Adidas Evolution EVN 791001 in white, tonguectomy and repair of leather split near the little toe. Toronto, Canada. Photo 1 by Don Tai
She has a pair of Adidas Evolution EVN 791001 leather running shoes, but the tongue was too thick and there was a cut in the leather on the toe cap, left foot and near the baby toe, D5. Here is how I repaired it. These shoes are made in China but are solidly built. Unfortunately there was some quality control issues with the split leather.
Shoe Tonguectomy
The tongue was really thick, so I removed the laces. On either side of the tongue you can see a seam, which is tucked into the shoe and hidden by the laces. Rip out one seam. The tongue sponge is perforated and only spray glued to the leather front and cloth back. Use your finger to separate the sponge from the leather and back. It will come out pretty much intact with very little difficulty. Hand stitch the hole in the tongue and you will never know it was missing.
Adidas Evolution EVN 791001 in white, tonguectomy and repair of leather split near the little toe. Toronto, Canada. Photo 1 by Don Tai
The left foot toe cap had a split in the leather near the little toe, or D5. This split is right where the shoe flexes on toe off. Firstly I applied some contact cement to both surfaces of the split, waited 15 minutes to dry and pushed the two surfaces of the split together. They stuck together pretty well. Reinforce with hand stitching, using white upholstery thread. Even with the laces out, the tongue forward and small hands it is difficult to get your needle in the right position. I used a thicker needle to first make a hole through the leather, then put the thread and needle through from the back to the front, and then again to the back. The thread was double knotted after each stitch. Go slow and meticulously and you will not make a mistake.
Adidas Evolution EVN 791001 in white, tonguectomy and repair of leather split near the little toe. Shoe label on the back of the tongue. Toronto, Canada. Photo 2 by Don Tai
Adidas Evolution EVN 791001 in white, tonguectomy and repair of leather split near the little toe. Split repair. Toronto, Canada. Photo 3 by Don Tai
Adidas Evolution EVN 791001 in white, tonguectomy and repair of leather split near the little toe. Extra thick tongue foam. Toronto, Canada. Photo 4 by Don Tai
