DIY decoration methods
There are many ways to decorate felt boots. For these purposes, you can use fur, lace, various beads and even small beads if you have the skills to work with them. Appliqués made using felt also look stylish, although this is a rather difficult type of needlework that requires skill.
A pattern on felt boots will help you stand out from others, and will also allow you to diversify your child’s wardrobe - decorating boring boots will give the little fashionista confidence. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of location for the placement of ornaments. In winter there is a lot of snow, which can reach ankle level or even higher. In a warm room it turns into water. Therefore, it is better to place appliqués made of felt or other non-moisture-resistant materials on the upper part of the boots - the one that covers the shin.
It is also important to take into account weather conditions: if the region has a predominantly wet winter without frost, you should refrain from large decorations that can get wet and spoiled by snow and puddles.
Embroidery
Embroidery on felt boots can be done with special threads, satin ribbons and beads. Works made from felt can also be classified as this type of decoration, since a needle also appears there. In addition, felt cannot be called just applique - after all, it is sewn into boots. For the job you will need a suitable needle and appropriate material.
For ribbons you need a needle with a wide eye, for beads - a thin one, for threads any needle will do.
Working with felt requires special skills and tools. The needlewoman will need a needle designed specifically for suede and leather. It is dense, has a special blade cut and is very well sharpened. You can also use a felting needle - it has a hook on the point. On felt boots, it is better to create a flat composition that will not be greatly deformed by constant winter moisture. If you want to do voluminous embroidery, then such boots are only suitable for dry snow.
Fur is often sewn onto felt boots, because this is an opportunity not only to improve the design, but also to insulate your shoes. Basically, boots are decorated along the upper hem. For this, furs of completely different shades are used. You can choose natural colors to match the boot, or stand out and give preference to bright colors.
When choosing how to decorate felt boots with fur, you should familiarize yourself with some recommendations:
- Both natural and faux fur will look beautiful on winter boots, but it will be more practical to choose one with short hair. It doesn't get dirty and frayed so quickly.
- Fur cuffs can be attached just above the toe. Large pompoms are usually located on the outer side.
- The strip of fur should be measured according to the diameter of the rim of the felt boots. All this is secured with bobby pins, and then stitched along the top and bottom edges.
The tools can be any of what is available at home. If you don’t want to bother with threads and needles, you can always use liquid glue. But in this case there is no guarantee that the structure will withstand low temperatures and will not come off.
Lace
Alternatively, you can decorate your boots with lace. This is not the most popular and in demand method, since lace fabric quickly gets wet, dirty and torn. Nevertheless, such felt boots will look very stylish and are ideal for a dry, frosty winter.
There are two common ways to decorate felt boots with your own hands:
- Glue the lace onto a thin layer of transparent adhesive. To do this, you need to apply glue to the shoes with a brush and attach a measured piece of fabric.
- Carefully sew on the lace material with matching threads, attaching ribbons to certain areas. This method is suitable for lace with large patterns, among which it is easy to hide the stitches.
As a rule, such fabric is sewn or glued along the sole or along the upper edge of the boots. Lace decor can be combined with matching beads, special appliques made of felt or other fabric. Light contrasting laces, for example, white or beige on black and gray felt boots, look beautiful. However, they require careful care and are not suitable for constant wear.
Application
Three-dimensional designs on felt boots can be created using fabric appliqués. The most popular option is decorations with felt. However, you need to remember that it absorbs moisture, so it is better to create compositions using it for dry weather. Before you start making an application, you need to draw diagrams on paper, preferably in natural size. For reliability, all elements must be separated and signed.
Manufacturing technology
It’s not difficult to make whisperer felt boots with your own hands, the main thing is a great desire and effort. Step-by-step instruction:
- First a template is made.
- Then, based on it, a blank is made. To do this, the template is applied to the rubber, traced along the edge and cut out with sharp scissors, otherwise there will be burrs on the canvas.
- We place the template of the feet towards us and lay the wool in small bunches in a horizontal direction so that its edges extend beyond the shape of the felt boots.
- After laying the first layer, we proceed to the second. The wool should be evenly distributed in a vertical direction.
- Then take a spray bottle filled with soapy water and spray it on the wool.
- A mesh is placed on top of the wet layer and pressed well with your fingers to evenly distribute the moisture.
- Next, the wool and template are turned over to the other side, and the wool protruding beyond the edges is wrapped inward.
- The wool is again laid on top in two layers, as in the first case.
- All this is again moistened with a solution from a spray bottle and pressed with hands.
- The mesh is removed, and the template along with the wool is turned over.
