Old Felt Slippers

Hi, 
I need your creative help. I love felt slippers for around the house and have already knitted and crocheted quite a few pairs. Unfortunately, they wear out too quickly. Usually it’s holes in the big toe area. And then another pair is left lying around. 
Now finally to my question: do you have any idea what I could do with the felted slippers? Can they be reused in some way? 
Oh yes: I’ve darned them too. But it doesn’t last long. And I don’t want a firm sole. 
Thank you very much for your answers and kind regards 
Katja 

Katja, I’ll jump right in here…

I darned the felt slippers for my sweetheart 



and then (unfortunately) washed both shoes with towels to felt them.

Now the whole shoe is ruined after washing. I have to mend three holes now 😒



The felting wool was from a discount store. Does this happen with brand-name wool, too?

I gave them as a Christmas gift, but they’re already ruined after just 4 months? And just from washing, no less?

Hi WollwunderPetra,
in my experience, it doesn’t matter if the yarn is a brand-name product or not. They still wear out. But just from washing? I haven’t had that happen yet 🤷

To protect the soles so they don’t wear through right away, you can sew on a felt sole about 4 mm thick—it really helps preserve the felt slippers. That’s what I do with my sewn plush slippers, too, and to make it easier to work with thick felt, I use a hole punch to make small holes in the felt beforehand—that also gives me a guide for how tight or loose I want to sew the sole on.

Best regards, Inge

Hi Inge,
thanks—I might give that a try.

Hi Katja,

felted wool is a natural material that wears down with use. Think of the elbows on sweaters. And it’s the same with felted shoes. For most people, the heel gets thinner after about a year. In your case, your big toe probably lifts upward anatomically when you walk, which is why you have that thin spot there. A lot of people experience this with regular socks, too.

With my felt shoes, I always sew leather soles underneath. That makes them last four times longer than without them. And the toe won’t wear through the leather that quickly. It’s a bit of work the first time, but you’ll get to keep your felt shoes longer that way. For the leather soles, I use old leather jackets. They yield dozens of pairs of leather soles. I also “punch holes” in them with pliers.

@Petra
I’ve tried many types of felting wool, and unfortunately, in my opinion, the ones from discount stores are inferior. You can tell just by touching them—they’re usually thinner, and you can pull them apart by hand. Good felting wool is really thick and shaggy. When felting, these fibers interlock much better and form a thicker, felted fleece. That’s what keeps your feet warm.

Best regards, Ina

Katja, I was actually going to suggest this solution to you as well. I do the same thing as Ina, and we’ve now worn our felt slippers for three winters in a row without them getting any holes. They’ll surely last another four years or more. I’m totally thrilled with the leather soles—and so is my husband.

Thank you so much for your support. I almost thought it would be better to sew a sole onto the bottom—but I don’t have a hole punch, so I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

But since they really do wear through way too fast, I’m going to make some changes. First, I’ll get a hole punch and a leather sole, and second, I’ll take a closer look at the felting wool that’s available and compare the options.

Have a sunny week, everyone!

Hi,

thank you so much for your tips. I think I’ll try the double felt sole idea. Maybe I’ll even make them from a worn-out pair of slippers. We don’t have leather jackets here :-)

It’s great how quickly you all responded, so once again: thank you!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Katja