How to make felt boots. How to make felt boots with your own hands

Felt boots made of felted sheep's wool are called felt boots. The prototype of felt boots was the traditional felt boots of the nomads of the Great Steppe, whose history dates back more than 1,500 thousand years. Felt boots became widespread only in the first half of the 19th century, when they began to be manufactured industrially.

Until winter finally gives way to spring, we will tell how boots are made in the city of Kalyazin Tver region.

Felted shoes (felt boots) have been made in the Kalyazinsky district for 200 years. After the revolution, handicraft production is replaced by industrial production - the Krasny Oktyabr factory is organized on the basis of the artel. In 2004, it merged with another Moscow factory "Bitsa". This is how the production that exists at the moment appears.

As we have already said, boots are made from sheep's wool. True, the Yaroslavl Romanov sheep is not suitable for industrial production, so white wool is brought from Mongolia, and gray wool from the Caucasus and Central Asia.

First, wool is prepared for production. It is run through a special apparatus, oiled and stacked in a large container.

And then goes to card shop. Here everything is in steam-smoke, knocking, making noise and rumbles:

Carding unit. At the back, wool is placed manually, which is combed with prickly rollers and wound on special coils in front:

After combing, the wool winds the basis of the future felt boots, which is lapped on these machines with steam:

And this is a dog. In fact, one of the factory workers is resting in the background during their lunch break, but she refused to be photographed:

After lapping, the workpiece is manually formed boots head - toe, heel and sole. Then fluffy wool is rubbed again with steam:

Now the blanks need to be assembled in batches and sent to rolling machine. Rolling, squeezing, pressing - wool becomes inseparable:

Then the shape is stretched and given the appearance of a felt boot. She's the only one so far 2 times more the final size:

And then the blanks are stretched again on a machine, which in the factory is called "crocodile". The workers were simply amazed by the synchronicity of actions:

Despite the fact that the production looks very primitive, no one here complains about work. There are also young people coming. The technologies are ancient, they come from grandmothers, and this is a plus.

The oven itself:

Giving the final shape by tapping the block:

After shaping and sizing, the pads are no longer needed, they are stored until a new batch:

atmospheric room:

Now there is little left. It is necessary to grind off excess hair:

Measure:

Pick a couple:

And glue the factory tag and size label:

And these felt boots were made with an additional rubber sole in the vulcanization shop:

Here's how it goes. The shape of the sole is made from rubber, which is superimposed on the boots, and then heated under pressure and dries:

The excess is cut off:

It remains to sew decorations in the sewing section and the felt boot is ready. From wool to this stage it's been about 5 days:

By the way, the workers here are sitting in local felt boots. They say it's very convenient.

About salaries. In the first two shops it is 24-25 thousand. There are less seamstresses - 17. We thank the Kalyazinsky factory of felt boots "Bitsa" for the opportunity to shoot.

It should be noted that our old felt boots are back in fashion. These are truly Russian shoes, which are perfect for winter frosts. Did you know that you don’t have to go to a remote village to get felt boots or buy them for big money in a store? Felting felt boots at home allows you to make the process fast and interesting, in our article we will tell you how to do it.

Main job

The process of felting felt boots made of wool is not easy, long, but very interesting. So, for work you will need:

• Wool;
• Sample;
• A film with pimples, this is usually used for packaging fragile materials, you can buy it at a hardware store;
• Net;
• Hot water;
• Liquid soap (you can use a soap solution);
• Towel;
• In our master class, we also used a bath mat.

First you need to take measurements and, taking into account all sizes, make a pattern, the size needs to be increased by about forty percent, because the wool will sit down during felting. To build a drawing, you can use the template below.

We tear off the wool in small pieces and lay it on the template, the wool should “look” in one direction, the next layer of wool “looks” in the opposite direction. We continue to lay out in this way about three or four layers.

After completing work with the first side, you need to cover the product with a net, pour hot soapy water over the whole thing, iron it and increase the pressing force.

Now the product needs to be turned over, wrap all the protruding pieces of wool and do all the same steps as with the first side.

Cover with mesh again, pour with soapy water.

We turn the product over again and bend the protruding pieces.

At this stage of work, our boots should look like in the photo below:

Now the mesh needs to be changed to a pimply film, due to its design, this film evenly distributes pressure, thereby speeding up the felting process. Now you need to press very hard, the movements must be confident.

You can even use auxiliary items:

Now we remove the pimply film and check how well our felt boots fall off.

