Design DIY: Fabric TOMS DIY

Design DIY: Fabric TOMS DIY

Note: This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.

Editor’s Update: A big thank you to everyone that’s pinned this DIY on Pinterest. We’re absolutely thrilled to have so many of you discover us from there. So thanks for pinning and please keep sending us your fan photos! We will add them to the bottom of the post!

Every Fashionista wears their TOMS religiously and I’m no different. I fell in love with my Nordstrom-exclusive nude glitters the moment I saw them and since then have worn them into the ground. Overall, they’re in okay shape but have certainly seen better days. I couldn’t bear sending them to the landfill. So I decided to reupholster (no-sew!) my tired and dingy TOMS to give them new life.

Supplies:

  • 1/2 yard of cotton fabric
  • Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive
  • Metallic cord or trim of choice
  • Scissors and/or razor blade
I’ll let the photos do the talking but will leave crucial tips at the bottom of the post, so be sure to scroll all the way down!
Decide to tackle this DIY? Send us pics of your fresh TOMS to thecarbonmagazine@gmail.com. We’ll add them to the bottom of this post.
Very Important Tips:
1. Glue- Feel free to use whatever glue you want, but I highly recommend Fabri-Tac glue. (Not sponsored!) Their glue is permanent, washable and is extremely easy to use. I swear by this brand because it’s worked so well for so many of my craft projects, including this one.
2. When gluing, let the fabric overhang past the line of glue and then using a razor blade or scissors, trim the excess off. It’s much easier to cut after it’s been placed then to cut before and match the curves of the shoe.
3. To make your fabric pattern pop, turn the fabric different directions for each section of the shoe.
4. Don’t worry too much about cutting exact straight lines, your metallic cord or trim will cover any small mistakes.
5. In hindsight, removing the TOMS logo on the heel before reupholstering and then gluing on top would have been easier than cutting a square for it. So I recommend using a razor blade to cut off the label and remove the threads and glue onto the fabric afterwards.
6. I did not cover the elastic or trim at the top of the shoe because I was worried about the shoe not being able to stretch, if you want to change the color there, I recommend painting the elastic and trim with either acrylic paint or nail polish… in NEON perhaps?!
7. Let the glue cure overnight! I know you’ll want to wear them immediately, but it’s important to wait so they won’t be ruined after your first day out in them.
8. This DIY is EASY but does take some time, don’t give up right away. Take breaks and come back to it if you’re realizing this project is consuming your whole day (like mine did).
9. Because this glue is washable, you can wash your new TOMS. If you plan on doing this, make sure you wash your fabric before placing them on the shoe to avoid shrinkage.
10. SHOW THEM OFF TO EVERYONE!
Good luck!

Fan Photos:
Angie transforms her BOBS with a bold chevron fabric:

 

 

 

 

 

Sydney used a pretty floral fabric to update her TOMS:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brittney Marie crafted adorable Bears themed TOMS to wear to their next game:

 

Olivia opted for a nautical theme when giving her TOMS new life:

Becca made her TOMS pretty in paisley:

Haleigh used The Force to give her TOMS a new look:

Abigail from Near to One’s Heart let the sea inspire her TOMS makeover:

This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may receive compensation when links are clicked, however all thoughts and opinions are my own and I would never write about something that I didn’t truly believe in.



35 thoughts on “Design DIY: Fabric TOMS DIY”

    • Hi Sara, even though the fabric I used had no stretch to it, I assume this tutorial would work just as well with stretch fabric. I would suggest washing the fabric beforehand though to avoid any shrinkage later on. Let us know how your DIY goes! Good luck!

    • Hi! Thanks! The fabric was actually just from my local Jo Ann craft store in the cotton section. Most fabric stores will have lots to choose from, I’m sure you’ll be able to find something similar. If you don’t have a Jo Ann in your area, try Hobby Lobby or SAS. Lastly, you could also use an old T-shirt with a pretty print to cover your TOMS too. Hope this helps! Good luck!

  • I love this!! And my Toms are in pretty bad shape so I definitely wanna try! But how did you go about cutting the hole the back? I’m too afraid I would ruin it by cutting it off so I’ll do what you did. Any tips? And did you use one whole piece for the back half of the shoe?

    • Hi Lucy, thanks for reading! To cut out the hole on the back, I first glued the top edge of the fabric to the seam above the TOMS logo and let the fabric lay over the logo. I then cut a small hole in the fabric directly above the logo and continued to carefully cut out the rectangle until I could see the entire logo and then glued into place. To answer your second question, I technically used two pieces. I used one piece that covered both sides. I started on the left and pulled it around to the right side of the shoe and cut out a square for the area where the TOMS logo is on the heel. I recommend following the seams of the shoe and using one piece where it looks like TOMS used one piece. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions! 🙂

  • Hii. I was just wondering if you could clarify something for me. Does this fabric stay on we’ll. or do you find it falls off or wears away? And does it snag at all. Or no?

    • Hi Sydney! I’ve found so far that the fabric does stay on very well, it all depends on the type of glue though. The glue I used is permanent and washable, I definitely recommend it. As for snagging, I did not have that problem but when you’re attaching the fabric, it may wrinkle so just make sure you’re pulling it taut and you’ll be fine. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!

  • Wow! I love the idea! I definitely am going to make this my next project! On another note i am add impressed that every question is actually answered!

  • I was just wondering how you go about getting the fabric on the side if the shoe? I understand the glueing part but how are you laying the fabric on the shoe? Oh and is it 1/2 a yard for one shoe or for both?

    • Hi Amber,

      To get the fabric on the side of the shoe, I would first lay it over the side without gluing to get an idea of how it would lay. After that I would cut down the fabric to a more manageable size. Then I began to put glue on the shoe and press the fabric to the shoe working my way from one side to the other. After that, I would go along the seams of the shoe and cut off the excess fabric. Does that help? Let me know if you need further clarification! As for amount of fabric it was 1/2 a yard for both shoes! Good luck & thanks for reading! 🙂

  • I did my toms, and they shrunk a size and half!! Do you have any idea how thus happened? I did hand wash them to get dirt off the day before i tackled this diy, could’ve that cause it???

    • Hi Ren,

      Sorry to hear that your TOMS shrunk so much! It was probably due to washing them the day before. Did you put them in the dryer or blow dry them at all or wash them with warm water? TOMS recommends on their website not to put them in the dryer, probably due to shrinkage (info here: http://www.toms.com/faq/). Heat tends to shrink fabrics. I have washed my TOMS before with much success, usually in the washer on the cold water setting and then let them air dry. To my knowledge, putting fabric over the shoes would not alter the size at all. Hope this helps! If you can give me more information about how you DIY’d your shoes or how you washed them, I’d be happy to help research how to stretch them back out to a wearable size. Good luck!

      • I hand washed them with hot water because i thought the heat would get the stains out better than with cold water, but I did rinse them.off with cold water afterwards. They were air dried for 24 hours.

  • This is such a great idea!!! Have you ever considered selling them? Like have people bring you their shoes and then charging them a small fee to redo them? You could make some money off of this idea if you wanted to. I’m a stay at home mom so I was considering that.

    • Hi Lindsay,

      No I did not do two layers of fabric, I think that might make it too thick and harder to smooth out. If you do try doing that, let us know how it works for you!

      Thanks for reading!

    • Hi Madeline,

      The trim is a silver piping that can be found at the ribbon section of any craft store. I personally found it at Jo Ann’s Fabrics. Good luck!

  • Finally got around to doing this with my old Toms. It was pretty easy… Although the glue got EVERYWHERE! And soaked thru so now there glue splotches everywhere 🙁
    Maybe it because I used black fabric?