If the shoes fit...

Buying shoes online is a bit tricky as you depend on the seller's measurement. The shoes that I purchased from etsy, two of out three pairs fit perfectly. There is a pair of shoes that snugs a little. Thus, I surfed the Internet to get info on shoe stretching.

I checked out eHow.com for answers and here are two really easy methods;

1. Wet method - wet the shoes from inside out, then put the shoes on and wear them until the shoes are dried.

2. Ice method - pouring some water into zipper plastic bags and place the bags into the shoes. After that, put the shoes in the freezer. As the water freezes and turns into ice, this will expand the leather.

My concerns on the above mentioned methods:

1. Wet method - this would be uncomfortable and may takes ages.

2. Ice method - not sure whether this would spoil the vintage leather itself.

Then I came across with a post by Sally Jane Vintage on shoe stretching which I think it is more workable:

1. "Put the shoe on with a pair of thick socks. Heat the leather for about one minute with a hair dryer to soften the leather. Walk around in the shoes until they are completely cooled off."

2. "Stuff your shoe full of damp newspaper as full as you can possibly do it and leave it overnight."

Now, it is time to put the first method into action...

Get ready with a pair of thick socks, a hair dryer, and the shoes

Heat the leather (I think I heated more than a minute...)

After putting the socks on, I tried to squeeze my feet into the shoes. At first, I could not fit them due to the thickness of the socks but once I heated the leather with hair dryer, slowly I can make my feet into the shoes. I heated the leather more than a minute and stopped heating the leather after my feet fitted into the shoes. The 'walking to cool the shoes off' part was a bit scary as I was worried that the shoes could not take such pressure and may fall apart. Perhaps I have exaggerated a bit but I have such concern. I walked slowly. Once the shoes are cooled down, I quickly tried them on without socks and to my surprise, it worked! It did not snug as before. Now the shoes are kept in a box with paper stuffed to ensure that they stay as it is. If this shall fail, I will proceed with second method. Keeping my fingers crossed.

References:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5337191_stretch-leather-shoes.html
http://sallyjanevintage.blogspot.com/2008/01/shoe-stretching.html