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How To Crystallize Baby Converse Tutorial

Pink Piggies Baby Converse Tutorial – How To Swarovski Crystallize Baby Converse

This is a tutorial created by Crystal and Glass Beads to show you how to crystallize a pair of baby converse shoes the size used in the tutorial are size 3 (for 6 to 9 months old infants), there will be templates for size 1, 2, 3 and 4 available for download further down the page. If you require a larger template please measure the length of the converse sole and I can scale the template to accommodate, just let me know below and please provide some feedback if you try the tutorial as its nice to see if a tutorial is useful.

***  Please be aware that if a baby chews on the crystals they can come loose and therefore can choke a baby.  ***

Equipment required:

  1. Printer – required for printing out the footprint template.   Download or Print Pink Piggies Template
  2. Isopropyl Alcohol – also called Rubbing Alcohol which is used for degreasing the rubber toe and removing any dust. (available on ebay which is where we get ours).
  3. Clean Cotton Cloth – hanky/tea towel for applying the Isopropyl alcohol.
  4. Flatback Non Hotfix Crystals – for this tutorial I have used Clear Crystal and Light Rose colour flatbacks (rhinestones) in a variety of sizes although ss12 (3.2mm) is the main size crystal used for the toe and sole of the shoe. (available here)
  5. Orange Stick – which is a small wooden stick used for pushing back cuticles (available in any chemist).
  6. Baby Converse Trainers – to add crystals to.
  7. Gem Tac Adhesive – which is a strong craft adhesive manufactured by Beacon Adhesives it’s strong, washable, flexible, dries clear, has NO nasty fumes and most importantly for baby products it’s NON-TOXIC . (available here)
  8. Crystal Katana Tool – for applying non hotfix flatback crystals which is a really nice tool to use for all crystal sizes (available here)If you are on a tight budget or are only looking to use the tool once we also have a cheaper tool available which you can use called the Magic Pick Mini (available here)
  9. Fine Permanent Pink Marker – for colouring in the baby foot (The footprint can be crystallized in any colour, just change the marker and crystal size).
  10. Fine Pencil – for drawing the footprint outline.
  11. Scissors – required for cutting out the footprint template.

Preparation before you start:

i. Lay out the flatback crystals on a flat surface faceted size up, keeping the crystal sizes in separate groups. The main crystal size used is ss12 with smaller crystals used to fill in the gaps.

ii. Wipe the baby converse toe over with some rubbing alcohol and a clear dry cotton cloth, this is to clean away any dirt or grease. If you don’t have rubbing alcohol just use a damp cloth and make sure that no fibers are left on the toe from the cloth.

Start the baby converse tutorial

1. Using the orange stick add a thin line of gemtac adhesive along the inside edge of the toe.

3. Pick up the first crystal with the CrystalKatana ( the more I use this tool the more I like it, it just makes Crystallizing sooooo easy ) and place it on the adhesive in the left hand corner. Place the crystal and then gently push down into the adhesive if you push down and then position the crystal face will act like a scoop. If this happens just remove the crystal, clean the face and its ready to re position.

4. First 5 crystals placed into position, continue adding crystals until you reach the right hand corner of the toe.

5. Once the outer curve of the toe is crystallized start adding crystals to the top edge of the toe until the outer edge is completely covered with a single row of crystals.

6. Start on the 3rd row of crystals (2nd row of the curve) if you are lucky then the ss12 crystals will fit nicely if you find that this isn’t the case use a smaller crystal to fill in the end gap or space the crystals out slightly.

7. Continue adding crystals row by row until a small gap remains, then fill in the gap with the most suitable size crystals.

8. First toe completely Crystallized using ss9 and ss7 crystals to fill in the gap.

9. Ensure that the sole is fluff free and has no loose fibres stuck to the sole of the shoe then add a small thin line of adhesive around the outer edge of the sole.

10. Add the first crystal to the adhesive, position and then gently press the crystal into the adhesive.

11. Continue adding crystals to the line of the adhesive. Only apply a small amount of adhesive at a time add crystals to the glue and then go back to adding more adhesive, continue this crystals until the first row of crystals is complete and there are no gaps in the line.

