November 10, 2014

A Quick Revival

With an idea and encouragement from Scrapiana of The Big Mend, I revived a sorry, broke-down, stretched-out pair of slippers in about five minutes. They're on my happy feet as I type this. The slippers are toasty warm and super cozy and fit a bit more snugly now.
Here's the battered slippers in all their worn out glory. They feature a wool blend felt upper, all but worn away sherpa fleece lining, and hard rubber soles. They're these slippers by L.L.Bean. Now, L.L.Bean guarantees their products for life. I could send these back and trade them in for a new pair at absolutely no cost to me. But why waste a perfectly sturdy, yet stretched-out, pair of slippers? These babies have years of life in them that is better served on my feet than polluting a landfill. (Actually, I have no idea what L.L.Bean does with damaged returns. Even if they do recycle them in some way, consider the energy and fossil fuels needed to ship the damaged goods to Maine, ship the new product from Maine to the consumer, recycle the damaged items, produce packaging for the new shipment, etc., etc., etc. I choose instead to consume less and make do with what I have.)
I selected a thick, felted wool sweater from my stash. The torso of the sweater I have plans for, so I removed the arms and cut them open to lay flat as a single layer.
Then I tested two methods for making the new felted wool insoles. On a piece of political junk mail, I traced one outline of my foot and a second outline of the slipper sole. I cut each of these out and fitted them inside the slippers. The insert cut from the outline of the slipper itself fit best.
I was able to trace both slippers on a single sleeve. Then it's as easy-peasy as cutting out the shapes and fitting them into the slippers.
For half a second, I considered steam ironing my new insoles to remove the creases from the sleeve shape. But I figure my toasty feet will take care of flattening them out just fine. Thanks, Scrapiana, I love my revamped slippers!

7 comments:

  1. This post came at a perfect time for me, since I, too, have some felted slippers that have seen a lot in their long and used life. I have them on my sewing table, waiting for inspiration (and thoughts on how to replace their innards). Now I can get started! I even have a felted sweater, just waiting for a job.

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    1. Yay! I hope this method makes your slippers roasty-toasty warm & comfy.

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    2. How did you secure the new insoles to the slippers?

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    3. I wondered about that, too, but I didn't need to secure the insoles in any way. They stay in place on their own. If you find yours don't, I'd be interested in hearing how you attach them.

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    4. When I removed the top layer of covering fabric and the cushiony pad showed, I noticed there was some residual sticky stuff. I'll see if that and my weight are enough to hold the insoles. Thanks! (I'll let you know what happens!)

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  2. This is such a great idea! They look like they are really snug and cosy too. I might give this a go on some 'tired' looking slippers that I haven't wanted to part with.

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    1. I highly recommend you give it a go. Your cozy toes will thank you. Scrapiana ( aka Eirlys Penn of The Big Mend in Bath, England) also suggests making insoles for winter boots. http://scrapiana.com/the-big-mend/

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