Custom Made for the WearerWet felted boots or slippers can be hand crafted using a simple but very effective shoe last made from Gaffer Tape and recycled plastic bags. These are not Air Jordan 8s only cost effective but they can be used over and over again. Each pair you make can be custom made, sized or designed for the Wearer.

Polystyrene or Duct Tape Lasts!Polystyrene foot lasts can be purchased from: There is no doubt that these Lasts are the ultimate when it comes to Wet Felting Slippers and Boots for men, women and children. The outlay however can be considerable however, especially if you require a number of different sizes.

Homemade Gaffer or Duct Tape Lasts can easily be customized to fit the weaver. These lasts helped me to create slippers which fitted perfectly for a fraction of the cost.

Unconventional Felting Methods!I do like to use a few non conventional methods for speeding up the felting process. For one, I like to make use of a tumble drier, sometimes a washing machine and also a sander. A microwave can come in very useful for re heating the wool in my half made items.

It was very reassuring for me to discover, exactly how much of a beating the Duct Tape Shoe lasts are able to endure in my Tumble Dryer. . The lasts were almost as good as new when they emerged wearing their newly felted boots.

I have made a few of my own modifications to her original concept and in Part Two of this Tutorial I will show you how I used the Duck Tape Shoe Last to make a pair of Boots.1 pair of thin socks. (Be prepared to sacrifice these as you will not be able to use them again)

A roll of Duct or Gaffer Tape. It is a waterproof sticky type of cloth tape.

Thin card, similar to the type which comes from a cereal box. I used a piece of surplus mount board which I had left over from picture framing.

Plastic carrier bags Air Jordan 20s from your local Supermarket. A surprising number will be needed to stuff the shoe lasts. Alternatively, you could use some popcorn or polystyrene balls to fill the Lasts tightly.

A pair of scissors preferably the bull nosed type so that you don’t cut yourself!

A Marker Pen for marking your final cut, also for drawing the Template on the cardboard.

Gaffer Tape Shoe Last Party!Some of you may like me, find bending difficult. Try enlisting the help of an Assistant or a few friends, especially if you have a use for multiple sizes. . Better still organize a Group of like minded Felters to get together to make a variety of shoe lasts which can be used by the group at a later date.

Don’t forget to mark each one at the bottom with the relevant shoe size so that you can make the slippers at a later date.

Standing FlatContinue standing flat whilst you wrap shorter pieces of tape around the ball of the foot and over the instep. It is important to do this standing at first to ensure that the last will provide sufficient foot room once the tape is being worked around your foot.

The same on each foot!Keep on systematically binding the foot in short overlapping strips Air Jordan Future of tape. Smooth the tape down as best you can Air Jordan 5s one as you go. Remember to do the same thing on each foot as your work through the process.

Work up the legWork up as high up the leg as you would like your boot to go, not forgetting to include a little extra height if you would like a fold over at the top of your completed slipper.

Back of the Foot or a Slit on the side!Cut a slit down the back of each foot or one at the side of each foot whichever way you find the most simple. I find it easier to slit the last down the side of my foot as this is easier to get to.

Draw a LineOnce done, draw a line with a ruler straight down the side of the foot as indicated in the image below, or down the back and then cut right down the line through all the layers, including the sock. I found that my large pair of scissors worked very well but you could use a blunt nosed pair if you are afraid of cutting yourself. Please be careful.

Add extra where needed!At this stage you may decide to alter the shape of your last perhaps add a little extra if you have a bunion on your foot. Adding a little extra in an area where you may need more comfort. You may want pointy or square toes on your boots. Add a little additional plastic bagging and then tape over the top of it.

The tape is very forgiving and perfection is not important but this is the time to Nike KD 7 make these little adjustments. Try to keep the surface of your shoe last as smooth as you can, throughout the process.

Ready to UseYour shoe lasts are now complete. Mark the size or the name of the wearer underneath each foot.

Completed Slippers on the Lasts

billybuc 9 months ago from Olympia, WA Level 8 Commenter

That is so clever, . Obviously this is nothing I would do, but I can still appreciate how easy and useful it is. Well done my friend.