Gaynor Minden Pointe shoes

[DancingShoes]

I sew my dd's on the machine. It looks neater and is so much kinder on the fingers. Does mean you have to get them in the right place first time though x

[Meetmeatthebarre]

I've only had one pair of GMs several years ago. I didn't find them much harder to sew but I do sew avidly as a hobby, and have developed a slightly different method for sewing ribbons to what I've seen before. It only takes a few minutes even on Gaynors, as it utilises existing "weak points" but still stays sturdy as it goes through the entire shoe. I've never had an issue with fraying, distortion, or ribbons coming loose. It also looks really neat both inside and outside the shoe.

 

1) If the ribbons are fraying as I cut them, I seal the ends with a flame. I normally skip this step these days as I use stretch ribbon that resists.

2) I lay the cut edge against the top edge of the drawstring casing - so the long end of the ribbon points INSIDE the shoe, not outside, and the cut end is flush with the top of the casing.

3) I stitch the ribbon using backstitch, going through the existing holes used to stitch the casing onto the main body of the shoe. I tie a knot to secure but don't cut the thread yet.

4) I fold the ribbon along the line I've just stitched so it points out of the shoe again.

5) I tie another knot to secure, fixing one edge of the ribbon to the very top of the drawstring casing.

6) I then sew the ribbon along the top end of the casing using small backstitch or occasionally whipstitch, before knotting and weaving in the thread. 

 

Hope this helps?

 

Edited November 1, 2021 by Meetmeatthebarre

[Neverdancedjustamum]

2 hours ago, Jane said:

No tips other than use a metal thimble to push needle through, I found them an absolute nightmare to sew. Luckily they last longer than other brands so don’t have to fight to sew ribbons and elastics as frequently

I’ll try with a thimble again. My sewing kit did come with one so I thought I’d give it a go but since it was the first time I’ve ever used one, I was very clumsy and couldn’t quite get into grips with it. I also think I tried too late, I was already about half way through my sewing rage at that stage 😂

[Neverdancedjustamum]

1 hour ago, Kanangra said:

Sadly there is no easy way to sew ribbons onto Gaynor. I know some people have done it on a sewing machine but I'd be reluctant to try that or recommend.

 

My daughter wore GMs (she was actually a Gaynor Girl which was fantastic! free pointe shoes for a year!) and we found they were a fantastic shoe. Because of all the different customisable options they are terrific for hard to fit feet. DD had very narrow feet with bunions, so she had a wider box but narrow heel. The stuff about not being able to roll through is a nonsense though - if they are "springing up" on pointe it means the shank is too hard. A more supple shank will allow the feet to work through, and because they are not made of traditional materials they don't soften. As a parent I loved that they lasted a long time, usually a whole term. 

Wow! That’s amazing about the free pointe shoes! Especially given the price of Gaynors.  Fingers crossed my DD gets on well with them. I think it’s a good sign that she said they’re the ones that felt the best out of all the pointe shoes she’s ever tried (of which there have been MANY). 

[Neverdancedjustamum]

1 hour ago, DancingShoes said:

I sew my dd's on the machine. It looks neater and is so much kinder on the fingers. Does mean you have to get them in the right place first time though x

Alas I don’t have a sewing machine but know people who do so I may have to ask very nicely should it come to that x

[Dancing unicorn]

The only way I’ve found is to go right thru the satin instead of making it neat on outside! 
We’ve tried other shoes but honestly these are the only ones that work for our dd. She has wide feet but very narrow heels and she has no problem going thru the shoe to Demi and then full pointe 🩰

[Neverdancedjustamum]

52 minutes ago, Meetmeatthebarre said:

I've only had one pair of GMs several years ago. I didn't find them much harder to sew but I do sew avidly as a hobby, and have developed a slightly different method for sewing ribbons to what I've seen before. It only takes a few minutes even on Gaynors, as it utilises existing "weak points" but still stays sturdy as it goes through the entire shoe. I've never had an issue with fraying, distortion, or ribbons coming loose. It also looks really neat both inside and outside the shoe.

 

1) If the ribbons are fraying as I cut them, I seal the ends with a flame. I normally skip this step these days as I use stretch ribbon that resists.

2) I lay the cut edge against the top edge of the drawstring casing - so the long end of the ribbon points INSIDE the shoe, not outside, and the cut end is flush with the top of the casing.

