File this under “Possibly silly, but pretty cool:”
Will you lookit that?!? Hmmm…where have I seen that design before? Hey, it’s my quilt, on my shoes! How. Cool. Is. That?!? I discovered custom Keds shoes at Zazzle.com a couple of weeks ago, and just had to try it out!
I took bunches of new pics of the quilt, since the ones I had weren’t quite the right layout or positioning to get the designs on the shoes just right. Other than that, the creation process at Zazzle was pretty easy, considering that we’re talking about a pair of shoes here.
I could wish that the quilting designs had shown up as well on the shoes as they did in the pictures and on the preview during creation, but maybe that’s just too much detail for the printing on canvas process. What a great thing this is: you upload your pictures, position them on the shoes, place your order, and Zazzle prints your designs on the canvas and custom assembles your shoes in your size.
Pretty soon they arrive in your mailbox, ready to wear! Who knew? They’re very comfy, and the perfect size (I checked the sizing on a pair of Keds that I already had; for me, Keds seem to run about a half-size big). I’ll probably wear these when I travel and teach classes, since there’s always a lot of walking and standing on the feet all day.
I think some Swarovski hot-fix crystal embellishments are in order to make these shoes even more special, especially since the quilt they were inspired by is covered in crystals! Watch out Jimmy Choo, I’m comin’ at ya! (Okay, in all honesty, Jimmy Choo is probably not in any danger from little old me and my Keds, but hey, a gal can dream!)
Check out Zazzle to make your own shoes, or buy one of the cool shoe designs already available (there are over 100,000 of them!). If you want to design something a bit more outre than a pair of Keds flats, check out Shoes—The Agony and the Ecstasy, an online exhibit from the Tyne & Wear Museums in the UK. There’s a shoe designer applet where your shoe dreams can become a reality, at least on the screen! Have fun!
Go quilt! Your work gets better every day!
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March 6th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
How COOL ARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I share your photo on my blog next week? I want to this!! Are they comfy?
March 6th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Hi Pat! By all means, of course you can share! They are pretty comfy, though I haven’t worn them for any length of time yet really. But they’re just regular Keds, so all should be pretty good. Thanks!
March 6th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
awesome!! Thanks Nadine… will put it on my blog next week when I’m teaching in TN!
March 7th, 2009 at 4:58 am
I’ve seen those custom keds and wondered how well they really turn out…yours look great! Guess I’ll have to try that soon!
March 7th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Hi waterrose, and Welcome! If you’re going to try, be sure to download the templates, it’s much easier, and you’ll get better results! Also, I do wish the black in my design had come out the same black as the edges of the shoes, but that’s just a limitation of the process I think. If you work with a design that’s not black, they should come out even better. Good luck, and come back and let us know how it goes!
March 7th, 2009 at 6:01 am
I LOVE those! Look at you, you’re a walking quilt show!
March 7th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Hi Dorothy! Yup, these turned out so well that I’ve been wondering which one of my other quilts should be next!
March 7th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
So Nadine, thanks for telling us about this site. I showed it to my daughter and she designed a pair that I just LOVE based on a picture of orange/peach desert blooms that she took in Joshua Tree. I want her to do one more pair that feature penguins as she just got back from Antarctica. Who knew? For any bad from the internet, there is way, way more good and lots of fun, too.
March 8th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Cool! Happy to share Kelly. Share pictures when you get them!
I totally agree with you about the Internet. Way more fun comes out of it than anything else!
March 11th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Totally awesome! I just tried my hand at custom fabric at Spoonflower.com — my swatch is apparently in the mail and should arrive any day. I suppose it should come as not surprise that if they can print custom fabric, they can make custom printed shoes as well. Talk about possibilities for coordinating your bag and your shoes!
March 12th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Oh, I love that shoe and bag coordination idea! I may have to do that as well!
March 12th, 2009 at 12:53 am
Those are just TOO COOL! Wait till my daughter sees these - the possibilities are endless….
March 12th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Hey Irene! If Sandra makes shoes, be sure to share them so we can see too!
March 19th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Those are TOOO cool….I had to repeat Pat’s comment! I think I need to run out and get mine own “unique” pair! Thanks for sharing!
March 20th, 2009 at 7:50 am
Welcome Toni, and thanks! If you get a pair, be sure to share pics!