I want to buy some house slippers

Six months of the year, I’m pretty much barefoot in the house and garden. It’s now October, floors are getting cold, so I dug out my slippers from six months ago. They don’t spark joy. They were a cheap icky buy on amazon when I moved to the US. After six months in the cupboard the soles have split. I could become a good citizen, fuel the GDP, and subscribe to a regular supply of icky slippers. I’m not going to do that.

The textile PEP badges includes making footware - I’m not there yet. However, there are people here with advanced textile skills, so I thought I’d ask here first.

Do you make and sell house slippers?
Is someone in your network making and selling house slippers that Otis would be happy to wear?

Thanks

oooo. I would possibly be interested also!

Making footwear is pretty cool, I admit. My granny would crochet slippers that were nice and warm, but slippery and non-supportive as well. Great for sleeping, though.

I have always worn a house shoe, a genuine slip-on dress shoe with a bit of insole support and a slightly grippy sole that doesn't track too much gunk, doesn't get my socks wet during a quick foray onto the deck, and also prevents falls on wet patches or icy porches. As a bonus, they last for years instead of falling apart like official slippers.

Edward, what kind of house slippers do you like?

Do you want them with a sole, since you mention that about your old ones?

Daniel Green makes really quality slippers out of felt.

There are also kits that you can buy to make shoes like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Realeather-Crafts-C4604-04-Leather-Moccasin/dp/B006P3HG30/

Anne Miller wrote:Edward, what kind of house slippers do you like?

I was looking at felt but once you added in organic etc, the prices were north of $100. I would really have to love the person and slippers to spend that much.

I want something that’s quick and easy to put on and I can dash out side to the bins etc.

I like the look of those moccasins - I’m now wondering if I should invest in some leather tools and make them from scratch. My grandfather was a saddler and I loved the smell of his workshop. Ever since I read through the textile badges my mind has been buzzing. It would certainly make birthday presents a lot easier. Thanks

Edward, did you know you can make your own felt?

If I were wanting a pair of moccasins or that type of shoe, I would go to the thrift store and find some wool sweaters.

They sell patterns on Etsy.

I have not made felt so I can't explain how to do it.  This thread has a link that might explain:

https://permies.com/wiki/128017/pep-textiles/Wet-felt-scarf-PEP-BB

I am a big fan of Louis Lamour's books.  In several of his books, the characters make mocassins.  They didn't have fancy leather-making tools. They fashioned a piece of leather around their foot.

If you want to attach a sole those can be bought. I tried to find some that were "Sew On" but only found the glue on:

https://www.amazon.com/KANEIJI-Replacement-Rubber-Different-Thickness/dp/B07K59MPRF/

Or rubber soling material:

https://www.amazon.com/Repair-Rubber-Repairing-Material-Thickness/dp/B083KLM6YZ/

I hope this information is of some value.

I, too, am guilty of wanting to just pop out of the house to grab some herbs from the front garden without changing shoes, so for the moment, I'm stuck with commercial slippers with artificial everything. I did make a pair using home processed leather (racoon may be an available urban source if it's not illegal to harvest where you are) and felted poodle hair from a friend's standard poodle. My friend uses them regularly, but they didn't have enough support for me. However, when I consider what my expensive new insoles cost and do, I'm thinking I might well be able to felt an acceptable equivalent when I'm not snowed under by higher priority projects.

There is also information out there about water-proofing fabric. I wonder if I water-proofed layers of old jeans material whether I could get an sole that would at least let me go out on the pavement in front of the house without getting wet feet or tracking in muck.  

However, that doesn't answer your question, and maybe asking it will encourage someone to start a small permies-scale business!

Oh no - found another rabbit hole . . . Making moccasins

For the textile straw badge and beyond, I would like to focus on either weaving or leathercraft. Floated the idea to the family at the weekend and leatherwork got a big thumbs up. Probably because we all visited a silk worm farm and weaving business in Cambodia. It was an amazing place but the looms were big. I think they were worried that I’d take over another room in the house with a large contraption. I’ll still do some basic weaving but probably won’t go any further than card / backstrap loom for now. I’ll make some enquires and see if my Dad has any of his father’s old tools.

In the mean time, thanks for the felting links and tips. Some interesting ideas popping up here.

HI,  Love slippers, wear them all the time, when puttering around the house or garden.  I won't wear em when using power tools or doing building projects.  

Something to think on, soles can always be made from cork. And a piece of cork tile can be picked up for 1! to 5$ for a 1foot square tile. Of course if you want to build it up I would recommend contact adhesive. At least that's what they use in orthotic labs.

I have some fleece moccasin slippers from L.L.Bean, which I've had for years, just now showing their age where the wool has worn off (mostly at the back of the heel and the footbed at the heel and ball of the foot. They are still comfortable and warm, and the rubber sole (still intact) is nice for short trips outside to the patio, or the car to retrieve something, especially if it is damp/frosty. Safer than stocking feet indoors.

We're a street shoes in the house sort of home, so my mileage in the slippers is probably on the low side, compared to a no-shoes/slippers indoors home.

I'm a "put your shoes on" person. If not, I'd laze around the house all day. I recently saw that a motivational speaker was touting this... and I can almost hear my mother saying it.
Once the work boots are laced up, it's one less excuse, and I'm a step closer to ready for anything, to be useful.
If I wear any other shoes, I feel "not quite ready...", like I'm just going to have to change into work boots... Later, when the boots come off, it's an admission that "I'm done."

Kenneth Elwell wrote:

I'm a "put your shoes on" person. If not, I'd laze around the house all day.

This is why my "working slippers" are more like a light shoe. With the mess I get into outside, there's no way those shoes are going to be worn inside, so having "inside shoes" works for me. I have very high arches, so barefoot doesn't seem to work for me, and many slippers are simply a warmer version of socks with no arch support, and those don't work for me either.

Like so many things, people need to figure out what works for them, and if they can make it for themselves, so much the better.

Try this, to get the basic how-to info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A03ObmUq_8k

Or this one (faster video, but doesn't get into specifics): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a0ookzd4L4

Or this one, for something a bit more involved and professional looking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-24MhzrotdU

Edited to add: I'm getting ready to teach my neighbor and her kids how to make felted slippers, using this method. If I'm not sick of making slippers, by the time we're done, I may think about making some to sell. But that's a big IF, because there are seven in their family, plus the two of us. So... time will tell.

I am horribly guilty of annually buying a pair of NukNuk slippers from Costco. The new pair are 'house shoes' the last years pair are for quick outside errands to the animals, yard, garbage etc. The really old ones are kept in the shop/barn in case an emergency footwear change is required OR different footwear for each enclosure is needed to prevent cross contamination.

I WISH I could find something warm, with a proper sole and is waterproof. I can't wear Sox (looong story) so warm, slip on, easy to change footwear is a must. Rubber boots are just to cold and clammy on bare feet come winter!