Checkerboard Lace Design

QUICK SPECS ABOUT PATTERN
DIFFICULTY HARD
ADJUSTABILITY VERY HARD
COMPLETION TIME 15 MIN/SHOE
CREATE THIS LOOK
LACE ANCHORS, RED SHOELACES, BLACK SHOELACES OR YELLOW SHOELACES, NEON YELLOW SHOELACES

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SHOELACE DESIGN

Shoes Required:

In terms of standout lace designs, the Checkerboard Lace is high on the list of footwear shoelace patterns that have the “wow” factor. Because it’s actually just a Bar Lace pattern with another shoelace woven throughout the design, the Checkerboard Lace isn’t difficult to master as long as you have a shoe with enough room between each row of eyelets to set off the checkerboard feature. A shoe that was meant to be tightly laced with the eyelets next to one another would not be a good fit for the Checkerboard Lace design. Usually a shoe with more space between the eyelets are best to work with.

Shoelaces Required:

To achieve the Checkerboard Lace look, there must be two shoelaces assigned to each shoe. The shoelaces should be flat in nature and not rounded in any way to make the design pop with color and visual intrigue. A solid brand of shoelaces that won’t give out or fade in color is recommended, such as our Xpand® shoelaces. Our Xpand® shoelaces are great for this design and can be purchased on our website here.

Eyelets Required:

Without at least four to five rows of “bars”, a Checkerboard Lace pattern cannot reach its fullest potential as one of the coolest shoelace designs.  Several of the holes will require 2 passes through the eyelets with the shoelaces.  If it’s hard to get the second pass through use the tip of a pend to stretch the eyelet out a little.

Finishing Off:

To complete the Checkerboard Lace designs on any type of shoe, you’ll need a trustworthy shoelace anchoring system. Lace Anchors® provides an excellent way to secure the shoelaces in place keeping your shoelace pattern perfectly in place.  One pack of Lace Anchors® should be enough for one pair of shoes unless you want to secure both the horizontal and vertical bars.

Additional Options:

There’s no doubt that the Checkerboard Lace is intense, but there are plenty of ways you can still spruce it up:

* Try having four different shoelace colors, two in each shoe. For instance, the Checkerboard Lace pattern in the right shoe could be red and black, and the Checkerboard Lace design in the left shoe could be green and blue.

* Choose two similar shades for the checkerboard pattern, such as red and pink laces, or green and yellow. By varying the hues just slightly but staying within the same palette, the effect will be subtle and memorable.

* Make a checkerboard using just one color. While it won’t have the same powerful effect as a Checkerboard Lace pattern that uses different colors, it will give dimension and visual appeal to the shoe.