Note: If your instructor was not present at your fitting, you should first ask him or her to approve your fit.

To begin you will need ribbon, elastic, thread, and a needle. First you will cut the ribbon into four even pieces. The ribbon is rough on one side and smooth on the other. The rough side is placed toward your leg to reduce slipping.

The ribbons can be place in one of two ways. The easiest and most traditional way is to fold the back of the shoe down toward the insole and sew the ribbons on in the angle created by the fold. Some dancers prefer not to angle the ribbon, which is acceptable as well. As an alternative, the inside ribbon can be place ½ to 1 ribbon width forward of the fold. This is done to help pull the shoe into your arch, which creates a nicer line in your foot.

To prepare the ribbon, fold the end over ¼ of an inch twice. This makes the ribbon-to-shoe connection stronger and hides the end of the ribbon, which prevents the ribbon from fraying. The ribbon should be attached at the previously specified location with small, close whip stitches, starting at the seam of the casing, down one side, across the bottom, and up the other side, using a double strand of thread.

Make sure you go through all thickness of the ribbon, but only the white canvas lining of the shoe. Also be sure to start your stitches at or below the seam in the casing so as to avoid catching the drawstring.

The elastic can also be sewn on in several ways. Regardless of the placement, we suggest sewing the elastic neatly to the outside of your shoe. This will help to prevent blisters caused by rubbing and helps to protect your Achilles tendon.

The first method for sewing the elastic on is to cut the elastic that you were given in half and sew it on the back of the shoe, ½ of an inch away from either side of the back casing. Again, be careful not to catch the drawstring. This should create a snug fitting loop around the ankle. The elastic should be attached with small, close whip stitches around the outer edge, just as you did with the ribbon.

The second alternative is to cut two, three inch long pieces of elastic off of the piece that you were given, and to make a loop at the back of the shoe. When the ribbons are tied, they can be threaded through the loop to help hold the shoe on. A third option would be not to use elastic at all. This choice should be between you and your teacher.

Now you are ready to put your shoes on. Before you tie the ribbons around your ankle, you should tie the drawstring. The drawstring should be pulled by both ends until there are no gaps in your shoe. Then, tie a knot and tuck the ends into your shoe. Anything in excess of two or three inches should be trimmed off.

To tie the shoe on, first slip your foot through the elastic (if it was attached using the first method). Then, cross the ribbons across your instep; wrap them around the back to cross at your ankle, and again across the instep.

The ribbon on the outside of your foot is then wrapped around the back again to meet the ribbon on the inside of your foot. They should meet behind your ankle bone and in front of your Achilles tendon, on the inside of your leg. Here the two ribbons are tied into a knot.

Any ribbon in excess of about three inches is trimmed off. To prevent the ribbons from fraying, the ends can be run very quickly through a match flame to melt the nylon fibers together. Next tuck one end toward the front of your shoe and the other end toward the back of your shoe.

Lastly, pull a flat ribbon out and over to cover the knot.

Source:  http://www.capeziodanceeu.com/tips.asp