- The edges are folded over again, the pieces of wool are pressed very tightly against the template.
- The workpiece is wrapped in a net, it is time to fell the wool. To do this, you need to rub over the mesh for a long time, about 15 minutes. Pay attention to corners and edges.
- Then the workpiece is cut in half, the template is removed.
- The felting process continues. To do this, put the felt boot on your hand and rub its entire surface, inside and out, with your fingers, but not too much, so that the edges of the product are not deformed. Felting of miniature shoes is finished. It remains to check the length of both whisperers. If it is different, even it out with scissors.
- The penultimate stage is washing the felt boots under running water to rinse off the soap solution.
- After this, the products are blotted with towels that absorb moisture well, straightened out and dried away from the radiator.
What is needed to make felt boots?
In order for the whisperers to turn out well, you need to think through everything down to the smallest detail. For work you will need the following materials and tools:
- A sufficient amount of natural wool. The traditional color of felt boots is gray. But you shouldn’t limit your imagination to this. Raw materials can always be painted in the desired shade.
- It is important to stock up on bubble wrap. This material with a smooth surface is not suitable for work.
- To make templates you need a piece of foam rubber.
- Prepare a container of water, soap or any liquid used for washing dishes.
- You definitely need a spray bottle and a fine mesh.
- Several cotton towels so as not to have to dry them while working.
- To decorate your product, you should prepare felt, a lot of different cords and ribbons.
How to decorate children's felt boots with your own hands
You can experiment with decorations for children's shoes in any way you like: they can be cartoon or fairy-tale characters, spaceships, cars - and your child will have the joy of wearing such beautiful and bright felt boots.
Children's embroidery on felt boots
Young fashionistas will love patterns in the form of snowflakes or Christmas trees, flowers, butterflies, and stars. An excellent addition to the design will be embroidery with beads, small beads, sequins and multi-colored ribbons.
As an option, you can use various bows; girls love them very much. Suitable materials include ribbons, lace, and beautiful fabric. If you wish, add ready-made bows attached to shoes with rhinestones, bright stones, and beads of various sizes.
Embroidery using isothread technique
Since this embroidery method is performed on thick cardboard, it is enough to take care of a suitable backing for your pattern, it can be leather or fabric. Using the backing, sew the ornament to the shoes.
ATTENTION. Be careful not to wrinkle or damage the base with the embroidered picture when working.
However, the isothread technique itself will require some time to complete; this must be taken into account.
Painting on children's felt boots
The choice of drawing depends on your imagination and the preferences of your child. On the eve of the upcoming holidays, these could be New Year's characters: Grandfather Frost, a snowman, a Snow Maiden, or just snowflakes. Wearing such beautiful shoes will be a joy for your baby.
To work you will need glue, brushes, acrylic paints, a palette, film (transparent), a felt-tip pen and an iron.
Apply a layer of adhesive to the surface of the shoe and wait until it dries a little and becomes transparent. Then use chalk or a piece of soap to mark the outlines of the design and trace them with a marker.
Fill in all the details of the ornament with multi-colored paint. Leave it to dry (about 6 hours), then iron it under a thin cloth and without steam.
ON A NOTE. To make the image on a pair of shoes symmetrical, copy it onto film and apply it to the second felt boot in this way.
Making an applique from fabric
Creating an application is quite simple, you just need to follow the instructions.
- To create a picture, you can buy a ready-made sample or create one yourself. The child will undoubtedly enjoy the bright and cheerful drawing.
- You can use leather or suede as a base. Great additions would be knitted flowers, fur pompoms, buttons, sequins and beads.
- Attach the finished version using glue or embroidery.
- Undoubtedly, materials with different textures and embroidery with cords diversify the created ornament.
IMPORTANT. The edges of the fabric should be intact and not fray.
Craft for children
With the kids you can make a very simple paper felt boots craft. This product can also be used to decorate a room for the New Year or use it as a Christmas tree decoration.
Draw a pattern (you can use the template proposed in the first master class). For one felt boot you need to make two paper blanks. The parts need to be glued together. Now all that remains is to decorate the felt boots and that’s it, for decoration you can use appliqués, artificial snow and much more that comes to your mind.
Handmade crafts are loved by both adults and children. They create an atmosphere of comfort in the house and emphasize the individuality of the owners. With the onset of the cold season, more than ever, you want to create warmth and comfort around yourself. Such cute and elegant little things as handmade felt boots in the form of gift crafts will delight not only during the New Year holidays, but throughout the winter, and even in summer they can create pleasant contrasts in the interior of the house.