12. Once the first row is complete start on a second row inside the first and continue the cycle, add adhesive then the crystals etc. Untill you gain a little experience with the adhesive don’t apply too much at one time or there is a chance that the glue may have dried before any crystals are added.

On the image above you can see 2 stains on the shoe sole these are from adhesive tests before the tutorial took place. E6000 and Gemtac glue were both tested on the sole and toe to see how strong the bond was, both adhesive gave a very strong bond but only gemtac is non-toxic which is why E6000 wasn’t used for this tutorial.

13. Continue adding crystals row by row to close the gap on the shoe sole.

14. When the gap becomes too small for rows of ss12 crystals various smaller size crystals will be required to fill in the gaps.

15. One baby Converse sole completely crystallized, the gaps were filled with ss12 crystals where possible and smaller crystals there the gaps were too small.

16. Completed Crystallized baby converse sole side view.

17. It’s time to cut out the piggies template with a small sharp scissors or a craft knife.   Download or Print Pink Piggies Template

18. One piggies template cut out and ready to use.

19. Place the template on the shoe sole and stencil the piggies outline using a sharp pencil.

20. Completed piggies outline stenciled on the shoe sole.

21. Colour in the footprint with a pink permanent marker. The fabric sucks up ink like blotting paper so be aware of how close to the edge of the footprint you colour in.

22. Add a thin line of adhesive around the outer edge of the pink footprint to create an outline of clear crystals using ss12 Swarovski Flatback Crystals.

23. You can see in the image above the completed outline of the footprint.

24. Fill in the toes with appropriate size crystals in the image above I have used a range of ss5, ss7 and ss9 crystals.

25. Now it’s time to crystallize the pink footprint, add a thin line of adhesive inside of the Clear crystallized footprint outline. Then using ss12 Light Rose crystals add a row of crystals onto the adhesive you have just applied, tight against the clear crystals.

26. Once the first row of pink crystals is complete add a second row inside the first, then a third row and so on applying a small amount of adhesive then covering with crystals and repeating the process until the row is completed.

27. Once it’s no longer possible to add rows of ss12 crystals fill in the gaps with the most appropriate crystal sizes.

28. Add a line of clear crystals around the outer edge of the shoe sole and then fill in the gap between outer row of crystals and the pink footprint.

29. Continue closing in the gap with clear crystals always crystallizing the outer edge of the sole first and then working inwards to fill in any gaps with whichever crystal size is most appropriate.

30. One completed pair of baby converse soles, one completely crystallized in clear crystals and the other with a pink footprint surrounded in clear crystals.

31. Completed baby converse crystallized toes.

32. View of Completed baby Converse.

33. Pink Piggies Converse Complete.

You can find the supplies you need to complete the Converse Tutorial at: www.crystalandglassbeads.com

View Hi-Res Images of the Completed baby Converse on our facebook page

 

Number Of Crystals Used For the Clear Crystal Sole and Toe (PER SHOE)

Converse Size No Crystals Per Toe No Crystals Per Sole
Baby Size 3 97 x ss12 + 3 Smaller Filler Crystals 471 x ss12 + 23 Smaller Filler Crystals

 

Author: Crystal and Glass Beads

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34 comments

  1. Jennifer MacKinnon

    How many crystals do you need for the baby converse size 3 soles and toes?

    • Jennifer Have just updated the post sorry, should have included the total. It’s 97 x ss12 and 3 filler crystals for each toe and 471 x ss12 and 23 filler crystals for each sole for the plain crystal sole. Do you want the number of crystals for the pink footprint or are you just crystallizing the sole in clear?

  2. Can I use e6000 the same as I have for the adult converse?

    • Hi Sarah
      You can use e6000 and it will work just as well I have tested both on the converse toe and sole and they both give a strong bond. The reason I used gemtac over e6000 for baby converse if because it’s non-toxic just in case the shoe goes in a babies mouth.

  3. Jennifer MacKinnon

    That’s great thanks, just using clear crystals for the sole.

  4. HI, DO YOU HAVE ANY TUTORIALS ON HOW TO CRYSTALIZE INFANT BALLET FLATS?

  5. I am going to have a try at these I love them! Can I ask what size smaller crystals you use to fill in gaps?

  6. Hi there. Do you have tutorials on utube?

  7. Fancy Flower Beads

    Hi

    I am going to possess a try at these I be in love with them! Can I ask what dimension minor crystals you use toward fill up in gaps?

