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Felting felt boots - an ancient craft in the modern world
Valenki can be not only shoes, but also an original element of decor. Today the situation has changed radically and anyone can work with wool. Moreover, you can create a lot of works from felted wool - felt boots, jewelry, berets and pillows. The felting process is painstaking, but the finished products amaze with their beauty and uniqueness, because each master puts a piece of himself into the work.
Felting felt boots at home: general information
Felting is a type of needlework that uses natural and synthetic wool. Felting involves entangling wool fibers in such a way as to give it the desired shape. The process, although not difficult to understand, is quite laborious.
Homemade felt boots are highly valued. In the old days, only very wealthy people could afford such a pleasure. They were made from sheep's wool, mostly. Now machines are used for felting. The machine makes it possible to produce more things in a short time than it would be done by hand. But machines need spacious rooms. A well-equipped workshop can make a good profit if felt boots are sold, as was done in the old days. Not a single fair was held without the sale of felt boots.
Felting felt boots was a popular but expensive activity that originates in Russia.
To make felt boots at home, you need to purchase special tools
You can make felt boots at home without any problems. But before doing needlework, you need to study general information in order to understand the intricacies of the craft. The easiest way to felt children's and decorative felt boots.
The scheme for them is almost the same, and the size is much smaller than for adults.
Felting can be divided into two types: dry and wet. When felting with a dry technique, the wool is pierced with a special needle until it becomes a uniform, dense and voluminous product. To do this, use special pads. You can decorate the finished work at your discretion, sew on ribbons or buttons, glue sequins and rhinestones. Used mainly for toys, dolls, jewelry.
In wet felting, a soapy solution is used, which needs to be impregnated with wool, and with the help of friction, the felting process takes place. According to this technique, mainly flat products are made - paintings, canvases, small decorations.
For felting, the following materials are used:
- Wool - camel hair, combed ribbon (merino wool), angora;
- Mesh-substrate for wool;
- Needles for felting (for dry felting);
- Soap solution (for wet felting);
- Vibro-grinding machine (for wet felting);
- Decor.
The most famous item made by felting wool are felt boots. Their popularity has decreased over time, but even now felt boots are high-quality, and most importantly, warm shoes.
Before making felt boots for family members, it is worth trying to make a small prototype of them in order to understand what problems you may encounter when working with wool. To make it easier, you can use templates and patterns of their felt.
Making a gift: felting wool - souvenir boots
Mini boots are considered a symbol of winter - frosty, snowy and beautiful! Small felt boots are an excellent gift for loved ones under the Christmas tree and for housewarming, because since ancient times, felt boots have been considered a talisman of the house, family happiness and the health of the owners of the home. Such a souvenir was given to families so that they could live in prosperity and well-being. It was believed that felt boots bring not only wealth to the house, but also beautiful healthy babies to childless families.
To change the monotonous color of boots, they must be decorated with any pattern.
They called mini-felt boots “whisperers”, because often household members whispered their most secret desires into them - to find happiness, find their soul mate, get prosperity or get rid of unwanted diseases. For this, a pair of felt boots was made, a coin was placed in one, and wheat grain in the other. Before sunrise, everyone who wished to say their wishes to whisperer felt boots and then they were hung over the entrance to the house. Everyone believed that his wishes would come true.
Today, such customs are unlikely to be found in cities, but still, felt boots often find a place in apartments, as a talisman against evil and misfortune.
How to felt felt boots for a doll by dry felting: necessary materials
Today, handicrafts are popular among needlewomen, such as souvenir boots or felt boots for a doll. Dolls are different, so the size of the boots also varies. Mini-boots can be put on the doll's legs, or can be used as decor for the New Year and Christmas holidays. Such an unusual gift can greatly please a child. Of course, such a craft is hardly suitable for a boy. To decorate felt boots, you can use decorative painting.
Making boots with dry felting is a little more difficult than with wet felting, because it is very difficult to make shoes of the same size.
When making felt boots for a doll, the color of the wool should be chosen in such a way that it blends harmoniously with the shade of the clothes.
For work you will need:
- Merino wool (combed ribbon) of any color;
- Needles for felting of different thicknesses;
- decor;
- Thick handle.
