How to Make your Own Ghillies or Irish Dancing Soft Shoes

Final Product

Introduction

If your product is not elemental, create a need. Well. I had the need, and the product was not here. It seems that Ghellies or Soft Shoes used for Irish dancing are not very popular in my country. And me living in a small town apart from the whole word does not help my situation.

That's why, with my teacher encouraging me I decided to make my own Ghillies.


Difficulty of craft: Medium
Skills you need: Sowing and Patience.
Time required: 3 hours at the most.

What you need:

*Basic dancing shoes

*Lace of Polyester fabric 60 centimeters or 24 inches long and 1.5 cm or 0.5 inches wide.

*Elastic String (2 meters or 6.5 foot)

*Sowing Machine (You could do it by hand but it will require lots of patience)

*Black thread

*Heat from a Candle or a Stove.

*Dry soap or a pencil that can mark fabric and can be erasable.






Procedure

1) Remove the cotton strings that came with the shoe by pulling it tightly from one side.

2) Measure the polyester lace and cut little pieces of 3 cm. each or 1 Inch. You should have at least 20 pieces (You will have more but its just in case something happens.). Its 10 pieces per shoe. Note that I used 8 pieces
cause i wear a small size shoe and for the wide of the lace it looked too packed. I preffered them to look more neat. If you want to wear it with 10 pieces and you have my same problem use a less wider lace (like 1 cm or 0.45 inches more or less.)

Pieces of the lace.

3) Burn in the stove the side of the laces that might rip. Just get the side close to the fire (not into the fire, the heat will melt the fabric when you get it a little close). This procedure should be very fast because if not the fabric will turn out to be very stiff and will break.

Preparing the edges of the laces.

4) Fold the laces putting both edges together. Sow the border so you end up having a little curl. Do this with all 20 laces. The seam can be straight one.

Sowing the folded Lace.

 5)Place the laces where you will want them on your shoe. Mark it with the soap. Put the other shoe in line with the marked one. Use a ruler to make the marks at the same height than the previous marked one.

Curls already sowed.    Marking the layout.       Marking at same height in both shoes.

6) Sow the laces in the middle first. There are 2 middle Laces in each shoe. On the front and the back. The one of the front is the most difficult one. You have to twist the shoe in order to sow from the inside part of it . Use a small zig zag seam for it. If you like where its placed reforce it by a second sow.



7) Cut the elastic String in half and finish your shoes!!

Place the string and your Ghillies are ready!!!