Soulmates 2009

These are felted clog-style slippers I made from a paid pattern from Fiber Trends. Actually, there are two patterns… Adult sizes and child sizes. I wish I could find my pattern pamphlets because I would SOOOO make these again! One pair that I made I rubberized the soles, so I could occasionally go outside with them on. I bought a can of “tool dip” and a couple sponge brushes from the hardware store. Tool dip is the stuff they dip the handles of tools in to rubberize and insulate them from possible shock scenarios.
As you can see, I’ve made several pairs… different sizes… Every pair was made with 100% wool. I cannot find the picture of the orange and gray pair I made with the rubberized soles, but those were made with 90% wool/10% acrylic and they felted up with no problems. In order to felt them, I used one of those zippered pillow covers. I put the slippers into the pillow cover, and turned on the washing machine with the hottest water possible, and let them agitate for awhile. As I checked on them before the washer could start draining, if they didn’t seem shrunken and felted enough, I let them agitate more. You can do the same in a sink or bathtub filled with hot water, but you’ll have to get creative on the agitation part! Once they were felted enough, I used plastic grocery bags to stuff into the slippers and form the shape, set them aside and let them dry. It will take awhile for them to dry thoroughly, but you can keep checking on them, and keep adjusting them for the shape.  These definitely were time consuming to make, but the final result was well worth the effort!

Author: Sue Bee

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.