These studded canvas shoes for him have the perfect amount of embellishment without going completely over the top.
The best part is that these shoes can be DIY’d in a flash, without any expensive tools and with very little craft skill required. Can you measure accurately? Are you allowed to handle sharp objects? Have a pair of pliers handy? Then you have all the skills required to amp up the style on an otherwise boring pair of shoes.
Supplies:
- Plain, canvas shoes
- 3/8-inch brass pyramid rivets (the number of rivets will vary depending on your layout and shoe size)
- Sharp awl tool
- Measuring tape
- Chalk marker
- Jewelry pliers
Step 1:
Plan your desired layout, and then mark the rivet placements with the chalk pencil. Use your measuring tape to ensure the rivets are evenly spaced and follow the lines of the shoe — this is not the time to eyeball it! Your design will look much better if you keep your spacing as consistent as possible. The beauty of using the chalk pencil is that if you make a mistake, just use a wet rag to wipe off your chalk marks, and start over.
Step 2:
Use the awl to carefully make holes to insert the rivets. Make sure you are using an awl that makes a big enough hole to accommodate the rivet shaft. It’s perfectly fine if you make all your holes first and then come back to insert all the rivets. Just be sure to keep the awl handy, because you will need it to guide the rivets through the holes.
Step 3:
Now it’s time to add the rivets. These come in two parts: the shaft and the cap. The shaft — or base — will be inserted into the holes you’ve created, through the inside of the shoe. Push the shaft through a hole. Then simply add a cap, and give a quick but gentle squeeze with a small pair of pliers to set the cap. You’ll know the cap is set, because it will be locked onto the base. It might take a few rivets before you are comfortable with how much pressure to use. Too much, and the shape of the rivet can be affected. Not enough, and the cap will come off with very little effort. Consider practicing a few times on a piece of scrap fabric.
And with that, your shoes are ready to go!
This post was brought to you by Levi’s®.
More DIY shoes
DIY glittery heels
DIY designs to spice up a pair of canvas shoes
DIY ribbon flats
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