Fomichev Egor

Research work "How are felt boots born?" completed by student Egor Fomichev, under the guidance of the teacher primary classes Ermakova Tatyana Vladimirovna.

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Municipal government educational institution

"Novoyarkovsk secondary school"

Kamensky district

Topic: “How is a felt boot born?”

Nomination: “Technology”

Novoyarki 2013

Introduction

Felt boots, felt boots...oh, the old ones are not hemmed...

In a region with such a harsh climate as Siberia, without warm clothes and no shoes allowed. As they say, without a fur coat and felt boots and winter without end! In felt boots you are not afraid of the most severe frosts. This unique shoe - without beginning, without end, without seam, without scar - was held in high esteem in Rus' by every rank and class, even by crowned heads.

I became interested in finding out how an ordinary piece of wool turns into felt boots and whether it is possible to make felt boots at home.

The purpose of my research:

Find out how felt boots are born.

Tasks:

1. Find out when and where the first felt boots appeared.

2. Assess the attitude of our school students towards felt boots.

3. Study the process of making felt boots.

4. Make felt boots at home.

Object my research are felt boots.

Item research – wool felting technology.

Hypothesis: I suggested that after studying the process of felting felt boots and learning all the secrets of felting masters, even a junior school student can make decorative felt boots at home.

Chapter I. Where and when did the first felt boots appear?

1.1.History of the appearance of felt boots

The history of the creation of felt boots began approximately 1500 years ago, the prototype of which were boots made of felt. They were mainly worn by the nomads of the Great Steppe and Southern Rus'. Some sources believe that felt boots began to appear in early XVIII V. Felt boots were widely used only at the beginning of the 19th century, when they began to be made for industrial purposes. Until this time, only wealthy people could afford them; they were quite expensive.

Since the middle of the 18th century, the Yaroslavl province has been considered the center of the fulling trade; subsequently, local sheep breeding was increased. Wool for the production of felt boots, from the Romanov breed of sheep, is the best raw material, it is characterized by increased “felling ability”. In the Yaroslavl province in 1904, the largest factory at that time for the production of felt boots was founded

Felt boots have become such a part of our lives that it seems they have existed from time immemorial. However, the widespread idea of ​​the antiquity of felt boots is erroneous. In fact, neither under Peter I, nor even more so under Dmitry Donskoy, there were felted shoes. The first felt boots, according to costume historians, appeared in the Semenovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod province only at the very end of the 18th century (although residents of the Yaroslavl province and the ancient town of Myshkin defend their patent for their invention). Earlier information about the existence of felt boots cannot be traced either from ethnographic data or from historical documents.

But the material from which felt boots are made has been known since the 4th century BC - it is to this time that archaeologists attribute the wool products discovered in Altai during excavations of the Pazyryk mound.

The most ancient products made from felted sheep wool are carpets and saddle cloths. This method of processing wool was well known to the nomadic tribes of the Eurasian steppes, as well as to the mountain pastoralists of Tibet, the Pamirs, the Caucasus and the Carpathians. From felted felt they sewed warm and reliable coverings for the home - felt mats, made felt pillows, sleeping mats, shoe insoles and stocking liners. leather boot. Thus, it is possible that wool-making penetrated into the vastness of Ancient Rus' thanks to the neighborhood and constant contacts with the Turkic peoples.

1.2.How felt boots were treated in the past

As already mentioned, the first felt boots in the form of a solid boot appeared at the end of the 18th century. But since there were few felting artisans, and the production technology was kept secret, passed down from generation to generation (industrial production of felt boots began only at the end of the 19th century), felt boots were expensive, they were worn only by wealthy people. They treated felt boots with trepidation: upon entering new house, the owner put them in a place of honor near the stove. A family that had at least one felt boots was considered rich. They were cherished, worn according to seniority and passed on as inheritance. Receiving such a gift was considered good luck. The one who had felt boots was considered an enviable groom among the girls. And an unmarried girl, in order to attract the attention of her beloved guy, threw her felt boots into his yard - they say, send matchmakers.

The royals also did not neglect felt boots. A great fashionista and owner of a huge wardrobe, Catherine the Great wore felt boots under her crinoline, thus saving her sore legs. Soft combs made of fine black wool were specially invented for her.

The merit of felt boots in wartime is invaluable. In winter, our soldiers were dressed only in felt boots. They say that the shortage of felt products was due to the defeat in the Finnish war. But we defeated Napoleon and Hitler thanks to a sufficient amount of warm shoes.

Without felt boots, it would be impossible to explore the northern regions and equip expeditions to the North and South Poles.

