bit of practice, it isn't hard at all. I would recommend practicing on an old pair of shoes that you don't plan on wearing again first (just in case!). As you get the feel for it, it quickly becomes easy. Here we go!
- First, cut the outer layer of satin off of the tip of the shoe (aka: the platform). Just a heads up, I'm using a very old pair of shoes to do this.
- Now we're going to thread our needle (and be sure to make a little knot at the end) and thread it through the edge of the satin and the layer of canvas right on the edge of the shoe (click on the photo to get a closer look).
- Take your needle and thread it through the satin and canvas just adjacent to your last stitch, but don't pull it tight just yet.
- Put your needle through the loop of the stitch just once.
- Pull it tight.
- Continue doing this around the shoe. Be sure to keep your stitches close together and to put your needle in at the same height on the satin all the way around to keep the stitches even and clean.
- When you've gone all the way around the shoe, loop your needle through a stitch several times to make a secure knot at the end, and trim your needle free. If the thread at the end of your knot is sticking out like the picture above, take a lighter and burn the edge of it. This will melt it down and also prevent it from coming undone.