How to Sew Ribbon onto Ballet Shoes Dance and Play

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For Ballet flats use 15mm or ‘narrow’ ribbon
For Ballet Pointe shoes use 20mm or ‘wide’ ribbon

You will need 4 pieces of ribbon approx 65cm to.70cm long.
For a 3 metre length of ribbon fold in half and cut into two equal pieces. Fold each piece in half again and cut into equal pieces. There should now be four equal lengths of ribbon.
Before stitching ribbon to the shoe, finish one end of each piece of ribbon by folding over 1cm and folding again 1cm. Stitch the ribbon (as pictured).
To find the correct position to attach the ribbons to the shoe, fold down the back heel of the shoe towards the toe (as pictured below), then place the ribbon at the edge of the fold and lightly mark the position on both sides with a pencil, Repeat this with all four sides of the shoes. This is the position to sew on the ribbons.
Making sure the shinny side of the ribbon faces outward, sew each ribbon to the inside of the marked area, angling the ribbon slightly towards the shoe toe. Sew to the canvas/cotton lining of the shoes with tiny stitches. Be sure not to stitch onto the channel holding the cord elastic.
To reduce the cut ribbon ends fraying, spray hairspray onto the ribbon ends, singe with a match or lighter (care must be taken), or use a commercial anti fray product. Hairspray can also be used to help keep knots from coming undone.