If the hairs are easily separated, then you need to work harder, the product should not be very damp and in no case cold, if necessary, you can add a soapy solution based on hot water.

If the product began to decrease in size, the workpiece needs to be cut: we get two parts.

We continue to knock, roll, roll, it is very important to make more efforts when working with sections and nose.

Our boots are ready, you can fill them with bags, newspapers or just paper when drying, this is necessary so that the boots take the correct and beautiful shape.

By this principle, you can make wonderful souvenir boots and use them to decorate the interior for the New Year holiday or as a Christmas tree decoration.

Of course, boots, which are in fashion today, are somewhat different from those worn by our great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers in the old days. You yourself could see painted or embroidered felt boots in the store, you can also decorate your product by making embroidery on it, painting it with special paints, here you can give freedom to your imagination.

As mentioned above, there are many ways to decorate felt boots, and we will tell you the most popular of them.

Lace

It seems that this is an unusual option for decorating felt boots, but the product decorated with this material looks very feminine, gentle and unusual, in such shoes you will be like a real Snow Maiden. The image can be supplemented with beads. Before sewing lace to felt boots, it should be ironed well.

Fur

Fur trim will not only give your shoes a finished and beautiful look, but also serve as additional insulation. It is worth noting that fur can be used both artificial and natural.

Application

The application can be made from absolutely any fabric (felt, wool, leather, and so on), you can choose any image that you like, you can print the template from a computer and transfer it to the product using a disappearing marker (which is sold in any needlework store ). The appliqué can be sewn on or glued on.

painting

Everything is simple here. Take special waterproof paints, draw a contour and paint. Even if you don't know how to draw, you will be able to cope with this task. Just find the stencil you need and trace it.

Video on the topic of the article

Now that you have got acquainted with the process of felting felt boots at home, you can easily cope with this task. You even know some of the ways to decorate this product, we have only talked about a few, because the techniques described in the article are far from all the ways to decorate felt boots. We suggest you even watch the videos from this collection, thanks to which you can consolidate the knowledge gained and draw some ideas.

Today we will tell you how felt boots are made in the city of Kalyazin, Tver region. At the end there is a wonderful video about production.

Felted shoes (felt boots) have been made in the Kalyazinsky district for 200 years. After the revolution, handicraft production was replaced by industrial production - the Krasny Oktyabr factory was organized on the basis of the artel. In 2004, it merged with another, Moscow, factory "Bitsa". This is how the production that exists at the moment appears.

1. They make felt boots from sheep's wool. True, the Yaroslavl Romanov sheep is not suitable for industrial production. Therefore, white wool is brought from Mongolia, gray - from the Caucasus and Central Asia.

2. First, wool is prepared for production. It is run through a special apparatus, oiled and folded in a large container.

4. Carding unit. Wool is placed at the back by hand, combed with prickly rollers and wound on special reels in front

7. After combing the wool, the base of the future felt boot is wound, which is lapped on these machines with steam

10. You can also heat food on the machines)

11. And this is a dog. In fact, one of the factory workers is resting in the background during a lunch break, but she refused to be photographed.

12. After grinding the workpiece, the head of the felt boot is manually formed - toe, heel and sole. Then fluffy wool is rubbed again with steam

13. Now the blanks need to be assembled in batches and sent to the rolling machine. Rolling, squeezing, pressing - wool becomes inseparable

14. Then the shape is stretched and given the appearance of a felt boot. Only it is so far 2 times larger than the size that will turn out in the end.

16. The blanks are thrown into a wooden drum filled with water, where the initial wool roll or felting takes place. That's why boots are called boots!

18. And then the blanks are stretched again on a machine, which is called a “crocodile” at the factory. The workers were simply amazed by the synchronicity of actions

20. By the way! Now we have a Go Pro camera, she shot a great video for you about the production of boots and wants to show it at the end of the post

21. This "baby" with its own mounts can be mounted on tripods using the Tripod adapter. And at the end we will see the whole factory process, filmed with a wide-angle lens of 170 degrees!

22. A cool video is already waiting, and our felt boots are moving on. Now they need to be moistened, shaped and sized on special pads. And in the oven to dry

26. Giving the final shape by tapping the last

27. Determining the intermediate size of boots

29. After shaping and sizing, the pads are no longer needed, they are stored until a new batch

31. Now there is not much left. Need to cut off excess hair

Felt boots - old shoes, comfortable, warm and durable. Until recently, it was associated with a rustic style, did not enjoy wide popularity. But thanks to the global trend towards the use of natural materials, the study of ancient crafts, it has found a new life. The main criterion that characterizes the quality of shoes is what boots are made of, what technique and material they use. Despite the development of modern technology, the manufacturing process requires the application of knowledge and methods that were used by the ancestors.

