4th of July Shoes

Iron-on thread allows you to decorate plain tennis shoes for any occasion. Try red, white, and blue thread to make these 4th of July shoes. For this 4th of July craft, just grab your iron and your patriotism!

Materials:

• Kids' or adults tennis shoes (we used an inexpensive child's pair of plain shoes from Wal-Mart)
• Mrs. K's Iron-on Ribbon or Braid in your choice of colors (choose reds and greens for Christmas; or red and black for ladybugs; or white for a wedding! The sky's the limit for creating fun color combinations)
• Household iron or Kreinik Mini Iron
• 3" x 4" Teflon press cloth

Instructions:

1. Make sure the shoes are clean and dry before beginning.
    
2. Turn your iron onto the highest heat setting, and allow it to heat thoroughly. The adhesive in the thread needs high heat to be activated.
    
3. Trace a pattern in light disappearing ink or pencil, if you need design lines to follow. You can also use stencils or draw freeform.
    
4. Place Mrs. K's Iron-on Thread at your starting point, cover with the Teflon Press Cloth, and press with a hot iron for a few seconds to "tack" the thread into place.
    
5. Continue ironing the thread down in sections, covering with the Teflon and pressing for 3 to 5 seconds with your iron. The Teflon press cloth keeps the adhesive from sticking to your iron.
    
6. When finished, clip the thread, and start again with your next color in the same manner.