1.3.How are felt boots treated these days?

Over the past decades, felt boots have become less popular due to the transformation of Russian winters into soft and slushy ones, being replaced by lighter and more water-resistant shoes. Felt boots are considered traditional village shoes; in cities they are usually worn by small children, or they are worn in severe frosts, when other shoes offer little protection from the cold.

However, today felt boots are regaining the love of city residents, and for designers and fashion designers they are becoming an attractive object of creativity.

I became interested in how the students of our school feel about felt boots. We prepared small questionnaires and asked schoolchildren from grades 1 to 11 to answer several questions regarding felt boots.

Questionnaire:

1. Have you ever worn felt boots?
2. Do you have felt boots?
3. Do you know the technology for making felt boots?
4. Do you know about the healing properties of felt boots?
5. Do you think that felt boots are necessary footwear for winter?

The survey results are shown in the diagram in Fig. 1

The diagram shows the positive responses from survey participants. 75 students participated in the survey, approximately the same number from primary school, middle school and high school. The diagram shows that primary school students, compared to high school students, answered positively to questions 1 and 2 regarding the presence of felt boots in children and the wearing of felt boots. And to the remaining questions, the junior grades gave fewer positive answers than the high school students; these are questions related to the technology of making felt boots and the benefits of felt boots; the high school students turned out to be more knowledgeable. But to the last question, almost all students gave a positive answer, and kids and adults agreed that felt boots are simply necessary for our winter.

1.4.About the benefits of felt boots

Felt boots are a useful thing. In every way. And all thanks to sheep wool. It not only reliably warms, but also heals. The healing properties of felt shoes were noticed back in the time of Peter I. Medicine confirms the beneficial effects of felt boots on human health.

· Natural fibers of felt felt wool have a high heat capacity, which allows your feet not to freeze at very low temperatures

· Felt boots protect a person’s foot not only from cold, but also from heat. Feet in felt boots do not sweat, since wool fibers provide natural air circulation.

· Natural sheep's wool perfectly absorbs and evaporates moisture, while remaining dry. It is this dry heat that helps with colds.

· Wool is rich in lanolin, which brings relief from rheumatism, radiculitis and other diseases of muscles and joints, as well as accelerating the healing of wounds and fractures.

· Felt boots are also often recommended for people with impaired circulatory system. When worn on a bare foot, felted shoes have a massage effect. Due to friction, an electrostatic field is created, which helps improve blood circulation.

· Felt boots are very useful for diseases of the musculoskeletal system, because the foot in such shoes does not deform, in addition, felted shoes allow air to pass through, which prevents the development of fungal diseases.

· Felt boots help relieve nervous tension, a feeling of fatigue and heaviness in the legs, and back pain.

· Natural wool felt boots have positive energy for humans.

Chapter II. Felt boots manufacturing technology

2.1.How boots are made

The production of real felt boots is very labor-intensive. The expression “simple as felt boots” can only be attributed to their shape. In handicraft production, the raw material for making felt boots is usually sheep wool - letnina, or shreds, removed from sheep in the summer. First, it is freed from impurities - blades of grass, thorns - and broken down, turning it into a soft and fluffy mass. The more summer boots there are, the softer they are.

The loosened wool is folded into the shape of a large sock and begins to be rolled, or more correctly, felted. This is where the word felt boots comes from (the second name is wire rods or katants). They do this with their hands (which requires a lot of strength) and by twisting it onto a special rolling pin that looks like a tetrahedral stick. The result is a thick, dense wool sock. To make the felt boots soft, pour hot water over them and continue felting. As the felling process progresses, the felt boots become smaller and smaller. Then the felt boot toe and heel are made. To make the felt boots warmer and denser, they are ground on a special board with ribs. It's called derguch. Then the felt boots are put on a collapsible wooden block and straightened with a wooden mallet. Then the surface of the felt boots is rubbed with pumice and placed in an oven to dry. For final finishing, the dried felt boots are rubbed again with pumice or a wooden block.

In addition to the usual technology, there were many different “secrets”. Thus, alum, copper sulfate and blue sandalwood were used to blacken felt, and to lighten the felt the master used white mixed with fresh milk. The resulting mixture was rubbed into felt until dry and placed in a low-heat oven “to free spirit”

2.2.Making felt boots at home

Having studied the technology of making felt boots, we went to the famous teacher and pimokat of our village and Yakov Ivanovich Glebov, who talked about how he himself made felt boots. He warned us that the process was complex and time-consuming, but we still tried to make small decorative felt boots ourselves. We took a small amount of wool, combed it and wrapped the felt felt pattern, then dipped the blanks in hot water and crushed it with your fingers and a rolling pin. Do this several times. The felt boots turned out soft and not very correct form. We did not have necessary tools and accessories, but still, we ended up with real felt boots, albeit decorative ones.

