Stretching Shoes: Part 1

So the last post I wanted to post about the process of stretching out a pair of shoes, but wasn't quite ready.  Then I was really excited about my new printer.  Needless to say, I now think my last post was pretty bad and am ready to post about the process of stretching out my shoes.  The process actually took more steps than I thought it would, so this will be a 2 part post.

The shoes I need to stretch out are heels for a wedding in June.  They don't fit...too small.  The shoes run a half size big but they don't make the half size that I would need.  I originally ordered my normal size and a size down.  My normal size was too big, bigger than heel grips and inserts could accommodate, so those were out.  The size smaller were about half size too small, exactly what I figured would happen.  I couldn't just look for different shoes since it wasn't my wedding, so I had to stretch them.  I thought just trying to slowly break them in would work.  Nope.  They were too tight to even wear for 10 minutes. 

Cute huh.  They are cute and those who can actually get their size say they are really comfortable.  They are tall though.  about 4 inches, without the platform they would be almost impossible to walk in.
 

They will go well with the dress.  Mine will probably be slightly shorter than the other girls' since it I'm taller and the shoes are tall but we will be looking good!

I started looking around for some solutions.  There were 2 solutions that I found, one was to freeze them and the other was to use a blow dryer.  After reading a few of the instructions and reasoning behind each method, I thought the freezer method would be the most effective.  The idea is that the water freezes, putting pressure on the sides of the shoe and thus stretching it.  If you wear them just after you take it out of freezer then as they warm up they will be stretched and form to your foot.

So, I tried it.  Here is what you do:

Step One: Take a gallon ziplock bag (they need to be freezer bags) and fill it about half way with water.  As you place it in your shoes, you'll be able to tell if you need to take some water out or not.

 

Here is what mine looked like.  I used rubber bands to help hold the bags in place.  I needed to make sure that some came through the peep-toe.  I placed mine on the shoe box lid since they were heels, it prevented them from falling through the freezer racks.

 

Step Two: Put it in the freezer over night.  I took mine out a little too early.  There was still some water that wasn't frozen but for the most part it was frozen solid.

 

Just out of the freezer.  I accidently dropped mine...oops.

 

The bag ripped towards the top from the fall out of the freezer but I stuck a towel over the shoe to help absorb the water as it melted.  I had to leave mine out for a few hours in order for them to melt enough to remove the bags.   My shoes ended up getting wet, but luckily the fabric doesn't show where they were wet.

 

Step Three: Find a pair of socks that are a little thicker.  This will help stretch your shoes a little more so that you have a little more leeway.  It will also be a little more comfortable since your shoes will be freezing and possibly wet. 

These are the socks I chose to wear. They are thicker and I don't wear them out, they are too thick for my normal shoes.

 

Step Four:  Wear them! You will want to wear them until the shoe is back to room temperature.  If your shoes got wet, try to wear them until they dried.  I wore mine for about an hour or so, both walking around and sitting.  Sitting is fine because they are forming to your feet, but to continue the breaking in, you will want to walk around in them as well.

 

Sexy.  Don't think the bride will let me wear these socks during the wedding...bummer.

 

My main focus was on the toes.  The peep-toe was the part that was the tightest and the most uncomfortable.  The heel was a little tight so I pulled the bag up to see if it would stretch slightly.  The left side of this picture shows how the bag goes over the side.  You can see how a rubber band is holding it up a bit, without that rubber band the bag is likely to have come out of the shoe.  The right side shows how one of the shoes didn't get stretched in the heel.  It did end up stretching a bit while I wore them and they were warming back up.

 

This method worked, but I went two days without wearing my shoes.  The shoes then reverted back slightly.  They were again too tight to comfortably continue breaking in.  I would say to be sure you don't skip more than a day.  Even if you only wear them a half hour, wearing them a little each day is key.  Your feet will get used to them and the shoes will break in easier.  Don't wear them to the point that you are getting blisters just breaking them in.

Now, mine ended up going back to be too tight because I skipped too many days.  So...stay tuned for part 2 in which I use the second method I found.