What are

The answer to the question of what boots are, probably, every person living in a harsh winter knows. These are shoes made of wool, without soles, designed for dry frosty weather. Traditional felt boots are monolithic, concise, without fasteners, zippers, rich decor. They are spacious, comfortable, easy to put on and take off. Winter models can be insulated with felt, soft ones are used as indoor shoes or under rubber boots.

Felt boots are ancient shoes, their prototype was short boots resembling galoshes - chuni, cats, kengi. There are many versions of origin. A large number of interesting facts about felt boots are known, connected with the legends of the appearance of felt:

1. Felt was accidentally invented by Pope Clement I. He used tow as lining. Under the influence of sweat, constant pressure, the wool became a felted cloth.
2. The Apostle Joakov, during a long journey, collected shreds of sheep's wool, put them in shoes so that they rub their feet less. This is how the first insoles came about.
3. Noah's ark was lined with wool. Thanks to salt water and tamping by animals, a kind of felted carpet was obtained.

According to archaeological research, felt boots appeared as early as the 4th century BC - fragments of woolen shoes were found during excavations in Altai. The craft was well developed in the Caucasus, Tibet, and the Carpathians. It was used by pastoralists, nomadic tribes of the Eurasian steppes. The history of the appearance of felt boots in Russia is associated with the period of the Golden Horde, the neighborhood with the Mongolian and Turkic tribes. The first mention of woolen shoes is recorded in the work "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". Products were expensive, only rich people could buy them. Often one pair was bought for the whole family, it was used alternately.

At first, felt boots in Russia were cut and sewn together. One-piece products without seams began to be made already at the beginning of the 19th century in the Nizhny Novgorod province. The style of shoes, most similar to modern models, was invented by the masters of the city of Myshkin. When industrial production was established, felt boots became more affordable, popular and indispensable. They were used by workers and peasants. During World War II, the shoes were worn by Soviet soldiers. The white felt boots of snipers became famous. Gradually, the popularity of products subsided a bit - winters became warmer, slushy, with frequent thaws.

Felt boots are known under many names - wire rod, felt boots, pima, chesanki, volnushki, antics. The name of the shoe changed depending on the region and the material of manufacture. They stand out with many advantages:

• retain heat well, are characterized by excellent breathability;
• strong, durable, comfortable;
• hypoallergenic, lightweight, comfortable.

The advantage of felted shoes is its positive effect on the body - it produces a massage effect on the feet, improves blood flow, and alleviates the condition with rheumatism or sciatica.

The disadvantages of products include water permeability, the need for careful maintenance. However, with proper maintenance, shoes can last for several seasons. That is why it is so in demand and popular.

Now the history of boots continues its development - new technologies have appeared, fashion trends have changed. The range of products has expanded significantly. Models with rubber or leather soles, shafts of different lengths, configurations, and various decors are added to the range of ordinary styles.

materials

Depending on what boots are made of, their cost, quality, and methods of use are determined. In the old days, felt boots were made exclusively from wool, which was sheared from a live sheep. This material is called casting. In modern production, in addition to wool, additional materials are used that help improve footwear, make it universal, meeting new requirements.

The main material for felt boots is semi-coarse sheep's wool obtained as a result of spring and autumn shearing. Raw materials are imported to Russia from the Caucasus, Mongolia, and some Asian countries. Interesting models are created from goat, rabbit, dog wool. Exotic fluffy products are obtained from camel hair.

Sheep's wool

rabbit

Significant changes were made to the production of the bottom of the shoe. For greater comfort, durability and water resistance, the sole is made of leather or rubber - it is glued or sewn on. Often there are options for a cast or corrugated bottom. Winter models are additionally insulated with fur or felt cloth. To protect against moisture, the outer part of the shoe can be covered with waterproof textiles.

Felt boots do not react well to moisture - they can get wet, deformed. To maintain an attractive appearance, the performance of shoes should be carefully processed after purchase. A special impregnation is applied to the upper - a water-repellent spray for suede and nubuck, the sole is lubricated with silicone sealant. Dry products can only be at room temperature, store in a dark, dry place.