3) I stitch the ribbon using backstitch, going through the existing holes used to stitch the casing onto the main body of the shoe. I tie a knot to secure but don't cut the thread yet.

4) I fold the ribbon along the line I've just stitched so it points out of the shoe again.

5) I tie another knot to secure, fixing one edge of the ribbon to the very top of the drawstring casing.

6) I then sew the ribbon along the top end of the casing using small backstitch or occasionally whipstitch, before knotting and weaving in the thread. 

 

Hope this helps?

 

Thanks so so much for the detailed info above! I really appreciate it. I’ve literally copied and pasted it to my phone notes for me to refer to when the time comes for us to get her second pair (although I’m hoping this won’t be too soon!  My fingers are still getting over the trauma of sewing the first pair 🤣)

[Neverdancedjustamum]

Just now, Dancing unicorn said:

The only way I’ve found is to go right thru the satin instead of making it neat on outside! 
We’ve tried other shoes but honestly these are the only ones that work for our dd. She has wide feet but very narrow heels and she has no problem going thru the shoe to Demi and then full pointe 🩰

I could barely go through the satin, on her pair the material in general seemed very stiff, managed to a few times (accidentally admittedly), and had a hard time poking it back in. I’m a very inexperienced sewer though so I bet it’s easier than I found it. I’m just pretty useless at sewing and so when I was faced with these Gaynors I was quite shocked. Although this did remind me - what kind of thread do you use? I’m guessing it’s quite close in colour to the satin? The thread I had in my Bunheads Stitch kit is darker and more salmon-y. Thankfully I also have a Russian Pointe kit and the thread in that was much closer in colour. 

[Meetmeatthebarre]

18 minutes ago, Neverdancedjustamum said:

Thanks so so much for the detailed info above! I really appreciate it. I’ve literally copied and pasted it to my phone notes for me to refer to when the time comes for us to get her second pair (although I’m hoping this won’t be too soon!  My fingers are still getting over the trauma of sewing the first pair 🤣)

 

I've just re-read and realised it might be clearer with pictures! I'll try and upload some in the coming days (I've been asked about my weirdly neat ribbons so it's been on the to-do list already)

[Neverdancedjustamum]

7 hours ago, Meetmeatthebarre said:

 

I've just re-read and realised it might be clearer with pictures! I'll try and upload some in the coming days (I've been asked about my weirdly neat ribbons so it's been on the to-do list already)

That would be amazing, thank you x

[FlexyNexy]

I use machine and when my DD is away, she uses sharp needles and metal thimble on fingers when pushing the needle through.  I could hear a lot of swearing coming out from her room when she gets new pairs while sewing them 🤣 

But they do last longer than when she used Griskho.

 

When she was at US, they used company seamstress and they did all sewing and shoe repairs for them.

 

When she started with Gaynors, the very first pair, I went to my local dry cleaner who we use regularly, and I begged him to sew it for me. 

[Neverdancedjustamum]

14 hours ago, FlexyNexy said:

I use machine and when my DD is away, she uses sharp needles and metal thimble on fingers when pushing the needle through.  I could hear a lot of swearing coming out from her room when she gets new pairs while sewing them 🤣 

But they do last longer than when she used Griskho.

 

When she was at US, they used company seamstress and they did all sewing and shoe repairs for them.

 

When she started with Gaynors, the very first pair, I went to my local dry cleaner who we use regularly, and I begged him to sew it for me. 

I may have to resort to this if I can’t handle her second pair 🙂. I think there’s a dry cleaner in our town who does similar but perhaps not specifically pointe shoes.

[Viv]

I am aware some dancers use a sewing awl to poke holes in the satin and then sew using the holes they have already created. Saves the fingers a bit and avoids the need to use a thimble.

