Tutorial: Felt slippers into 1400's ecclesiastic boots

This is the second half of the felt boot tutorial. (see http://tangibledaydreams.blogspot.com/2010/10/tutorial-making-felt-slippers.html) The last tutorial showed how to make a pair of felt boots that are molded to your feet. It ended here:


I could have easily stopped here if I wanted a set of house slippers. However, this particular project was to recreate a pair of Medieval ecclesiastic felt ankle boots. I took my inspiration from the boots worn by Bishop William Waynflete, that are now found at Magdalen College in the UK. Seen here: http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/__data/assets/image/0010/36289/56_colleges_web1.jpg The trim pattern was based on other shoes of the time, such as these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lithurgical_footwear_Str%C3%A4ngn%C3%A4s_cathedral_Sweden.JPG .

The shoes have the felt core, which is covered with fabric and soled with cork. This was my first attempt at making a pair like this. It worked well and looks like the original, but may or may not be accurate in construction. Here's what I did:


Take some cheap fabric, and pin and fit and pin and cut and pin and...etc...until you get a pattern you like. Keep in mind that the pattern for each shoe might be slightly different, since it is unlikely that each boot is exactly the same size. (Feet are funny that way.)


Weave your fabric. Or, I suppose, you could go to the store and buy some. :)


Cut your fabric according to the muslin pattern. Pin it in place, and sew it down to the felt.


Stand on your cork board (I used cork bulletin board squares from Hobby Lobby), and trace around your feet. Cut enough layers to get the height you want.


Glue your layers of cork together, and let dry. I used wood glue.


File the edges of your cork insoles nice and smooth.


Cut a strip of flexible leather long enough and wide enough to serve as an edging for the cork. Punch your stitching holes.


Powder your cork. Put on the felt boots and stand on the cork. That will give you an idea of where the leather edging (or 'rand') will go.


Stitch on the rand, upside down and inside out.


Flip down the rand and cinch the edges together around the cork.


Take the cork back out for a moment, and trace around it on your sole leather. Cut out your soles, with a bit of an extra margin.


Bevel down the margin on your sole leather.


Punch the stitching holes on the soles, right along the tracing line.


Dye your soles if you want to.


Stitch the soles in place. Next time I'm going to cut a groove along the stitching line first, to recess the thread (waxed linen) below the level of the leather. That will help with the longevity of the shoes. Then trim back the sole a bit, wet it, and press it upward so it rounds up over the edge of the insole to protect that seam.

Now, trim your shoes any way you like, and enjoy!



I found these are not great for tromping around in, because there is no flex to the sole. It is kind of like clomping around in 1970's clogs, but warmer. However, they are awesome for what they were originally intended for: keeping your feet warm and comfortable while standing on cold floors for a long time. I don't need to stand and give sermons in drafty cathedrals, but I do stand to weave on my tri-loom. These boots kept my feet warm and cushioned yesterday while I was working.

Tutorial: Making Felt Slippers

I did this tutorial a few years ago, when I was making a set of reproduction 1400's ecceliastical felt boots for an arts competition. But that was in my Live Journal, so I thought I'd transfer the entry over to here. This is the first half of the tutorial, showing how to make the felt boot. If you stop here, you've made a great set of house slippers. And if you vary the colors of wool that you use on the outside layer, they can be very decorative! I'm thinking of making another pair for myself, for winter house wear.


First, make your pattern by tracing around your foot, and adding a couple of inches and an upper, like so:


Then transfer that to either plastic or a tightly woven fabric. Flip it over and trace it again, so you end up with a weird U shape.


Cover this resist with three layers of carded wool.


Flip the whole shebang over, remove the resist, and wet down the middle of the pile of wool with very hot, soapy water.


Put the resist back in place.


Fold the wispy edges of the bottom wool over onto the resist. Add another three layers of wool on top.


Wet the whole mess down. Flip the thing over. Fold the wispy edges of the wool over, and gently wet them into place with very hot water. This creates the seam on the sides. Your resist is totally enclosed at this point.