Rubber, corrugated

Leather, molded sole

Manufacturing features

Wool is the only natural material that, thanks to its characteristic scales, is able to interlock with each other without additional means. Based on this feature, an ancient craft was born - felting or rolling. Two methods of shoe production have been formed - manual and industrial.

Manual felling

There are few known masters-pimokats who felt felt boots by hand. Their work is hard, painstaking, but shoes made by skillful hands are of high quality, durable, and environmentally friendly. It costs more, but this difference is justified - it may take several days to create one pair of boots.

The manufacturing process consists of the following steps:

1. Material cleaning. Sheared wool is carefully separated from debris, sorted by color.
2. Making a tow. The raw materials are crushed, it becomes like fluff.
3. Wool is treated with boiling water, laid out in a thin layer.
4. A pattern is created, felting begins. In the process of rolling, the product decreases in size, becomes dense and rigid.
5. The workpiece is mounted on a block and upholstered with a wooden stick. As a result, boots become softer, take the desired size.
6. Shoes are sent to the oven to dry.

Masters in their work do not use any chemicals. The result is high-quality shoes in natural white, brown or gray. At the final stage, the products are polished with a wooden block.

Mass production

As a result of industrial development, serial production of felt boots was launched. It is based on modern technologies and requires special equipment.

1. Primary processing - cleaning, washing, sorting.
2. The raw material is sent to scutching, carding machines.
3. The tow is placed on pressing plates, where pieces of felted fabric are formed.
4. A blank is made, which is sent for stretching.
5. The product goes through the rolling stage - it is placed in drums with hot water. Some manufacturers use sulfuric acid at this stage. Felt boots can be stretched several times, so they get the right size.
6. After the felling, the shoes are put on a metal block and treated with steam.
7. Finished products are dried at a temperature of 100 degrees for 6 hours.

Felt boots lend themselves to a variety of experiments - they are ground, polished, varnished with carpenter's glue, impregnated with rubber, dissolved gasoline. This creates a water repellent effect.

Color

The traditional color of felt boots are natural colors - white, gray, brown, black. In the old days, craftsmen used natural dyes to dye shoes. White felt boots were obtained as a result of the use of white and fresh milk. The solution was rubbed into the surface and then thoroughly dried. A dark shade was achieved with the help of alum, sandalwood or blue vitriol.

Modern models of boots correspond to fashion trends, are created in a variety of colors. Bright red, purple, yellow, green models refresh the image, give lightness, a feeling of warmth. Restrained beige, blue, burgundy products are versatile and practical. Golden and silver felt boots became relevant.

To dye felt, special dyes for wool are used. You can also paint or decorate felt boots at home. For this, acrylic paints are used for fabric, special dyes for suede.

An interesting discovery was the dyeing of woolen products with hair dye.

Features of designer models

Russian boots in a modern interpretation - interesting, beautiful, unique. Large manufacturers of antique shoes in Russia are the firms "Kalyaev", "Tofa", "Kotofey", "Zebra". Their range is varied. Every year they leave the assembly line:

• semi-boots, short, high models;
• with a tight and loose shaft;
• equipped with zippers, laces, fasteners;
• styles with heels, platform and wedges;
• warm, comfortable and bright felt boots for children with interesting images of fairy-tale characters or favorite animals;
• practical, durable men's shoes - cloaks.

Among the variety of styles, designer models stand out - thanks to the author's ideas, such felt boots are unique and inimitable. Often, professionals decorate shoes by hand, using expensive materials - the work is difficult, requires patience and painstaking work. For these reasons, designer shoes are expensive, high-status. Among domestic fashion designers, the original ideas of Vladislav Zaitsev stand out, he came up with many interesting models:

• with a gradient color transition;
• decorated with rhinestones, ribbons, fur, lace, beads;
• embroidered with satin stitch, cross.

A very interesting idea is the creation of wedding boots. Ordinary white wool boots are decorated with smooth embroidery and lace inserts.

Felt boots are practical, warm, natural footwear. In the old days, it was simply irreplaceable. At present, due to the trend towards the use of natural materials, the relevance of folk motifs, the popularity of felted shoes has increased. Manufacturers adapted felt boots to modern requirements, supplemented them with other materials, and decorated them. The result is fashionable, beautiful and high-quality shoes.

