Crochet slippers

I can't stop using felt. It is too good for feet :) This time - felted insoles, used as soles for crochet slippers

Toasty Feet

Keep your feet warm - wool is the best friend in Winter.

Crochet and felted slipper socks

On crochet and felted wool rug bright colours hidden in thewool felt gives a mossy look:

 Or your choice can be Pink chrochet wool rug

Or brighter Red round rug

Feltings and knittings

Unsuccessful knits don't have to be disassembled. They can be used as decor in felted booties

And some new Delida's knittings with my perfect model Maja. Chunky scarf :

More items in www.knitted.lt

How to make and add rubber soles to the slippers

I get a lot of requests to teach how to make shoes. Here is short lesson, how to make, glue and stitch soles to the bottoms of the felt slippers.

1. If you want to make slippers with the hard soles, you should make them on the shoe lasts. Put your slippers  tightly on the shoe lasts and only then add the soles. bottoms of the slippers must be stretched while doing this.

2. Circle your slippers and make the pattern of the soles. This paper pattern will be used to mark the place of the soles on the slippers and to cut soles of the soling material. This time I use yellow micro-porous rubber for the heel and beige natural rubber for the bottom of the sole:

Heel is not neccesary, but this time I was making slippers for my daughter Leda for her kindergarten and footwear had to comply with the requirements of orthopedic (small heel, hard counter).

You can use any soling materials - rubber sheets for soles, thick leather, cork, recycled tire rubber etc...

Heel is 1/2 length of the sole. Mark place of the soles very accurately on the both slippers - this kind of footwear doesn't have seems, so only your accuracy will guarantee, that soles will be in correct place.
3. Grind the detail of the heel with the sandpaper:

4. Apply contact adhesives on the bottoms of the slippers, let it dry. Apply second layer of contact adhesives on the heel area and on the detail of the heel. Use adhesives according to its instruction. Usually surfaces must dry for 10-20 minutes. Then accurately put parts together.
If you glue just one layer of the soles skip part 4 . 

5. I did it outside my studio, as contact adhesives for shoemakers are very toxic.
When parts are put together, struck with a hammer. Apply next layer of the glue - on the whole bottom of the slippers and on the soles. Let them dry and put together, struck with a hammer.  
If you won't be stitching your soles, our slippers are finished.
Soling material must be very elastic if you will glue it without stitching. Otherwise it will peel off while wearing.

6. Usually I stitch soles from the inside through the slipper and sole. But this time the size is too small. My stitching tool don't fit into the slipper, so I made an outer seem:

I use The speedy stitcher sewing awl. It is very useful as it tense stitches and I don't have to make it heard with the fingers. Use waxed thread for shoemaking.

Slippers are finished. 
Moccasins are similar "free form shoes" as the felted shoes, so most of the ideas, how to make soles I found in the tutorials of how to make moccasins :) 

Good luck with your projects!

Supplies for shoemaking you can find in my Etsy shop

Cat cave

Felted cat cave - cosy woolen bed for your pet. I was dreeming to make such a cat bet shaped like my woolen clogs for a long time.


Cat cave Clog with Sun :

Cat cave Woolenclog :

Cat cave Love Clog :

The only pity thing about these my creations - my own cat hates small cosy spaces :) She loves to lay free and very wide :)))

Rubber toe soles

I was looking for a perfect soles for my felted boots for a long time. In traditional way galoshes are outer shoes worn in inclement weather to protect the felted shoes (valenki) and keep the feet dry. But traditional galoshes are so clumsy and big...

I found the soles, which reminds of galoshes, but are much more elegant. They are with rubber toe, so the part of the felted shoe, which is the most vulnerable to moisture, is safe now :) From now on, my felted boots and clogs, can be ordered with  these soles.

In my Etsy shop you can find these rubber soles for felt shoes for your own projects

Vacation, linen, dress and loafers

There is no better place in Summer than Lithuania. I love my rich green wet warm land :)
Some of my Summer and new creations:

Nuno felted dress, made of linen and merino wool Leda loves it :)

Stylish loafers, why not to make them of wool :))) Felted wool slipper loafers

And a bit play with plant dyeing and curls  Wild felt handbag

Felt for Summer

Felted wedding flats?.. It was a customers request from overseas:)
I used softest merino and lambs wool, silk, lace, freshwater pearls - white pure materials for the Big Day:

 

Granny

My Granny turns 82 this week:) She already has 6 great grandchildren!

She loves to swing:)

A little warm gift for her - felted wool shoes: