Just some bows on shoes

I thought I would talk about bows on shoes.

Who doesn't love them?

(Sorry, left pesky super stuck label on cos I was in a hurry)

But sometimes the shoemakers get it a bit wrong in trying to be funky.  These office shoes originally came with rags as laces:

I can see what they are trying to do, a distressed finish to modern up these lacy lovelies, but skinny cheap cotton rags tend to rip, in fact a bit ripped off when I even tried them on in the shop.  So now that they are safe at home with me they have their new grosgrain bows that are just the right amount of floppy to be lush and just the right amount of form to be ladylike. I love grosgrain ribbon.

I also have this pair from Hush Puppies (a year old now) and their original satin ribbons with false leather on the end comes undone all the time, and sits out too stiff and proud - making them look like witchy shoes to me. 

So now the navy ones have been grosgrained too, and they no longer come undone.

The 4 year old in me really liked the idea of contrasting ribbons, say melon or red or even cream. Or maybe some with spots on them (this might yet be re-visited). But then I remembered that I am closer to 40 than 4. Damn. They have enough girlish-ness to them already I think.

I am a funny one for finishing off the ends of bows.  They either need a diagonal line or a shape "V" cut into the ends.  For these bows I made a diagonal cut and then sealed the end by holding it really close to a candle flame. This melts the synthetic fibre and seals the edge so it won't fray. My dad used to do it with bits of nylon rope and things like webbing straps on backpacks, so that must be how I know about it. 

I feel the need to do a disclaimer now: it won't work on natural fibres, they will just catch fire. Don't do it if you are not an adult. Be careful of your clothing/hair/cat catching fire. Be sensible about it. A candle is manageable since you need to get close to the flame, bonfires: not so easy. Have a bucket of water, a loaded fire extinguisher or a topless fireman handy.  I recommend the fireman; they tend to be more effective, but he MUST be topless. Not advisable to melt ribbon while drinking. Definitely advisable to melt into fireman after drinking. Do not melt and drive. Wear a seatbelt. And finally, have a little practise first on a scrap piece of ribbon