Project description
I want to commission a pair of house slippers made entirely by hand through wet felting — not knitted, not sewn from cut fabric, but built up as a single seamless shell from loose wool fiber, the way traditional felters have made boots and footwear for centuries. My priority is fit: I will trace both feet on paper and send the outlines along with width and instep measurements, and I understand the flat pattern needs roughly a 30-35% shrinkage allowance since the felt pulls in significantly during fulling. Please confirm the allowance you actually use before cutting the resist.
For fiber I would like a core of coarser wool such as Corriedale or Romney for structure and durability, with a thin outer layer of soft merino roving for a comfortable, non-scratchy finish against bare skin. I am open to a two-layer laying technique with a plastic resist shaped to my sole outline, followed by wet felting with warm soapy water and then a proper fulling stage — rolling in a mat or bamboo blind, agitating in hot and cold water cycles — until the fabric is dense enough to hold its shape and resist quick wear-through at the heel and ball of the foot.
Design-wise I like the look of marbled or spiral color blending — perhaps charcoal grey base wool with streaks of rust orange and mustard laid in during the pre-felt stage, rather than a flat single color. A subtle contrast cuff at the ankle opening would be a nice touch. For the sole, I would like either a genuine suede leather sole stitched on after felting, or at minimum an extra felted reinforcement layer with a light rubberized non-slip coating painted on the underside, since these will be walked on indoors over hardwood floors.
Please tell me your typical timeline from received foot templates to finished, dried, and trimmed slippers, whether you can felt a men's size (I wear roughly EU 43), and whether you can send in-progress photos at the pre-felt and fulling stages so I can flag fit or color concerns before the piece is fully hardened. Portfolio photos of previous felted footwear, especially anything showing sole construction, would help me choose the right maker.
For fiber I would like a core of coarser wool such as Corriedale or Romney for structure and durability, with a thin outer layer of soft merino roving for a comfortable, non-scratchy finish against bare skin. I am open to a two-layer laying technique with a plastic resist shaped to my sole outline, followed by wet felting with warm soapy water and then a proper fulling stage — rolling in a mat or bamboo blind, agitating in hot and cold water cycles — until the fabric is dense enough to hold its shape and resist quick wear-through at the heel and ball of the foot.
Design-wise I like the look of marbled or spiral color blending — perhaps charcoal grey base wool with streaks of rust orange and mustard laid in during the pre-felt stage, rather than a flat single color. A subtle contrast cuff at the ankle opening would be a nice touch. For the sole, I would like either a genuine suede leather sole stitched on after felting, or at minimum an extra felted reinforcement layer with a light rubberized non-slip coating painted on the underside, since these will be walked on indoors over hardwood floors.
Please tell me your typical timeline from received foot templates to finished, dried, and trimmed slippers, whether you can felt a men's size (I wear roughly EU 43), and whether you can send in-progress photos at the pre-felt and fulling stages so I can flag fit or color concerns before the piece is fully hardened. Portfolio photos of previous felted footwear, especially anything showing sole construction, would help me choose the right maker.
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