DIY a Gorgeous Ankara Wedge Shoe

Donlarrie Couture
by Donlarrie Couture
4 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy

I absolutely love a good upcycle! I decided to revamp a pair of wedges into the most amazing Ankara shoes. I am totally obsessed with the Ankara style fabric! The bold colors and patterns are so much fun and can make any outfit! If you want to learn the ins and out of transforming an old pair of shoes into a super-trendy pair, my tutorial is definitely for you. Follow my simple and easy step-by-step guide and get started on this incredible upcycle!


DIY Ankara shoes


Tools and materials:

  • Fabric
  • Adhesive glue
  • Scissors
  • Razor blade
  • Old wedges 
Insert fabric into the shoe
Put glue around the shoe


To get started on this awesome shoe upcycle, I stuffed a piece of scrap fabric inside the shoe for protection. I then spread glue all across the surface area of the shoe. 

Cover with fabric
Stick on the fabric


I then covered the shoe with fabric and pressed the fabric as flat as possible over the shape of the shoe. I chose to use this amazing Ankara fabric because I just love the color and pattern but feel free to use any fabric you like. Using my fingers, I made sure that the fabric was flat on the shoe without any air bubbles or creases so that the pair would have the perfect finish. 

Ankara fabric shoes
Cut the fabric


Once the fabric was stuck onto the shoe, I cut away the excess fabric at the back, leaving enough to stick down so that the back of the shoe would be covered. 

Add glue


 To make sure that my fabric would stay on, I added more glue in areas where I could tell there wasn’t enough so that I would have a professional shoe.

Use the blade


To cut the material along the edges of the shoe, I used a razor blade to be as precise as possible. 

Cut the center


The bottom of the shoe was looking good and I used scissors to cut through the fabric at the top. 

Ankara wedge shoes


I removed the piece of scrap fabric from the inside of the shoe and using chalk, I drew around the top so that I would know exactly where to cut the fabric. 

Cut along the marking


Following my markings, I cut the fabric. I couldn't wait to try these shoes on. 

DIY Ankara wedge shoes


Next, I cut little slits into the fabric so that I could stick them down on the inside of the shoe to get the gorgeous finish I needed. 

Cut fabric from the back


I turned the shoe over and trimmed the excess fabric at the back. 

Add glue to the back
Glue the excess fabric


I added some more glue to the back of the shoe so that I could carefully stick down the leftover fabric. I made sure to fold in the raw edge of the fabric before sticking it down so that the shoe would look professional. 

Add more glue inside


I then placed glue on the inside of the shoe so that I could stick down the raw edge of the fabric. 

Hand sew an abstract flower
Add detail


To add amazing detail to the shoe, I took a strip of a black silky material and folded it in half lengthwise, I then hand sewed to gather the fabric and create an abstract flower. 

Sew the bottom together


Once the stunning flower shape was complete, I sewed the bottom of the fabric together so that the shape would hold. 

Glue on the detail


I placed some glue on the front of the shoe and stuck on the amazing black flower detail. 

How to make Ankara shoes


These shoes are just stunning and so easy to make. What outfit would you wear this pair with? Let me know in the comments below!

Suggested materials:
  • Fabric
  • Adhesive glue
  • Razor blade
See all materials

The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 47 comments
  • MJ MJ on Jul 17, 2021

    Everyone is asking about the glue . . . from the first pic it looks like a tube of UHU All Purpose Adhesive. My favorite is Quick Grip, however, I'm sure there are many other brands out there that would work fine as well.

  • Ann Ann on Jul 18, 2021

    Very creative!!

Next