Got Sole?

 We had a visitor from California recently for whom I had previously made a pair of felted clog slippers.   Our floors are cold up here in the Pacific Northwest in October and we wanted her feet to stay toasty, so we reminded her to bring her slippers along for her visit.  Unfortunately, when she got here, she found that her slippers were a slippery combination with our oak floors, and didn't want to wear them.  When faced with a situation like this, I know to turn to my sailmaker's bag.

Out came the cutting mat, the awl, the hammer.  Out came the waxed thread, the curved needle.  Out came the scrap leather, the heavy duty Gingher shears, the sailmaker's palm.

I traced the bottom of her slippers onto the leather, then cut about 1/4" inside the line to accomodate the "bumper" on the edge of the slipper.  I marked another line on the leather just inside of the edge.  Along this line I punched holes with my awl and hammer, spaced about 1/4" apart.  Then with my palm on my hand, I sewed the soles on.  It took a little work to get my hand inside the slippers, and coordinate the curved needle.  But they turned out perfectly, and she was thrilled with the result.
Now she not only has non-skid slippers, but they will last so much longer with the leather in place.  I wish I had thought of doing this sooner to my own pair, whose soles are so far gone that I'm in the process of making a replacement (more on that later).

Sure is a nice time of year to have thick wool slippers on hand (or foot...)!