Repurposed Wool Slippers

These were possibly my most successful makes over Christmas, they are getting worn a lot! Especially now we're finally having some coldish weather. And best of all, that turquoise pair in the middle are mine, all mine!

They're made using the Big Little Tie Back Boots pattern from Etsy. As with all the Big Little patterns I've tried out so far, they are very straightforward to make, and much faster than you'd expect.

They're made with repurposed wool. The pink and turquoise were both blankets, the turquoise was originally a cream blanket which I dyed, and the mauve was a jumper. I really like the fact that I could use the ribbed bottom of the jumper for the top of the slippers:

The pattern doesn't give animal options, but it seemed an obvious thing to add to me and didn't take a lot of effort.

And these bunnies have a little felted ball on the back for a tail too.

The pattern suggests using a piece of leather for the soles, but that's not something I had on hand. I did have an ancient, fake sheepskin coat which I cut up for the soles and that worked perfectly.

I think possibly even something like a heavy denim might work for the soles.

As with other Big Little patterns I've tried, I did find the sizes came out much bigger than I wanted. The pink mice were originally planned for Maria, but are actually very roomy for Venetia. Which is what prompted me to make some for me, the pattern only goes up to 'teens', but after making the pink ones it was very clear the biggest sizing would fit my feet.

The pattern suggests elastic or some kind of tie threaded through those loops and tied round the back, to make sure they don't slip off, but we've not felt the need for that so far.

They are lovely and warm. The lining fabric came from a fluffy, fleecy dressing gown I found in a charity shop, very soft, and combined with the wool outers, perfect for keeping feet warm in Winter.

So if you're sitting reading this with chilly toes, I'd definitely recommend giving these a go!

Sally.