Shoe sole stitching masterclass

Today I delivered a lesson on stitching soles to the felted shoes.

Short masterclass for feltmakers, they usually make felt slippers and here we discussed how to make outdoor shoes. We met in Kaunas (UAB Partis, thanks for the meeting space).
Meeting, greeting, fingering tools and materials:

During our Summer camp Danguole have made felted shoes. Today we took them as an example and added outdoor rubber soles. Shoes were felted on the flat sole shoe lasts, so we've chosen flat rubber shoe soles for these shoes. We cutted special cellulose board to be put between the shoe and the sole. It covers the grids of the sole, they won't emboss through the wool felt.

Carefully marked the place of the soles. Applied the adhesive for shoemaking. This adhesive usually is very volatile and it is necessary to work in well ventilated place. We worked at the window. Layers of adhesive must dry before putting parts together.

Cardboard will be used to cover grids in the heel of the sole.

Moment of attentiveness - soles must be glued in the right place.

I stitch the soles with speedy stitcher sewing awl. It tightens the stitches by itself and saves your fingers from doing it :)

Me - shoemaker?! :)))

Next pair of the shoes:

And the result after few hours of work:

So soft and so warm and so made by hands:)

Supplies for felt shoe soling you can find here

Good luck with your projects!

__________

All guests of this masterclass made their fish for the Museum of Fishing in Moletai to support an artistic campaign "Fish pendants"

Baby alpaca

This week I got the softest and so pleasant to touch yarn! Natural undyed fibres of baby alpaca are supersoft and much warmer than wool. This luxurious yarn is spun of selective fibers of young alpaca (first shear), it is suitable for softest newborn items.
I've made a scarf for my daughter and few items for babies:

Baby alpaca circle scarf

  

Baby alpaca knit blanket

And small pieces of first knittings I felted into baby felted booties

Amber sunrise

Gintarinis saulėtekis

Longing for colours

This year Winter is brown and grey. After a couple of weeks of a real Winter we have rain again. I am longing for colours, waiting for Spring, felting for Spring:

Shoemaking

My son had to tell about is his mothers profession during his English lesson last week. He tried to describe what I am doing. Together with his teacher they decided that I am a shoemaker:) OK let it be so :)
In recent couple of years I really focused in studying the secrets of shoemaking. Reading history, studying materials, communicating and cooperating with creative shoemakers and shoe designers. The most helpful for me were practical advices of an old shoemaker. He explained what are the most important things for a comfortable shoes. Height of counter, sole deflection, durability of materials etc. Combined these tips with my knowledge of the possibilities of felt my felted wool footwear was be made into very warm comfortable shoes. And now a lot of wearers are enjoying my felt boots in all over the world.

With proper materials, tools and skills feltmakers can make comfortable shoes. Here are few tips about how to do it:
1. Proper materials . Felted wool should hold the shape very well and not loose it after months of wearing. I use rough robust wool, which structure is not damaged with chemicals it is not carbonized and dyed. If you use dyed thin wools, then your shoes will need additional heel and toe supports.
Soles for the felt boots should be deep with an edges for stitching. Such soles gives additional support to the shape of the boot and can be stitched to the felt boots.
When glueing special cardboard heel pad or leather is necessary between the felted shoe and the soles
2. Tools. One of the most important tools for a proper shoes are the shoe lasts. They should fit the soles perfectly. If you want to have comfortable flexible shoes, shape of the sole should repeat the shape of the shoe which is stitched to it. I ordered few new models of the shoe lasts. They were designed especially for the soles which I found very suitable for felt boots:

One more important thing - strong stitches. This is easy, when soles repeat the shape of the shoe lasts. Felted footwear made on them fits perfectly - no empty spaces, no bended rubber edges appear. Well, this part of the job - glueing and stitching - I give to do to a real shoemaker, because it requires strong fingers. If you want to make it by yourself - use adhesive for shoes and leather stitching needles.

Supplies for shoemaking you can find in my Etsy shop

Felt wedge boots

Felt wedge boots for my mom. Just finished them, almost in time for Winter :)

 You can make your owd felted boots, using such shoe lasts for felting and wedge rubber soles

Felted wool boot for men

Felted wool boots for men.
These are size 48:

Shoe soles for your own projects of extra large sizes you can find in my Etsy shop supplies for shoemaking
And felted wool shoes for men with ethno motives:

For both:

Felted stone

Felted stone - an old dreem of mine:

And new wild looking step-in shoes. I love this model - short soft knitted-felted trim and solid wool felt shoe. Very comfortable felted shoes will fly to Finland tomorrow:)

Felted Water / Veltas Vaduo

Ar žinojote, kad spalio 5 diena yra tarptautinė veltinio diena? :) Šiais metais FeltUnited komanda paskelbė jai temą Vanduo.

Lietuvos veltinio amatininkų gildija ta proga ruošiasi parodai ta pačia tema. Mano pasiruošimai juda link pabaigos. 

Lašelis:

Batai banguoti:

Coming up Autumn...

It is cool morning today... Autumn days come quickly. Let natural wool boots to warm up your feet :) Felted boots for Autumn and Winter
Shoe part I felted of natural undyed wool, it is durable, solid and very warm. Top part is knitted of 100% wool yarn and felted, this process makes felt more flexible, soft, but also durable and warm.