Not sure where exactly to put this question, so mods feel free to move this. :)

I was wondering if anyone knows a good, simple way to dye tennis shoes? My MIL bought me a pair of really cute tennis shoes to wear to work - the only problem is they have two gray patches on them (they're black) and I have to have completely black shoes. Anyone know of a way to make the gray parts black? Someone suggested shoe polish - but will that stay on well or will it rub off on stuff?

How big are the gray patches? If they are not very big you could just use a permanent marker to color them.

Fabric Paint Pens, permanent marker, fabric dye :D:D:D

Sharpie.That would be the first thing I would try.

i used to be able to buy small bottles of dye at the craft store. i painted my leather sandals red and purple.worked great.

What are the gray patches made from? Are they vinyl, leather, fabric (poly anything fabrics are notoriously hard to dye). If it is leather you can get a dye from any shoe repair or leather working shop (we had to do this with ballet shoes during Nutcracker season, people expect rats to wear black :-) ). If your shoe is vinyl you might experiment. Some paints will adhere some won't. It might be cheaper in the long run to just find a solid black pair. They're out there.

Fabric paint from the craft store or WM. Comes in little bottles with the skinny top to squirt the paint out.

I bought blue spray shoe dye at shoe shop and sprayed a black pair of flats, turned out good....

Like everyone else said, try Sharpies, fabric paint, black shoe polish.

If it is smooth, use the paste show polish, if it is more like suede or cloth, use the liquid shoe polish.

You can also use black spray paint or black dye depending on whether it is soft or smooth.

Sharpies will work on both canvas and leather. My daughter has hand colored tennis shoes of both types she has been wearing for several years done with sharpies.