cute iron-on transfer shoes // DIY back-to-school

Restyling white canvas shoes makes such a fun, thrifty project! I love how cute and stylish mine turned out!

Read on to learn how to make a pair of your own! 😉

Supplies

• Canvas sneakers (preferably white)
• Iron transfer paper (Any old tshirt transfer paper should work)
• Pattern to print (It’s fun because you can print whatever design to make your shoes unique! I chose a floral pattern)
• Scissors
• Clothes iron
• Leather or suede cord (optional)

Pull those old white shoes out of your closet, give them a good washing (like Anna explains in this video), and let’s get started!

Once you have all your supplies, preheat the iron and unlace both shoes. Then print your chosen pattern on some tshirt transfer paper, making sure the designs are the right size.

You can trace a large piece to fit the shape of the shoe, but I found it easier to just cut out small parts of the design to transfer individually.

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Following the instructions for your specific transfer paper, iron the pieces of your design to the shoe. It’s totally up to you where you put the designs and how densely you cluster them!

Work one piece at a time, and make sure to let an area cool before peeling the paper off!

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My best ironing tips (so you don’t have to make the mistakes that I did! 😅)

• Put your hand or hard object inside the shoe so it doesn’t bend as you are ironing it
• The canvas and metal eyelets can really heat up, so be careful!
• DO NOT BURN THE RUBBER TRIM. I have photo evidence of this and it does not look pretty, believe me! It helps to use a smaller iron or position the tip of it so that you are coming up from the topside of the shoe, not the bottom. That can make it easier to work around the rubber.
• If the paper is peeling a little, gently tap it with the iron to make it stick.

On some of the areas where I made a gnarly mistake, I simply ironed another flower over it. Some mistakes are fine tho! I love the weathered look of the faded flowers. 😍

When you’re satisfied with how it looks, you’re done!

To finish, I just cut leather cord the length of the old laces and threaded it in!

The transformation 😍

I might eventually spray them with a fabric sealant, but I can’t recommend one yet since I don’t know how it interacts with the transfers. 😉

What do you think of the shoes? Have you ever burned yourself on an iron?

What design would YOU choose to transfer to a pair of old sneakers?

I think I’ll do a pair of unique, painted shoes next! Super excited!! 😁

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