Pointe Shoe Sewing Tips: Sides Pull Away from Ribbons & Elastic

How to Keep the top edges of your pointe shoes from gapping

🎵🎶🎶 Now whip it. Into shape. Shape it up. Get straight. Go forward. Move ahead. Try to detect it. It’s not to late. To whip it. Whip it good. 🎵🎶 ~ Devo

Do the top sides of your pointe shoe pull away from your foot and anchored ribbons, particularly as you are rolling through demi-pointe? Consider adding a whip stitch that is stitched around the drawstring channel (so you don’t inhibit the drawstring function). The whip stitch will create a bond between your ribbons/elastic and the top of the drawstring channel, keeping everything neatly together.

Some dancers may not need to add a whip stitch to every elastic connection. The pointe shoe is this photo only had a gapping problem on the front elastic connection, so that is where we added an extra whip stitch. Do what works for your feet!

As always, your sewing doesn’t have to be perfect. No one will see your uneven stitching, but they might notice gapping sides!

Adding a whip stitch can bond your ribbons and elastics to the top edge of your pointe shoe.

Pointe Shoe Sewing Tips: Sore Fingers

How to prevent your fingers from getting sore from sewing pointe shoes.

The fabric on some pointe shoes is a bit more challenging to sew than others. If your fingers are getting sore, consider these options.

1. Buy a thimble to keep in your sewing kit
2. Use an old pointe shoe to help push the needle through the fabric. 💡
3. Get someone else to sew your shoes (actually, no.)

We are a huge advocate for dancers learning to sew their own pointe shoes. It’s the best way for dancers to learn to fine tune their pointe shoes and take responsibility for their dance equipment. If something goes wrong backstage, a dancer needs some sewing skills.

As a clumsy sewer, my own personal finger-saving sewing hack is to use an old pointe shoe. I place the old pointe shoe on my lap or table, leather side up. After I get the needle in the right spot, I press the back end of the needle on the old pointe shoe and push the fabric down on top of the needle tip. The old pointe shoe takes a beating (see all the small holes in the photo?), but my fingers can live another day.

Happy sewing!