    • One or two sizes down would be the most suitable for filling in the gaps so if you are using ss12 then ss9 as there isn’t much difference between ss10 and 12.

  8. How do you put pearls on the converse?

    • Hi Shinea
      You can get flatback pearls (in the Swarovski only hotfix) which you can also apply to the converse toe with e6000 or the canvas part with either the hotfix glue or e6000.

  9. Bubblegum Fusion

    I was wondering if you could tell me where I could get the image of the foot to use as a stencil? The ones I’ve found just don’t seem to be the right shape. Thanks for the tutorials, they’re fab!

  10. Hiya, how many ss12’s would I need altogether for toddler size 5 and child size 10 please? Thanks.

    • I haven’t crystallized a toddler size 5 but at a guess I would say approximately 120/130 x ss12 crystals per toe and for the child size 10 approximately 90 x ss16 crystals per toe.

  11. I cannot find a well ventilated area to use e6000. It’s winter and I’m ready to start this venture. In your opinion is gem tac just as strong as e6000? I will be using non hot-fix crystals on Nike Air Force 1 (full shoe) and converse (full shoe). What do you think?

    • Hi Gemtac isn’t as strong as e6000 but will still provide a good bond especially for the converse toe area. When it comes to the canvas part of the shoe e6000 will be a bit stronger but be aware that any crease can be a problem area, if over stressed crystals will come loose. Both e6000 and gemtac are pretty widely used by out customers for crystallizing converse footwear as regards Nike air force 1, I would be inclined to do a small trial before crystallizing the whole shoe. My daughter has a pair for dancing/drama and they have a very waxy surface that you would need to free of any wax/grease before crystallizing. With long term use of the shoe I personally wouldn’t be overly optimistic about keeping all the crystals on, if you intend to crystallize the entire shoe with crystals in close proximity to each other. A scattered effect would likely mean that your not so likely to get very noticeable patches around the creases if crystals start to shed. Well hope that’s not put you off but would like you to have realistic expectations before starting your project.

      As regards e6000 in a confined space you basically have 2 options either open the window to provide some ventilation and use a respiratory mask with a paint/aerosol filter which will cost about £10 for a DIY store or use Gemtac. If the end product is for a family member gemtac is good, if you intend to sell the shoes after completion I would strongly advise to test a small area before commencing and if you aren’t happy with the gemtac bond opt for the mask and e6000 (test by gently flexing the area tested and lightly picking at the crystal to test bond strength, any crystal can be picked of any surface once glued so the test is to see if the bond is deemed strong enough NOT to see if you can physically pick off the crystal ; )….).

      Hope that helps and good luck.

  12. What size crystals should I use for a newborn converse and do the Swarovski Crystals come in purple

    • Hi Janice ss12 would be a good size but you will need to make 100% sure that the baby doesn’t put the converse in their mouth as the crystals can become dislodges and become a choking hazard.

      • These are nice
        Keep in mind that putting rhinestones on toddler/baby shoes is against CPSIA lead laws unless you are using low lead rhinestones that you have had testing done. You might want to refer to the actual law for your own protection. HTH.

        • Swarovski crystals no longer contain lead, but yes I agree and recommend more importantly that you don’t allow a child to put the shoe into their mouth in the first place as it’s a choking hazard with so many small crystals.

  13. Hi do you sell the crystals on line..

  14. How many crystals for size 7 toddler size? What size crystals?

    • How many im not sure but you can use ss12 looks great or ss16 if your on a tighter budget as they are more economical / cost per coverage.

  15. Hi! These are beautiful. I was wondering what size crystal and how many were used for the pink foot part of the shoe?
    Thank you!

    • Hi Victoria I used mainly ss12 crystals for the main part of the pink sole and smaller crystals to fill in the gaps and for the toes with a total of approximately 300 pink crystals used.

  16. Hi, the template for the footprints is no longer working. Where can I get a template. I am working on a pair of shoes for a wedding this weekend and am trying to print the template, but it won’t load 🙁

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