The most important thing when working on felt boots is to lay out the same layers of yarn, and then form a figure of slippers.
The essence of felting is to form a shape. You can give shape to doll boots both manually and using the same doll (more precisely, its legs). After shaping, you can start dumping with the thickest needle. When it comes to the shaft, you need to insert a handle into the hole, thus forming a cavity inside the boots. We very carefully work on the outer shell of the boots, then we pull out the handle and fill them up from the inside. When working, the wool is slowly compacted, the shape of the future felt boots is looming.
How to make a pattern for felting felt boots
The manufacture of any boots - small or life-size, begins with the preparation of a template, according to which the boots will roll.
It is best to make a template from waterproof material, which is quite durable and flexible at the same time. Ideally suited for such a case is a substrate for a laminate - building insulation. You can also choose thin foam rubber, but when using it, there is a significant disadvantage - it will absorb soapy water.
The template for felt boots should be made of durable material so that it does not tear when used.
To create a good template, first, on a piece of paper folded in half, draw the shape and size of the felt boot that you would like to make. Add a couple of centimeters along the contour and draw a new felt boot. This is a supply for wool. Cut out the template along the second contour. It turns out double boots, interconnected.
We apply the template sheet to the future workpiece from building insulation and circle it with a felt-tip pen. Cut out carefully so as not to go beyond the boundaries of the contour.
Your template is ready. You can start rolling!
Felting felt boots from wool: a master class and step-by-step instructions
For the manufacture of felt boots, we will use the wet felting method. For this, ready-made colored wool is suitable. For the felt boots template, you will need a small piece of building insulation. When the whole manufacturing process becomes clear, you can choose the most suitable fixtures yourself. Also, for work, you need to have a spray bottle with soapy water and a perforated mesh for felting.
How to make mini boots:
- From the insulation we cut out a template for future boots. It bends, but at the same time keeps its shape quite well. We take a piece of colored wool and stretch it with both hands. You should get a wide strand of colored fibers. The strands should go beyond the edges of the template.
- We spread this strand across the template, the next layer is perpendicular to the first. We impose the third layer obliquely. We fix the third layer with the fourth layer, if irregularities are visible. We look so that there are no gaps between the rows of wool.
- Wet the workpiece with soapy water so that all layers are well saturated. We put a mesh on top and press it tightly.
- Gently turn the net down so that the template is on top. We wrap the wool that has protruded beyond the edges, press it tightly.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 on this side.
- If the wool protrudes beyond the edges, turn the template over and bend it to the first side.
Before starting to make boots, it is recommended to watch a training video with a master class and study the advice of experts
Attention! The workpiece should be without irregularities, symmetrical. If there are protrusions or indentations, you need to report the wool and press it with a napkin. Don't spare the material in this case. Use as much as you need!
Further actions:
- The finished template is well moistened with soapy water and proceed to felting. We cover the workpiece with a perforated napkin and proceed to friction. If you have a vibratory grinder, you can use it. If not, we work with fingers or a rolling pin.
- You need to spend 15-20 minutes on each side if you work with your hands. Well three, we are trying to feel how the wool falls off.
- We cut the template in half - we get two boots, and we work out the edges well.
- We remove the insulation that served as a template and manually three mini-felt boots from the inside, forming their appearance.
- Felt boots should be of the same shape and well felted.
- After the boots have been felted, you need to rinse them well in clean water to get rid of the soap and dry them.
- You can decorate them with beads, sewing the decor to the still wet felt boots.
This technology of felting can be applied to slippers, mittens and other items of clothing.
Quick felting felt boots from wool: master class (video)
More skilled needlewomen are not limited to plain felt boots, they knock out patterns from wool, applying them to finished products. You can also embroider a pattern with beads or sequins, decorate with a ribbon or fringe. This type of work is also quite painstaking, but decorating boots will make them unique and amazing! The training won't take long. The main thing is desire and perseverance.
