My first attempt at wet felting slippers - pixie sized, so if I messed up I hadn't wasted too much felt.I remade them in different colours below so I could show you some pictures.
I used the pictures on this site http://voilok-ru.livejournal.com/295861.html to guide me creatively. Unfortunately it's in Russian, so the text on this site was really helpful http://tangibledaydreams.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/tutorial-making-felt-slippers.html
Also I had a good idea of how to do wet felting from an excellent course I went on run by Dorset artist Mary-Clare Buckle http://www.1-art-1.com/
This site has really clear directions on wet felting. I recommend watching all the videos if you're new to wet felting http://www.feltinglessons.com/
My template to make two boots at the same time
I sprayed a little on with a garden sprayer so I didn't upset the felt then covered it with a piece of plastic dust sheet (you can get this really cheaply). Next I pressed through the sheet so the water spread across the resist (the template) leaving the edges dry. A little soapy water on the dust sheet makes this easier to do.
Carefully flipping over the template I folded and damped down the dry edges onto the other side. After that I repeated the whole procedure on the other side with another two layers.
I repeated with 2- 3 layers, with stripy yellow and purple wool on the top half of the boot as a design feature.
Once all the layers were on and damped down (not soggy!) I started to do more rubbing through the dust sheet. I made sure I paid attention to the edges so no bits were hanging over. The felting is done once you can pinch the felt without any strands coming free.
There's probably a bit too much soap here.
Next step was fulling the felt. This is to basically shrink the felt down. I rolled the boots up in the non-slip mat , then rolled up again in an old towel. This makes it easier to roll back and forth, and you don't have to tie it up! I rolled it about 20 times each direction, unrolling and switching it around and checking on its progress. At some point I cut the boots in half, so I now had two, then I kept going.
If you can pull the fabric in all directions and it feels firm, it's good. I kept checking to make sure the boots were the same dimensions. If I was making these boots to wear I'd have to keep checking to make sure they'd fit!
When I was happy I switched to moulding and felting inside the slipper. It was less felted in here, so I did a lot of rubbing, paying special attention to the edges and shaping it as I went into a foot shape.
Finally I rinsed the boot in hot water, followed by a rinse in cold water with a little white vinegar. A final rinse before shaping the boot again and leaving it to dry.
The slippers were surprisingly quick to make, I think because they are so small.
Sparky wasn't sure about the boots, but I'm really pleased with them. My only worry about doing them full sized is getting the sizing right for my feet now.
Apulina
