Simple 15 Min. Shoe repair.

Ripped only after few months.
Simple 15 Min. Shoe repair.

Yesterday, i noticed my beloved husband's Gym shoes. The sponge on the back side was completely gone. I asked him about the shoes.
"It is time for them to go. I need a new pair" Was the answer my husband gave.Of course, I couldn't agree more, at first.







In my mind:

My inner Economist Housewife said:" Oh boy. Didn't we just buy those few month ago? They suppose to be the best kind that is good for the back support. But he is right. The whole back is gone and they have no support. We will need to spend lots of money again to buy another decent pair.

My inner Green Diva said: "We will donate or recycle them. So someone else will use them."

My inner Economist Housewife said: "Or we can take them to the neighborhood Shoe repair store (Cobbler) and have them repaired. It hopefully will cost less.

My inner Green Diva agreed: " We could do that.What a waste if all these plastic pieces end up in landfills.

My inner Homestead said: "I might be able to repair them. All i need is some shoe glue and some foam. A quick trip to a craft store will solve that."

My inner Green Diva didn't like the idea of driving to store( Gas and pollution) for a small task. She also didn't like to buy packaged glue and foam. All plastics and all waste and clutter creators.

Well. I combined my inner Economist Housewife, my Green Diva and my inner Homestead and came up with a solution.

I said" I am going to try to repair it only with what i have in the house. So here i went.











The foam was completely gone. But the fabric was still there rolled down.




I searched for something in our home to be used to replace the foam. Some soft and puffy yarn and a crochet stick were my solutions. You can also use your dryer lint to replace the foam. I also thought about using an old folded sock to replace the piece which could replace the fabric as well, if it was missing. But in this case, the fabric was there.









It took less than 3 minutes to crochet the pieces. I measures the holes on both shoes and made two of these.



Then just placed them in the shoe.Unrolled the fabric and cover the pieces. Sewing them was a little bit of a healthy and fun challenge considering the position of the piece.



Here is the final result. Like new. They also feel very comfortable and resilient.My husband loves it and he said they have never been so comfortable before.


What have you repaired lately? Please live a comment and let me know. I love reading your comments.

Paris










6 comments:

  1. I love your smarts. I will try to remember that next time we are about to throw a pair away

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    1. Thank you Freiheit. I have been repairing three more shoes from my kids and they all are working great.

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  2. This is so clever! Love it! The most recent thing i can think of that i repaired was a cotton nightie with lace trim, had come undone in parts but instead of throwing it out i hand sewed it and now its got a new life:)

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    1. Thanks Magan. I like how you said " It's got a new life" . So true and am proud of you for caring to repair instead of giving up on your nightie.
      :)
      Paris

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  3. Hope you don't mind me reacting on another one of your posts... I cannot hold back, I am sorry ; )

    How wonderfully have you written this dialogue between the inner voices, that is so recognizable! Have you been "exposed" to Voice Dialogue by any chance? (I have, am a big fan). I went through a similar process a couple of years ago with my Ugg boots. Have been using them happily ever since, not even noticing the repair anymore! http://spellfinder.blogspot.nl/2010/11/ugg-repair.html

    Funny how long it takes to think about a way not to have to buy... are we rewiring our minds or what?!

    Again, kind regards : )

    PS Small confession: after reading you are a dentist I automatically assumed you were a man! Even after reading something about your husband (my mind changed you to a gay man, ha ha). Just now that I see your picture I connect the dots in the right fashion... how embarassing!

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    1. Tess; You are again absolutely right. We are rewiring our minds that are prewired by Marketing companies to consume. People think I am odd,, cheap, ... bcause I repair things and don't just run out and buy a new one. But in reality, I believe it is a lot easier to repair than buy a new one, considering all the effort, money, necessary resources and environmental impact... that is involved.

      LOVE your confession. hahaha. Believe me, you are not the first person that imagined me a man, because I am a Dentist and you will not be the last. You just gave me new idea for a new post about our brains being wired so strongly. I think I am going to write about it.
      Thank you for your comments. I always welcome them and they make me happy.
      Kindest regards.
      Paris.

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