Tallukkaat - Winter boots sewn from wool scraps

Crepe rubber is a good natural-ish sole alternative, maybe; it wears extremely well!! It is less processed than most rubberlike matrials.  And you can either sew it on or find something to stick it.   Only thing is, you will bounce a little as you walk XD

r ranson wrote:More common with home shoemaking is to take a cast of the foot.  But it involves some chemicals i don't do well with, so a project for better weather when I could work outside.

If that's the case, can't you use the DIY Duct-tape method that can be used for your own dressmaker's mannequin?

Let me find a link...

Ela La Salle wrote:
(Then, you could hang the cast on a door as an ornament just for fun of it  LOL)

Doesn't salt dough shrink?

Great resources! I’ve also been fascinated by shoemaking for a long time. Just a couple days ago I found these amazing felted boots here:
https://www.wayoftheearth.com/ancestral-skillsgallery

I’ve also seen (somewhere?) woven basket-type slippers meant to be worn over felted shoes. Something like that, or maybe a rope sole, with a layer of tough leather for wear-protection would still be nice and flexible. Or maybe combine the felted wool with full-on Japanese straw boots (fuka-gutsu)

The soles do wear out more quickly than we are used to- but no petro chem. I recently read “The Birch Bark House” with kiddo, and was interested to read descriptions of how often moccasins had to be made to replace worn ones. Less labor, longer lasting would be ideal… just how to do that with local stuff? Or how to strike a good balance between wearability and longevity? The cool wooden slipper soles would endure, but I’m curious if they are comfy?

I was so accustomed to wearing my slippers, but after watching a YouTube about
“Grounding” my husband and I have gone slipper FREE!!!
It’s so good for your balance and your feet to go shoeless.
However, I’m still an outdoor shoe person.
Good luck making your boots!

To make a mold for your slipper you can use the method used for making a foot mold for custom orthotics.  It uses fabric strips with plaster of Paris like used to cast broken limbs.  The outside of the plaster slipper would be suitable as a mold around which to form your boot you would not need to recast an exact replica of the foot.m

how to make a slipper cast


It seem like if one has wood carving skills you could trace the shape of the foot on a board and gouge outthe shape of the bottom of the foot, cut it out and nail the upper to it around the sides.

Is there a paper pattern available for Tallukkaat felt boots?
I'm only interested in them for house shoes/slippers not outdoor wear.

I'm unable to watch the videos posted nor go to the links only to browse unless I thought there was a pattern.

Thanks!

Slightly off the topic, but I made my dog a boot out of scrap suede and fur.
I still need to work on perfecting it.
I lined it with fur so her paws slip right in… That backfired on me, her paws also slipped right out…
But I was a great learning experience and I’m pretty sure I could muster up a shoe.