ScottishDancerMum Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 Child just got her first satin pair of shoes in preparation for competitions. Do they need to be broken in? They look like stain-magnets so I wasn't too keen on getting them messed up before she needs to wear them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 DD always put a pair of socks on over new shoes to keep them clean while she wore them around the house (treading carefully to avoid slipping!) so they felt softer and moulded to her feet whilst remaining clean. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTu Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 They don't need broken in as such but like legseleven my dd does like to wear hers a few times before competitions. DD doesn't put socks over them though as it's the sole that she likes to get a couple of uses as she says they feel better then & less slippy then. I'm imagining that it's probably more a case of the grip, for want of a better word, is more similar to what their normal shoes are. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted June 27, 2017 Author Share Posted June 27, 2017 Thanks, TooTu and Legseleven Did you find your dancers had to adjust to dancing with ribboned shoes, rather than elastics? I thought I might put ribbons on her leather practice ones, but would it make any difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTu Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 2 minutes ago, ScottishDancerMum said: Thanks, TooTu and Legseleven Did you find your dancers had to adjust to dancing with ribboned shoes, rather than elastics? I thought I might put ribbons on her leather practice ones, but would it make any difference? Personally my dd didn't but she did practice in the satin shoes with ribbons with her teacher in a few private lessons before the competition 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confuddled Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 DD has always done exams / auditions in brand new satin shoes, without using them beforehand for more than ten minutes. Otherwise they inevitably get dirty. I do find they somehow show up the dirt on socks / tights, too, and have learnt to either buy a new pair or soak the ones she's going to wear overnight in Vanish. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted June 28, 2017 Author Share Posted June 28, 2017 Thanks everyone! It's all these little things that add to the confusion, and you all are such a great resource Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 I would say the main priority is fit so they flatter the foot so wearing may be needed. (Of course don't want them to be filthy!!). My dd has very slim feet so I always had to wash the shoes and get her to wear them overnight to dry so they moulded!! I think if you have a more standard sized foot much less preparation is needed!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted June 28, 2017 Author Share Posted June 28, 2017 They fit nice in the arch under the foot, but the toes have a few slight wrinkles. I was wondering if I got them wet if they might snug up even more? (I'll get a pic later to show you) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SissonneDoublee Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Wearing them a bit helps them to mould to the foot. An excellent fit is probably more important than spotless shoes, as they will get slightly grubby backstage at festivals anyway, and you won't want to buy a new pair for every festival. If your DD is wearing socks backstage, make sure she takes them off... I saw a beautiful ballet solo danced in bright yellow slipper socks once! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted June 29, 2017 Author Share Posted June 29, 2017 Thanks for that, Sissonne! Good reminder! Here's two shots I got tonight. They have the original elastics on and I haven't trimmed the sizing cord yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SissonneDoublee Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 They look quite a bit too big, although I'm not a ballet teacher... getting them wet and then tumble drying until almost dry, then letting them dry completely on the feet may help. Or they might be your next pair, with a slightly smaller pair to buy first... but I do have a definite preference for 'about to outgrow them' tight! xx 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixiewoo Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 DD always get her best results when her ballet shoes are too small! She then has no excuse not to point her foot! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 They look quite deep in the vamp and may well be the best fit possible 'off the shelf'. We found that many satin shoes had shapes that weren't particularly suitable for DD's narrow feet and seemed to have extra material at the sides or by the toes even when they were technically a good fit for her. I think Roch Valley were the only satin shoes that seemed to fit correctly without doing the 'wash them, dry them in the dryer and then wear them with thick socks over the top when almost dry' trick to shrink them. And typically Roch Valley shoes were never the easiest make to find! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) We once overheard a teacher from a different dance school advising a student to put cotton wool or lambs wool into the 'baggier' bits at the side of her satin shoes. We both had to leave the room before the giggles overcame us as we had visions of the poor girl dancing her solo with lumps of wool flying out of the shoes.... Edited June 30, 2017 by Legseleven 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 They look 1/2 a size too big to me. I think satin shoes tend to be a bit bigger than leather ones. The elastics are very far forward too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 Thank you everyone! I really appreciate the time you've taken to have a look and comment. These are a size 1C. She has been wearing a size 13C leather Bloch shoe and has been complaining about the fit being too tight (i.e., they are perfect ) I've got ribbons and some of the wide invisible elastic used for point shoes... I didn't think the current elastic was in quite the right place (they were attached at purchase). I don't think Bloch do half size satin shoes, and didn't think the 12 would fit. The shop said she would exchange them. So should I exchange or just try to shrink them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 We've had Bloch satin in 1/2 sizes although I know they have reduced their range as they no longer do the 'a' width. She looks narrow, can the shop order the 'b' width? Or try and get an 'a'? Bloch also do a stretch stain which may be better? We've had the leather and satin from that range and the leather are shorter in length by at least 1/2 a size. Did she try the 13 on? