DIY Adventures – Episode Two – Mending A Pair of Slippers
Posted on | February 10, 2008 | 1 Comment | Share!!
A Little History:
Year’s ago a dear friend of mine had a pair of slippers that he wore all the time, indoors and sometimes outdoors. They were made in that old-school indian moccasin design: basically, two pieces of leather stitched together with hefty yarn or leather cording. They seemed to last forever and they appeared amazingly comfy.
Well, evidently I commented on them often and one year he got me a pair of my own! They served me well through the years up in New England and the first few years down in NC, but then we got Cadence…
Long story short, she shared my love for the slippers (TASTY!!! yumgyumgyumg…) and, over time, they started showing signs of wear that would prompt many to throw them out.
Well, I’m here to show you how I saved them and I’m hoping that some of you out there can do the same!
First, here are the materials you will need:
In case the picture wasn’t clear, you need a pair of scissors, a sturdy yarn or leather cording, and a large gauge needle (Mel calls the one pictured above a “tapestry needle”). Mel chose a yarn from her stash that we picked up at the 2006 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It’s a good choice because of it’s ingredients: organic cotton and hemp. It’s flexible, VERY strong and sustainable (eco-friendly)! But honestly any yarn, old shoe lace, or string can do the trick. Just make sure it’s somewhat strong and rugged to stand up to abrasions and occasional toe stubbings…
The Problem:
Ok, so it’s rarity when leather slippers get an actual tear in the leather itself. So nine times out of ten it’s the sewn seam around the top that stitches the bottom part of the slipper to the “upper”, that starts to get frayed and undone. If you’re like me, you’ll put up with this for a while. That is until the damage starts to become obvious. 
The Fix:
Fortunately, the fix is easy! Especially if you have any of the existing stitching left (hint: if the other slipper is still in good shape, you can use that as a good visual reference). First, you have to examine what is still there. Most of the time with these types of slippers, it’s a kind of “over and under” spiral shaped stitch which is easy to replicate.
Here’s what I was up against:
I started out trying to salvage what was already there, but found I could do a much more complete job by pulling out the existing stitching and re-doing it all.
If you’re nervous about going this route, you can always rip the stitch out gradually, copy-cat the stitch with your “thread”, and then rip out more of the original stuff; wash-rinse-repeat.
The only advise I can give during this process is make sure your stitches are pulled good and tight. That way you create a good seam that won’t loosen over time, all the while creating a good seal that keeps the toasty heat around your toes for many years to come!
Eventually, you get the hang of the repetitive nature of what was done at the factory and you’ll soon have a slipper that looks identical to the one you tried on some many years back!
Well, almost identical! 
The last bits involve tieing off the stitch that you started at both ends. I had the luxury of having a few eye holes in the tongue of the slipper that I could tie off with a knot, but before I did that, I performed several “X” shaped stitches in the last two holes that shouldn’t be unraveling anytime soon.
So, there you have it! I could’ve tossed my slippers in the trash or given them to Cadence for chew toys. But dammit! There was still a lot life in them, so I thought I’d give it a shot, and you know what? It wasn’t hard at all! I’m definitely not the seamstress of the house, Mel wears that crown proudly, but I can sew a button back on, so I figured if I could fumble my way through that, I could bumble my way through this.
So check it:
I think it came out great (so does Mel)! And as I write this, my toes are as toasty as ever, a landfill is less clogged, and I bought a beloved piece of clothing many more years of service!!
All good things!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at tad@tadandmel.com
Take care,
Tad
Nice work, Tad, they look good as new;-) My kids got me a new pair this year, very nice!