Gently massage the surface of the wool until it just holds together. Roll the wool up in netting or bubble wrap, and roll it around until the edges just start to curl up. Cut the two boots apart, and remove the resist.


Now, spend 4 or 5 hours abusing the wool. Roll it, smack it, give it lots of hot hot water. The wool will shrink more in the direction you are rolling, so you can control the shape. Turn it inside out now and again.


Shrink specific places even more by rubbing them on a wash board.


Do the final shaping by massaging the boot while it is on your foot.


One down, one to go!
Continued here: http://tangibledaydreams.blogspot.com/2010/10/tutorial-felt-slippers-into-1400s.html

Tutorial: Using Hair Sticks Pt. 2 : The French Twist

My daughter and I were playing with putting our hair up the other day. I took pictures of her using the hair sticks I make, putting her hair up in a french twist. Here's a peek at how she did it:

First, brush your hair back into a pony tail at the base of your head.












Michelle is right handed, so she pulled the hair off to the right and started twisting it counterclockwise.











Keep twisting and bring the ponytail up to the top of the back of your head. This should create that neat twist look.











Keep twisting the pony tail into a rope, and then fold it down .












Tuck the folded over ponytail into the pocket created under the twist.












That first part takes some practice. It should look like this.












To secure the twist with the hair sticks, grab a stick and poke it through a batch of the hair at the top edge of the twist, facing away from your holding hand.










Let it poke through an inch or so until the tip bumps your scalp.












Flip the hair stick around until it is facing the other direction, scraping the tip gently against your scalp while you so.










Push the hair stick through the twist.













This will hold more securely with two hair sticks. Insert the second one a bit further down, just like you did with the first one.











Again, flip the stick around, gently scraping it against your scalp. Push it through the twist.











And there you go! Elegant, decorative, and quite secure. To take it back out, do the trick you see in the movies: pull out the sticks and shake your head. The hair will come tumbling back down.

Tutorial: Using Hair Sticks Pt. 1 : The Bun

I use hair sticks on a fairly regular basis, to put my hair up in a bun or a french twist. They work for me better than pencils or chop sticks, which I've also used. Used properly, they make for a very secure hair style that will last through an evening of dancing. Since I use them so often, I also make them and sell them in my Etsy shop.

I was asked if I would make a tutorial of how to use hair sticks. Since my daughter was home from college this weekend, I had her take a few pictures of me putting my hair up in a bun. Then I turned around and took some shots of her putting her hair up in a french twist. This is the series on the bun. I'll post the ones of her tomorrow, after I've had time to go through them.


I started the process by putting my hair up in a pony tail. You don't need to use the elastic, but I find it easier for the initial steps. (If you omit the elastic, you can do the sexy 'pull out a pin and shake your hair down' trick when it is appropriate. That is fun too.)










I twisted the pony tail into a rope...













...and then spiraled the rope around and around into a bun.












I tucked the last bits of hair under the bun.













Then, holding on to the bun with my left hand, I grabbed a hair stick in my right. (I'm right handed.) Imagine for a moment a clock face on the bun. I inserted the tip of the hair stick under a small chunk of hair at the edge of the bun at the 2:00 position, facing away from the center of the bun. I let the tip of the hair stick hit my scalp an inch or so away from the bun.







Then I flipped the hair stick over, gently scraping the tip along my scalp, until it faced back the way it came. That flip and scrape trick is the key to getting a strong, secure hold.











Now I pushed the stick through the bun and out the opposite side. I like to run it right along the elastic hair tie.











One hair stick will hold, but two will be more secure. You can insert the second hair stick parallel with the first, but I prefer a crossed X look. I insert the tip of the hair stick under a bit of hair at the edge of the bun in the 10:00 position, and let it extend an inch or so beyond the bun.








Then again, I flip the stick around so it is pointed toward the center of the bun, scraping gently against the scalp as I do so.











Push the hair stick through the bun until it comes out the opposite side.













And there you have it. Nice and secure, with a decorative touch.