Decorative lacing
Sawtooth Lacing: Step-by-Step Shoelace Tutorial
Sawtooth Lacing creates a distinctive angled pattern across the shoe, with neat horizontal sections on one side and diagonal sections on the other. It’s an easy way to give everyday trainers a more unusual look without making the lacing complicated. Simple to create and easy to adjust, it adds a little personality while still keeping your shoes comfortably secure.
Difficulty
★
★
★
Easy
Time
2–5 mins
Best for
Trainers, casual shoes, high-top shoes & skate shoes
Lace length
120–140cm per lace
A brilliant choice when you want something a little different without making your lacing complicated.
Watch the video tutorial
Overview
Watch Lindsay demonstrate how to create Sawtooth Lacing from start to finish. It’s quick to learn, surprisingly simple to lace, and creates a distinctive angled pattern that gives everyday trainers and casual shoes a completely different look.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Time required: 2–5 mins
- Best for: Trainers, casual shoes, high-top shoes & skate shoes
- Lace length: 120–140cm per lace
The Story Behind This Style
Sawtooth Lacing is one of those clever patterns that looks far more complicated than it really is.
Instead of creating matching crosses across the shoe, the laces form a series of neat horizontal sections combined with distinctive diagonal lines. Those repeating angles create the little “teeth” that give Sawtooth Lacing its name.
What makes this style particularly fun is the transformation. You can take an ordinary pair of trainers, change nothing but the way the laces travel through the eyelets, and suddenly the whole shoe looks different.
It’s a brilliant choice if you want something more interesting than traditional Criss Cross Lacing without venturing into one of the more intricate decorative styles.
And with colourful or patterned shoelaces, those characteristic sawtooth angles really get a chance to show off.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow each step to create this lace pattern.
1
Step One
Thread the lace straight across the bottom eyelets, feeding both ends from the 'outside' to the 'inside'.
2
Step Two
Before you start, pull the lace ends through and make sure they are the same length.
3
Step Three
Take the left lace and thread it vertically up one eyelet from 'inside' to 'outside'. Take the lace from the right side across diagonally and bring it up through the next available eyelet on the opposite side, from 'inside' to 'outside'.
4
Step Four
Take that same lace straight across the shoe so it is parallel to the one below and feed it through the opposite eyelet, from outside to inside. Your first sawtooth shape is beginning to appear.
5
Step Five
Continue the pattern up the shoe: bring the lace diagonally underneath to the next available eyelet, then take it straight across to the opposite side.
6
Step Six
Keep repeating the diagonal-underneath and straight-across pattern until you reach the top eyelets. Adjust the horizontal bars so they sit neatly and evenly.
7
Step Seven
Your Sawtooth Lacing is complete. Check that the horizontal bars are straight and the distinctive diagonal pattern sits neatly underneath.
8
Step Eight
Tie your laces in your usual bow and you’re finished - a simple pair of trainers has a completely different look with Sawtooth Lacing.
The History of This Style
Sawtooth Lacing belongs to the wonderfully inventive world of alternative shoelace patterns - methods developed not simply to fasten a shoe, but to change the way it looks.
Unlike traditional Criss Cross Lacing, Sawtooth Lacing uses straight horizontal sections across the front of the shoe while the lace travels diagonally underneath. The repeating diagonal route creates the distinctive tooth-like pattern that gives the style its name.
There doesn’t appear to be one documented inventor or moment when Sawtooth Lacing was created. Instead, it is part of the wider tradition of decorative and practical lacing methods that have developed as people experimented with different ways of threading shoes.
Today, Sawtooth Lacing is popular as an easy way to give trainers and casual shoes a more unusual, asymmetric appearance without needing complicated knots or specialist laces.
Did You Know?
In Sawtooth Lacing, much of the clever work is hidden. From the front you see neat horizontal bars, while the diagonal sections travelling underneath the tongue create the pattern and help move the lace progressively up the shoe.
Shop Laces That Work Beautifully
Choose a lace colour and style that helps this pattern look its best.
Laceologist's Style Tip
Sawtooth Lacing really comes to life with a colourful or contrasting pair of laces. The neat horizontal bars show off the colour beautifully, while the unusual construction adds just enough detail to make people look twice. Try it on a simple white or black trainer and let your laces do the talking.
Lindsay, Chief Laceologist
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to some of the most common questions about this lacing style.
Is Sawtooth Lacing difficult to do?
Not at all. Sawtooth Lacing looks more complicated than it is. Once you understand the pattern of straight horizontal sections with the lace travelling diagonally underneath, it becomes very easy to repeat up the shoe.
What shoes are best for Sawtooth Lacing?
Sawtooth Lacing works particularly well on trainers and casual lace-up shoes with evenly spaced eyelets. It looks especially striking on simple shoes where the unusual lacing pattern can really stand out.
Do I need special shoelaces for Sawtooth Lacing?
No. You can create Sawtooth Lacing with ordinary shoelaces in the correct length for your shoes. Colourful, patterned or contrasting laces are a great choice if you want to make the sawtooth design even more noticeable.
Why is it called Sawtooth Lacing?
The name comes from the distinctive angled route of the lace. Combined with the straight horizontal sections, the repeating diagonals resemble the teeth along the edge of a saw - hence the name Sawtooth Lacing.
Happy Lacing!
And there you have it - Sawtooth Lacing! A simple change in direction can completely transform the look of your shoes.
Once you’ve mastered the pattern, have some fun with it. Try a bold colour, a patterned lace or something completely unexpected and see how different the same pair of shoes can look.
And if Sawtooth has given you the lacing bug, head back to the Love Your Laces Lace Library and discover another way to lace up.
One pair of shoes. So many possibilities.
I'm Lindsay, Chief Laceologist at Love Your Laces.
Until next time... Happy Lacing!