Description
Felt is a wonderful shoemaking material: like leather, it doesn’t unravel, so you don’t have to be concerned about seams coming apart. Felt can be obtained by wet-felting, by purchasing 2mm 100% wool, or by felting 100% wool coats. Unlike most wet-felt shoes, these shoes are made by cutting pattern pieces from flat felt.
Felt shoes are common, but most are unexciting. Craftspeople create amazing handmade felt which begs to be used in shoemaking. Just google “handmade felt shoes” on Pinterest and you’ll see an inspiring selection.
The kit contains:
*The directions and patterns for making one-piece “flat” shoes
*a pair of felt/natural rubber soles, all-leather soles, or felt/leather soles with stitch holes punched out, so all you need to do is make the uppers and stitch them to the soles
*waxed braided thread for stitching the uppers that you make to the soles
*a glover’s stitching needle
http://simpleshoemaking.eco/product/simple-shoemaking-kit-directions-for-making-felt-shoes-with-felt-natural-rubber-soles-or-felt-leather-soles/?preview_id=9926&preview_nonce=465b1a9676&_thumbnail_id=9927&preview=true
Note that these shoes will be totally ecological, an important selling point if you decide to make felt shoes to sell.
Of course you need to order the correct size of sole, since they will not correspond perfectly to the size you usually wear. When you order a kit, the pdf of How to Make Felt Shoes with felt/natural rubber, all leather, or felt/leather soles will be sent to you by email. Use the directions and patterns to make mock-up shoes before letting me know what size soles you would like: they will be sent out along with thread and needle.
Directions and patterns for making soles and other shoe styles can be found in The Simple Shoemaking Handbook.
I am available to teach the felt shoemaking process via facetime or skype to “wet felters” – and also those using commercial felt or felted coats. For those of you who teach felt-making, students can gather and “wet-felt” one weekend day and get sized for soles, order the soles from me, then gather again with their soles and transform their felt into footwear.
Please email me with any questions about this process.