Friday 18 March 2016

Dyed Fin Wool Boots

This is a long planned pair of boots for me.. I brought outdoor soles about 3 years but I've only just gotten around to felting them.  Originally I had no idea WHAT I wanted my outdoor boots to look like, but after making the dyed Fin wool Top Hat a while back I could picture quite clearly what I wanted :)

Resist cut from foam floor underlay - as you can see
I changed my mind about the width of the leg and
had to tape an extra bit on :)  
Using all natural coloured Fin wool.. dark brown, mid brown and white.
Graduating from dark at the bottom to white at the top.
After felting I added cuffs, crocheted from a chunky Shetland yarn
I spun a couple of years back.

Good thing I added extra width around the legs.. these are just right :)

Then came the scary moment..  I LIKED the way they looked in the natural colours, but I'd been dreaming of rich cranberry coloured boots, so forced myself to be bold and surrender them to the dyepot.


I had a hell of a game dyeing them in my big cauldron over the small camp stove..  made worse because it was a windy day and the flame kept getting blown out!  It took 5 hours messing about lighting and relighting before they were cooked.

But I do love the colour :)
Now I have to confess to a really STUPID mistake..  I felted the boots till they fit my feet nicely, WITHout getting the soles out to look at and check the fit. Turns out the soles are actually quite a lot bigger than my feet, even though they are the correct shoe size!  And the boots are that well felted that no matter how hard we try they just can't be stretched..

You can see the gap at the front.. there's the same gape at the back too, they're about 1cm too big!

SO, I have just ordered the same style sole but a size smaller..
I hope they fit.. (link to seller at end of post)


Guess I shall have to felt another pair and make them roomy so I can wear them with very thick socks in the coldest weather :)

I'll update when the new soles arrive..


In case you are looking for this sort of sole, I brought mine along with the cellulose board and waxed thread for stitching them from Etsy seller Rasae in Lithuania, international postage to the UK was pretty quick.

5 comments:

Ministerie van Wollige Zaken said...

Hello Deborah, since 2 years or so I read your blog. I just love your work, it's so authentic! When I read your post about the boots I was wondering where you bought the soles. I'm trying to find these kind of soles for a while now, but have not succeeded yet. (I'm from Holland, so I hope it's possible for me to order these soles)
Greetings, Christel

Heather Woollove said...

Grrrrr...the wait for the proper soles must feel so long!! The boots are wonderful and the rich red was definitely worth all the trouble. (You'll be happy that they are a darker color when you start wearing them, too. (They'll stay perfect-looking.)
I'm curious about how you'll apply the soles...glue? stitching? both? XX

FeltersJourney said...

Hi Christel, I brought the soles from an Etsy seller in Lithuania who ships worldwide, so you should definitely be able to get them there. They have several different styles and also sell the cellulose board and waxed thread you'll need. The shop name is Rasae - not sure if a link will work here but I shall put one in the post for you to follow.. or try copy pasting this into your browser: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Rasae?ref=l2-shop-info-name
Let me know if you have any trouble finding them.
Glad you're enjoying my blog :) thanks for getting in touch!
Best wishes
Deborah x


Hey Heather, you're not wrong! I really wanted to finish them and WEAR them :) Ah well.. hopefully it wont be a long wait. I'm planning on just stitching them.. I worry about using glue incase it affects the thermal value of the felt (I've heard painting liquid latex on does, so guessing adhesive may be similar..?) Plus they can be removed and restitched if needed. Hope they last ok done that way..

I was thinking (optimistically) that I could maybe just bend them up and around and make them fit, so I punched holes all round them.. no chance though there's way too much gap. Funny.. Gary thought a mouse had been in when he saw all the tiny black bits on the floor.. naughty me, I'd forgotten to sweep up after punching lol.
Dxxx

Ministerie van Wollige Zaken said...

Hi Deborah, I've found the shop! Thank you for your help. I definitly will order soles, so I can make my own boots. Happy, happy , happy!
greetings, Christel

FeltersJourney said...

Yay :) glad you've got it Christel. Have fun with the boots! Dx