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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

DIY No-Brainer No-Tie Elastic Laces




This is one of those things that I cannot believe I didn't think of before.  I am ALWAYS searching stores for shoes my kids can put on and take off by themselves, partially because it's easier for me, but also because it's required at The Boy's school.  I love it when I find shoes that have elastic laces, because they don't look like "baby shoes" but are still easy-on easy-off.

Um, elastic in the place of laces.  Like, laces removed, elastic in its place.  Yes, I suppose I could do that, couldn't I?    When I think of the cute lace-ups I have avoided buying on great clearance deals...but no more.  I will be able to replace any old laces I want with elastic.  I am totally having a hand-to-forehead-DUH moment. I might even do this with my own shoes--who wants to bother with tying, anyway?

I found these little Converse in Little Sister's size at the thrift store for $3.99.  I didn't notice the double-neon tongue until I got them home, but I can work with that.

She wanted to put them on right away, but I managed to snag them away from her long enough to put in these elastics.  So this is a very quick project.


 
Start by removing the laces.

 
I used two 14-inch lengths of elastic, roughly shoelace width, for these size Toddler 6 Converse.  I happened to have some elastic that I took out of a piece of clothing somewhere along the line, but new elastic works fine too :)



 Start by lacing the elastic through the holes, just like you'd do for regular shoelaces.  If you have a little tab on the tongue, lace one side of the elastic through it--it will keep it from sliding around.
 
When you get to the top, put one lace behind the...lace-up area?  What do you call it?  I'm talking about where the grommets are.  So behind there, but on top of the tongue.  If you've gone through the loop on the tongue, just leave that elastic behind there.  On the other side, lace the elastic through the top grommet.

 
Then loop the elastic at the top over to the other side and pull it through.

 
Both laces should be lined up on the same side, behind the grommets.

 
Now straighten out the laces to where you want them when finished.  After you line that up, then pinch the two pieces of elastic and pull them out far enough to fit in your sewing machine.  I sewed back-and-forth several times in a wide zig-zag to secure the two ends of the elastic together.



Once that's done, trim the extra elastic and the loose threads, and let the elastic slip back into place.  


You're ready to go!  And save those shoelaces, because if you decide to teach your child to tie their own shoes, you can easily snip the elastic out and put the shoelaces back in.  You haven't changed the shoe at all.

 
Aren't you excited?  I know I am!

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15 comments:

  1. What a great idea!!! Thanks to share it

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    1. My pleasure! It was really one of those things that I really couldn't believe I'd never thought of before, so I'm relieved to see I'm not the only one :)

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  2. Great idea! Wish I had known this years ago when my children were little but with 10 grandchildren I'm sure this will be used often.

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    1. As my dad said, I'll probably be doing this for his shoes someday--ha! But I almost want to give up on laces for everyone in my family now!

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  3. Um...out with velcro shes in with tie ups. Great idea, thanks!
    Hilary

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  4. What a good idea! I almost made some but then a mom at my kids school told me about these elastic shoelaces made for Chucks called Synch Bands. I called them "sink bands" but my friend corrected me and said they were called "cinch bands"..anyways my son and daughter love them!! OMG they save me so much time in the morning from having to deal with their laces ugh! cool colors too :) synchbands.com

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  5. You complete me. You're my idol.

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    1. I don't know, Helen--that's a lot of pressure! Glad you enjoyed the post :)

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  6. AWESOME! works like a charm. Thanks for sharing!!!

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  7. This is amazing! Thank you! My son has long feet so he's still so little but in shoe sizes without velcro. This is fantastic!

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  8. Hot Digitty-Dog, I got it! Thank you sooooo much!

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  9. Hi Beth - I like this post! Tried this on my boys, however they are so rough with their shoes they wound up breaking. I ended up buying these: http://www.amazon.com/shops/stretchlace and they've been a lifesaver. Just in case there are any moms like me that are having a hard time. What's great is they can still tie their shoes if they need to practice. My husband swears by them. I love your chiku chiku line too!

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  10. Thanks - looking for ideas to replace laces in my own (grown up) shoes as I've slipped a disc in my back and can't reach the laces!

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  11. I wish I would have thought about this for adult shoes. It would have saved my oldest from having to tie my shoes with my last pregnancy. This will work great, though, for the middle 2 that aren't quite grasping the shoe tying thing yet.

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  12. This is a great idea, thanks! I'm going to Japan and will have to take shoes on and off a lot. I think 1/4" will be a good size for my Converse shoes.

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