How to - Amelia Caldwell

How to prepare pointe shoes for use

1. First you must cut the ribbon into four equal sized ribbons (two for each shoe).

2. To know where to place the ribbon, take the back of the pointe shoe and fold it into the middle of the shoe. Where the edge of the shoe lies is where you will sew the ribbons (on each side).

3. Cut four equal pieces of elastic

4. Place one end of elastic on top of the ribbon and sew. The other end goes on the back of the pointe shoe around 1 inch from the back seam; you do this with each piece of elastic.

5. After the ribbons and elastic are sewn on, you can trim off the edge of the ribbons and burn them with a lighter to prevent fraying.

After your pointe shoes are sewn, you must break them in. Here are the two easiest ways to break in your pointe shoes without “killing” them.

 1.      Find your natural arch and mark the spot on the shank (the stiff board running on the bottom side down the middle) where it lines up with your foot. Place the marked part of the shoe on a doorway, and bend the shoe around the doorway so that the shank becomes curved and fits nicely with the arch of your foot.

2.      The box, or toe, of the shoe is usually very tight. In order to avoid blisters, step on the top of the box and flatten it out so the shoe does not rub against your skin.

You now have pointe shoes that are ready for use!