Proper felting of felt boots with your own hands (photo of the process)
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;
- Grid;
- 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, with the next layer the 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 the whole thing with hot soapy water, 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:
Related article: How to weave a parrot from rubber bands on a slingshot and on a loom with video
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.
| Demand felt boots is continuously growing. This is facilitated by the "aging of the population" - for the elderly, felt boots are a favorite home shoe. On the other hand, the middle class, growing in number and leading a healthy lifestyle, is moving from city apartments to cottages, where felt boots are comfortable home, yard and walking shoes. The demand for children's felt boots is also growing. The factories that have remained since Soviet times produce mainly "oak" black and gray felt boots, while now the main demand is for white and colored felt boots, for felt boots with embroidery and appliqué, for beautiful multi-colored children's felt boots. |
Needlework master class: "Production of felt boots-whisperers by wet felting"
Fakhurtdinova Larisa Anatolyevna, technology teacher of the MAOU "Obdorsk Gymnasium", Salekhard.The master class will be of interest to technology teachers, teachers of additional education, children of middle school age.
In Russia, there was a belief that if you hang whisperer boots on the front door and whisper your wish, it will come true.
Purpose: felt boots can be presented for the New Year or hung on a Christmas tree, on a bag or in a car.
Target: production of a product by the method of wet felting from wool with one's own hands.
Tasks:
Learning how to work with wool.
Formation and development of cognitive interest in the subject, needlework, development of independence.
Development of creative abilities and aesthetic taste of students.
Materials and tools for work:
1) wool for wet felting natural (any color);
2) bubble wrap;
3) foam rubber for template;
4) dishwashing liquid or liquid soap, a spray bottle;
5) towel;
6) ribbons, cords, felt, lace, beads, sequins, threads
Operating procedure:
1) We print a template for felt boots on the printer.
2) Cut out the felt boots template from paper.
3) We apply the cut out template of felt boots from paper to a piece of foam rubber, circle and cut out the template for felting boots.
4) Pour warm water into a spray bottle, drip a few drops of dishwashing liquid into it.
5) Cover the table with bubble wrap. The work will be done on film.
6) We take a ribbon of wool in our left hand, with our right hand we pinch the very ends of the wool and pull out the wool. We spread the wool on the template for felting boots.
7) We lay out the wool on the template for felting felt boots, first across, and then along the template.
The ends of the wool should extend beyond the edges of the template.
8) Next, spray the wool laid out on the template with soapy water from a spray bottle.
You don't need to wet it very much. If you wet the wool too much, it will not fall off badly. Excess water must be removed with a towel.
9) We put our fingers on the lined wool and lightly press. We begin to rub the wool with our fingers.
Three lightly, the wool has not fallen off yet.
10) Then turn the template over with the wool.
11) We bend the wool that goes beyond the edge of the template. We try to avoid wrinkles.
12) From above, we again begin to lay two layers of wool, one layer across and the other along.
13) Spray the wool laid out on the template with soapy water from a spray bottle.
Three fingers wool.
14) Turn over the pattern with wool.
15) Again we bend the wool that goes beyond the edge of the template. We try to avoid wrinkles.
16) We rub the template with wool on the pimply film for about 20 minutes. Where it is impossible to walk with the film, with three fingers: gently at first, and when the wool has fallen off harder.
17) Cut the template with wool with scissors into two equal parts.
18) We take out the template. We won't need it anymore.
Until the boots hold their shape. After wilting, they will decrease in size.
19) We put our fingers inside the boots, moisten them with soapy water and continue to rub the boots on the film with bubbles, helping in hard-to-reach places with our fingers. At this stage, you can already rub hard.
In order to make it easier to felt the tops, you can use markers or caps from thick felt-tip pens.
20) Periodically check that the boots are the same. If some felt boots turn out to be larger in size, it is necessary to roll it separately.
21) Whether the boots are ready or not, it’s very easy to check: you need to try to pinch off the wool with your fingers, if only a few woolen hairs are separated, then the boots fell off, but if more is hooked, you need to roll on.
22) Rinse our felt boots from dishwashing liquid. You can blot with a towel, remove excess water.
23) We straighten the boots and put them to dry, but not on the battery.
24) You can decorate whisper boots in different ways. You can make patches, thin felt soles, felt appliqués, decorate with satin ribbons, rhinestones. Sew on braid or lace. Then tie the boots with a thread. Do-it-yourself souvenir boots-whisperers are ready!