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 I have a 12.5 a in satin you could have but think they would be too small? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 I've just written to the seller and sent her the photos to see what she thinks. I checked her messages and yes, they do come in half sizes (my error). These are the stretch satin Blochs, but yes, maybe a narrow fit is possible. We live in the middle of nowhere, so I bought them online. The seller has been very helpful though - she thought at the time that the 13.5 might be too small, but offered at the time to change them over. I'd love to get her fitted properly in a shop... next time perhaps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 28 minutes ago, Moomin said: I have a 12.5 a in satin you could have but think they would be too small? Thanks Moomin... they probably would be, but thanks for offering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 1 hour ago, Legseleven said: We once overheard a teacher from a different dance school advising a student to put cotton wool or lambs wool into the 'baggier' bits at the side of her satin shoes. We both had to leave the room before the giggles overcame us as we had visions of the poor girl dancing her solo with lumps of wool flying out of the shoes.... That's made me laugh too! Can you imagine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 It may be worth trying the Bloch prolite satin which comes as full sole - Just Ballet still have them in the slim 'A' width which were great for my dd who has slim feet. Other then that we found Tappers and Pointers slimmer than Roch Valley. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 We now have these, size 13 Bloch Stretch Satin. Much better, I think! A few more questions: 1) Do you adjust the binding elastics, tie them and then cut them? I've never seen ones so long! Or will I need to adjust them again in time? (I thought maybe tie them, trim them down a bit and tape them inside the shoe?) 2) I've looked at a few ribbon sewing guides... so do I cut off the elastics that came attached to the shoes, then? I've seen the "invisible" (covert) elastic and ordered a length - is it necessary or just stick with the ribbon? (I've read that it's used to keep the heel of pointe shoes down but can't find any indication you need it for slippers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTu Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I always tie the elastics to suit & then double knot them & cut off the excess leaving just enough to tuck securely inside the shoe by not too much that it's uncomfortable. DD has never needed to readjust them as they are usually worn out before then. I usually unpick the elastics rather than cutting them off & then sew on the ribbons. DD has always found the ribbons are enough & has never needed to use any elastic with satin ballet shoes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTu Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 P.S. Shoes definitely look a much better fit ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 Thanks, TooTu I keep seeing that the ribbons should be sewn on an angle, but most of the diagrams show it being sewn straight! How do I tell how angled to make the ribbon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Those look better! The ribbons go at between 30 and 45 degrees I would think. If you pin them and then try on the shoes you can check. The ribbons go forward and cross at the front of the ankle. You'll soon see if it's lying flat and you may need to adjust the angle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 Photo hosting site cancelled my sharing rights... and now I can't seem to edit my post.http://imgur.com/a/yVCYI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 i used this method for positioning the ribbons and it seemed to work just as well for flats. You don't need any elastic on them. In a pointe shoe sometimes the heel pops off because the sole resists bending but that doesn't happen in soft shoes. That size looks much better! The problem with satin is that you really can't get them with more than a couple of mm growing room 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishDancerMum Posted July 14, 2017 Author Share Posted July 14, 2017 That's fantastic - thanks for the video! Unfortunately I've already cut my shoe ribbons but I'll know for next time (all the other pages I looked at said to cut them!) Back to my sewing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Yes sorry I meant to say that I cut them for soft shoes too but you can still line the ribbon up with the pencil line to give you the correct angle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMoo2 Posted July 15, 2017 Share Posted July 15, 2017 Warning! Do not wash canvas ballet shoes, ever!! ? Earlier in the year I decided to machine wash DS' white canvas shoes 2 days before his RBS audition, all pleased with myself I presented him with his persil whites and he couldn't get them on his feet!!! Cue me and his teacher phoning round ballet shops far and wide to acquire a new pair! Just as buses arrive two at once, we both found a pair, bought them and drove miles to collect! This all happened on the same day that my uni dissertation was due in! Moral of the story, don't wash canvas! ??????? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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