Needleworkmonday ||Mending a Pair of Damaged Shoes with Crochet

I found this not so old pair of shoes while I was cleaning the house a few days ago. This was my favorite pair, evidently, with the amount of wear and tear caused by frequent use. But aside from the huge tore in the inner sole, I believe this is still usable.

I think it’s been two months already since it was last worn. I remembered buying this shoe before the pandemic happened, which was two years ago. Aside from its sleek design, I bought this footwear because for Php109 only, it was a great bargain. And for someone with a great eye for cheap but comfortable and trendy fashion, this was a total package.

Looking at the damaged part, my head kept telling me that there should still a chance this pair of shoes can still see the light of day again. I don't have the heart (and a lot of money) to throw away this pair of shoes. I know I can still salvage this one. There has to be a way to make this a beauty it once was. Plus I am still on a tight budget due to pandemic. I have to be very wise in managing our expenses as we still don't know yet when this pandemic will be over, I need to allocate my budget on basic necessities.

Then a question just popped up on my mind asking, “Why not use crochet to mend what is broken or damaged?” And then an idea came up to me. So I hastily finished cleaning the house. As soon as I was done, I went ahead and gathered the materials that I needed.

Materials:

• Mercerized cotton (I choose same color as the shoes and have it double pull.)
• 2.2mm hook
• Scissor
• Gluestick
• Lighter
• My old shoe

Procedures:

• Double pull the mercerized cotton and chain 11.
• (1st layer) Double crochet on the 8th chain back to the 2nd chain, then make 4 double crochet on the 1st chain, then turning upside down double crochet until the end making 2 double crochet on the end part then slip stitch. (See Picture #2 and #3)
• (2nd layer) Chain 2, double crochet in every stitch (note: make 2 double crochet in 1 stitch in one side and the other side) then slip stitch.
• (3rd layer – 11th layer) chain 2, double crochet in every stitch up to the end, then slip stitch.

Now it looks like a pouch ready for the inner sole to insert. I decided not to cover the entire sole because it will double the thickness of the sole, it might get tighter on my toes. The inner portion will get elevated and will make my toes squeeze.

After I inserted the inner sole on the crochet pocket that I made, I glued it back to the shoes using the lighter and the glue stick.

The whole process only lasted an hour and I enjoyed doing it knowing that I can wear my favorite pair of shoes again soon. I was very happy with the outcome of this project because of two reasons: (1) I was able to save a lot, and (2) I was able to help Mother Nature by minimizing waste and recycling.

My passion for crochet has always led me to unique and beautiful solutions to almost everything that I wanted to mend, recreate or alter.

I hope you enjoyed my needlework story as much as I did. I will very much appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have.