"Kalyaev"

"Kotofey"

Valenki from Vladislav Zaitsev

Video

Photo

Felt shoes - natural, warm, comfortable, practical and absolutely indispensable in severe frosts, have become the subject of increased demand of modern fashionistas. Being a hallmark of the "Russian style", felt "fever" captured not only the expanses of the CIS, but also spread throughout the world.

If about twenty years ago felt boots were considered primitive, ugly and rough shoes, then the modern variety of designs of author's dump trucks, wire rods, felt boots, pims, cats, chuneys and combs causes sincere delight and a desire to replenish your wardrobe with a couple of stylish handmade items.

Decorated with appliqué and lacing, embroidered with rhinestones and stones, trimmed with fur, combined with knitting, decorated with pom-poms and ribbons, and even painted, our dear and kind felt boots have turned into works of art, putting even Finnish ugg boots to shame.

If you are on fire with the idea of ​​organizing a fashion show in exclusive felt boots to the envy of everyone around you, I suggest mastering an exciting hobby - hand felting technology, and making felt boots for yourself on your own. Based on your individual preferences, you can safely vary the color scheme, style and decor of your products.

Making felt boots does not require special equipment, although the process of felting a “simple” felt boot is rather complicated, painstaking and long. Therefore, you will have to be patient. Wet felting is usually done by wool beaters in a bathhouse.

We can get by with an ordinary kitchen equipped with a table.

• sheep wool;
• pimply polyethylene film;
• mosquito net;
• hot soapy water (the hotter the better)
• template for felt boots;
• wooden massage rolling pin (if any);
• And the best and indispensable tool is our golden pens.

Step-by-step instruction

Step 1

Wool for hand felting. Sheep wool, preferably autumn haircut. It is better to take a carded comb (semi-coarse, coarse). You can find and buy it in a needlework store or order it online.

Wool consumption depends on the size of the boots, the height of the top and the thickness of the wool layer. On average, boots for an adult will need 700-1300 gr. For a child, approximately 600g.

Step 2

Sample. We draw a pattern for our felt boots on a piece of paper. We calculate the required size and height of the bootleg, taking into account 40% wool shrinkage (foot length + 40%, bootleg width + 40%). We draw as generally as possible, adding calculated allowances along the contour from all sides.

We are especially attentive to the rise, if it is too narrow, the leg will not fit. The ideal material for the template is polyethylene foam (a heat-insulating material used as a substrate for laminate flooring).

You can cut a pattern from ordinary dense polyethylene. For children's boots, it is convenient to use a template with a combined bell for the simultaneous felting of two boots at once, which then will need to be cut in half along the tops.

Step 3

blank. Laying wool over the pattern is the most crucial moment. We cover the table with a pimply film, put our template on it. From the combed wool fiber, we stretch long strands with our hands and carefully lay them on top of our pattern, first across and then along the template.

It is necessary to lay out the wool carefully, in a uniform layer of the same density. You can put a little more wool on the toe and heel. Lay out 3-4 layers. For one layer we consider the layout of wool along and across. Wet the laid wool with soapy water.

We turn the workpiece over, wrap the protruding edges on the front side and repeat the procedure for laying out the wool in perpendicular layers.

Step 4

Felting and skating. We spray our workpiece - a semi-roll with hot soapy water, wrap it in a net and begin to knead and rub the surface with our hands. Wool loves ironing. Be sure to smooth out all wrinkles, lumps and folds - we fashion the shape. We form our boots, similar to a giant sock.

We make sure that the layers do not move and holes do not form. We periodically water our boots with hot water and soap so that it shrinks evenly. We take out the template and iron the felt boots from the inside with our hands.

We continue to intensively knead the workpiece, you can compact it, twist it, rolling it with a wooden massage roller until the felt boot becomes the desired size and shape and the wool stops pulling out of the felt. We repeat the whole procedure with the second boots. We check the symmetry of the pair by periodically applying them to each other.

Three large boots until the desired shrinkage. At this stage, you can adjust the shape directly on the leg, after putting on a woolen sock and a plastic bag. We trample down until we achieve the desired right-left shape.

We knock out protruding places with a hammer. We rinse the finished boots in cold water and set to dry, stuffing them tightly with crumpled paper or plastic bottles of suitable shape to keep their shape.

Step 5

Decoration. The possibilities for decorating felt boots are endless. On the Internet you can find many original ideas and the necessary accessories for every taste and budget. Go ahead" - show your imagination, create with pleasure and surprise your loved ones with unique works of your hands.