 

I can't give much advice as I have only sewed one pair of gaynors, as they were categorically awful on my feet! For some reason forced my feet to sickle horrendously which I have never had en pointe before, were almost impossible to control, I rolled too far forward over the platform and could barely support myself, and the platform was so small and rounded I could barely balance! I was courting a sprained ankle every time I wore them. The fitters suggestion when I went back for new shoes was that my feet are too hypermobile (not the nice arches caused by beautiful bone structure, but the wobbly, compressible mess caused by too lax ligaments) and were not strong enough to manage a shoe that allowed that ligament laxity to take over. This was particularly the case after multiple grade 3 ankle sprains and dislocations. Gaynors need a certain amount of rigidity, and that either has to come from your foot construction or from the strength of your ankles. I am in russian pointes now and have none of the same issues as I had in gaynors. Just like all pointe shoes, gaynors are a miracle shoe for some and completely unworkable for others! This doesn't make a shoe 'good' or 'bad' or 'cheating', just suited to some feet and not others  I only add this to say that just because a dancer has low arches (mine aren't particularly high) doesn't mean a gaynor will automatically fix their issues. I was hoping a gaynor shoe would fix everything, but it just brought out different issues, and actually what I needed was a narrow, tapered box with reinforced wings to give my feet a hand in lifting up instead of collapsing. With my extreme hypermobility, messed up connective tissue and a neuromuscular condition (and the related challenges in gaining strength), gaynors are unlikely to ever be suitable for me.

[Meetmeatthebarre]

On 02/11/2021 at 07:04, Neverdancedjustamum said:

That would be amazing, thank you x

I've just been going through my list of "to dos" before the new year. Apologies for not getting round to this earlier - I was waiting for a new pair to demonstrate properly but they are STILL on back order!

 

So I don't forget, I've taken some pictures of my current pair with a spare ribbon and some annotations in green as to where to sew. Hope they help - and please excuse the mucky insides 😶

 

In the first pic, the cut end of the ribbon is lined up with the top edge of the drawstring casing, and the stitching is made along the existing seam where the drawstring casing is attached to the main part of the shoe. In the second pic, the ribbon is folded along the line you've just sewn, and the stitching is made as close as possible to the top end of the drawstring casing (taking care to keep the cut end within the fold, and not to sew in the drawstring itself!). This gives an incredibly strong, double seam which is still easy to sew because, as mentioned before, it utilises existing holes in the shoe from manufacturer's stitching, and thinner parts (the drawstring casing) respectively. It has the bonuses of preventing frays, and looking close to invisible from the outside (also pictured). And since I've started using single elastic loop, I've never had to burn or nail varnish a cut end ever again!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by Meetmeatthebarre
Wrong file type for pictures

[Neverdancedjustamum]

On 29/12/2021 at 21:20, Meetmeatthebarre said:

I've just been going through my list of "to dos" before the new year. Apologies for not getting round to this earlier - I was waiting for a new pair to demonstrate properly but they are STILL on back order!

 

So I don't forget, I've taken some pictures of my current pair with a spare ribbon and some annotations in green as to where to sew. Hope they help - and please excuse the mucky insides 😶

 

In the first pic, the cut end of the ribbon is lined up with the top edge of the drawstring casing, and the stitching is made along the existing seam where the drawstring casing is attached to the main part of the shoe. In the second pic, the ribbon is folded along the line you've just sewn, and the stitching is made as close as possible to the top end of the drawstring casing (taking care to keep the cut end within the fold, and not to sew in the drawstring itself!). This gives an incredibly strong, double seam which is still easy to sew because, as mentioned before, it utilises existing holes in the shoe from manufacturer's stitching, and thinner parts (the drawstring casing) respectively. It has the bonuses of preventing frays, and looking close to invisible from the outside (also pictured). And since I've started using single elastic loop, I've never had to burn or nail varnish a cut end ever again!

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so so much for this and I’m so sorry for the late acknowledgement. Been a crazy few weeks! I’ve actually saved the link to your post for the next time I need to sew a pair. I’m so grateful and thanks again. Hope you have a wonderful new year! X

[Derin's Mom]

On 01/11/2021 at 23:58, Kanangra said:

Sadly there is no easy way to sew ribbons onto Gaynor. I know some people have done it on a sewing machine but I'd be reluctant to try that or recommend.

 

My daughter wore GMs (she was actually a Gaynor Girl which was fantastic! free pointe shoes for a year!) and we found they were a fantastic shoe. Because of all the different customisable options they are terrific for hard to fit feet. DD had very narrow feet with bunions, so she had a wider box but narrow heel. The stuff about not being able to roll through is a nonsense though - if they are "springing up" on pointe it means the shank is too hard. A more supple shank will allow the feet to work through, and because they are not made of traditional materials they don't soften. As a parent I loved that they lasted a long time, usually a whole term. 

very similar feet of my DD as well, and was happiest in gaynors but her current school does not allow GMs... again stuck with various different brands.