As much as I love all of my new skates, there is just something so retro/fun about the white skates that remind me of the ’80s and I could never part with them… and in fact will probably still wear them from time to time, especially with my new wheels and reds bearings, which make SUCH a difference in the way they perform. However, the boot is just a little too big… like my foot moves around in there while I’m skating no matter how thick of socks I wear and I just don’t feel as secure as I’d like to, especially with my bad ankle (I wish skates came in half sizes!). I tried adding insoles but it changed the way my feet fit (and sit) inside the boot, which I didn’t like. So I thought long and hard and realized that maybe if I added some padding to the tongue I’d get a better fit AND MAYBE it would help keep it from moving to the side when I skate.
Faux Fur Glued Down…
I actually have this same issue with my pink Moxi skates, which in all honesty fit my feet and feel the best. However, they still felt a little too big in the toe and loosen up around the ankle as soon as the tongue starts slipping to the side. So first, before fully committing to this DIY, I cut pieces of faux fur and just placed them in my skates and since my pink lollys are suede and have a little rubber on the inside of the tongue, the fur stayed in place perfectly while I skated AND kept the tongue in place, keeping my boot snug and fitting so much better overall and I skated for 3 hours with some friends the first day I tried them out. It’s easy enough to set the fur in place in my pink skates each time I wear them, but in the white skates, I had to glue them down to get them to work.
Faux Fur NOT Glued Down…
This is a really simple DIY, obviously, it explains itself, but I’ll go through the steps anyway with tips to help guide you in creating your own faux fur roller skate tongue!
Here’s What You Need…
* (short) Faux fur – or a thick fleece would work or a short sheepskin as well if you have it – NOTE: no matter what, this lining will smash over time after wearing them for a while
* Glue … I used the Gorilla super glue
* Scissors
Skates and wheels: Chicago premium series roller skates, Derby laces, Bont wheels (62mm x 78a – outdoor wheels)
Before…
In the photo above you can see there is some padding on the tongue, but not much.
Steps…
1. Measure the width of your skate boot tongue (or just lay it on top of your material like I did) and cut one long piece in the same width. It should be just slightly smaller (more narrow) than the width of your tongue.
2. Unlace your boots and pull the tongue out as far as possible. Measure or line up your fur/material to determine the length of your tongue and the material you’ll need.
NOTE: Leave it a little longer so you can cut away the excess when you’re done. I allowed the excess to flop over the top of the tongue because I thought it was cute. IN MY PINK SKATES, where I did NOT glue it down, I cut it to just the top edge of my tongue.
Mine ended up being about 9-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ wide (but this will depend on your shoe/skate size)
3. Trim off a little on each edge to match the shape of the tongue and toe of the skate boot… otherwise, there will be too much fur/fabric down by your toes and squish them. On the other hand, if your boot really feels too big, this could help…
Lay your fur inside your boot/tongue and try them on to get a feel for where you want your fur lining to start by your toes. You want it to fit snug but comfortable.
4. Once you’ve determined the size, shape and placement of your fur lining, apply the glue to the back side of the fur first… then adhere it to the tongue up by the toe of your boot.
5. Once your first bit of fur is secured, you can add more glue to the boot tongue or the fur little at a time and stick it down on your way up.
I stopped the glue just before the end of the tongue and let the excess hang over the front…
You can do the same OR glue it all the way to the end and trim your fur to match the edge of the tongue.
Here’s What it looks like inside…
That’s it 🙂
And… Voila!
AGAIN: I did not GLUE down the fur on my pink skates, but I set it in place when I pull my skates on and lace them up and it works really well!
I changed my wheels on my pink skates to these pink Bont GLOW wheels that light up when they roll and are so fun!
The fit is SO MUCH BETTER and cozier in both skates and keeps my feet in place making me feel more secure in my roller skates when I’m skating.
As you can see in the photo above, my tongue still slips to the side when I wear them EVEN WITH THE FUR – but not as much, which drives me crazy actually, so I’m going to add a loop on the font of the tongue as well to run the laces through to help keep it in place. The pink tongues stay in place much better with the fur lining and barely slip at all now… again, the suede and rubber lined tongue help grip the faux fur so I didn’t have to glue it down.
NOTE: These barefoot booties also help fill out the heel area in your boot a little and make your ankles feel more secure as well!
USE THIS CODE at Fritzy’s Roller Skate shop to get $10 off!
* Also… I did not wear this out skating because it’s freezing and I’m not 15 (lolol) but it worked for the photos 😉
Happy Hump Day Lovecats! And Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
* Find all my DIY posts here
* Find all my Roller Skate posts here
Roller Skates Video Review – Moxi, Moonlight Rollers, BTFL & Chicago
Roller Skating! The Skates I Bought & Everything You Need To Know