Conclusion

At the beginning of the research, I wanted to find out how felt boots are born.

Using various sources of information: Internet resources, a conversation with a specialist, a survey, I found out:

1. The roots of fulling art go back centuries;
2. The students of our school generally have a positive attitude towards felt boots; many have felt boots and wear them, and more younger students than older ones. But little is known about the manufacturing technology and benefits of felt boots.
3. To make felt boots, a property of wool fibers called felling ability is used. Processing wool with water and an alkaline solution, as well as using a collapsible block, handicraftsmen roll warm shoes - one of the symbols of Russia - felt boots.
4. Making felt boots is a complex and labor-intensive process, but even at home it is possible to make felt boots.

To summarize, I can draw a general conclusion: my assumption that it is possible to make felt boots at home was confirmed. I have learned from my own experience that felting is a long process, requiring effort and perseverance, but at the same time very exciting. It’s amazing how a felt boot is created from a piece of unspun wool by friction and soaking - the face of our culture, cheerful, laughing, warm, cozy, welcoming and very simple.

Sources

1. Burakova A. There is something to wear to a sweetheart // Ethnosphere. - 2008. - N 2. - P. 43-46.

2. Valenki. Book for everyone who knows the price of this will notice. rus. shoes - M.: Resurrection, 1994. - 221 p.

3. Gusev F. How felt and felt boots are made. Guide for handicraftsmen / Gusev F. - L.: Publishing house "Mysl", 1925. - 32 p.

4. Kruglova G. Let’s roll our felt boots // Folk art. – 2004. - N 6. - P. 34-37.

5. Electronic resource: http://istoriya-sozdaniya.ru/index.php/v/52-istoriya-valenki

6. Electronic resource: http://www.apatitylibr.ru/index.php/

The relevance of making shoes from wool is primarily due to the fact that this type of footwear is traditionally considered the warmest and most comfortable in the Russian winter. The manufacturing process does not require large expenses, and the products are sold at high speed and at high prices. Bright design and the exclusivity of felt boots make them even more attractive to consumers. IN summer time Sales of slippers, bags, car mats, souvenirs and other felt products are going well.

Currently, continuous production of felt boots and hand-made felted shoes are widespread.

Product varieties

• children's and adults (by size);
• grey, white, black, colored (felt type);
• decorated (exclusive, designer);
• souvenir and decorative;
• for fishermen, for a summer residence;
• on the sole, burqas.

In addition to felt boots, we can produce the following types felt products: bags, slippers, rugs, vests, medical belts, insoles and much more.

Sales market Wholesale and Retail:

• individuals;
• shoe stores;
• online stores;
• Russian army.

Business organization

Raw materials sheep wool (coarse and semi-coarse) is used for the production of felted shoes. In some cases, manufacturers use other types of wool. Felt boots are decorated with embroidery, beads, and fur. Often, in order to increase the range, rubber or rubber soles are used.

Necessary equipment for the production of felt boots

		Accuracy: 0.5 g to 5 kg Cost: 8500 rub.
		Capacity: 5 kg/h Cost: 80,000 rub.
		Steam output: 90g/min Cost: 23,900 rub.
		Capacity: 8 kg/h Cost: 90,000 rub.
	Lasts without shaft *	Cost: 4500 rub. (set, sizes 35-46)
	Rolling pin MA 9001, ruble, ruffled	Total cost: 2450 rub.

* Wooden blocks with a boot are made to order, their cost is about 4,000 rubles.

A separate business option could be for craftswomen to decorate ready-made pairs of shoes purchased wholesale from factories. This is a simple process that takes little time. The cost of a decorated felt boot increases by 3-8 thousand rubles.

Feasibility study of the project

Capital expenditures

• Equipment - RUB 194,000.
• Additional equipment - 15,000 rubles.
• Delivery and installation - 29,000 rubles.
• Preparing the premises - not required
• Inventory for 2 months - 14,000 rubles.
• Business registration and other expenses - RUB 100,000.

Total initial costs for the production of felt boots: 352 000 rubles

Revenue calculation

* Business profitability is indicated according to the expert opinion of the author of the article.

Irina Arkhipova
Abstract of the research work “What is the secret of felt boots”

Relevant t: Valenki– these are the most suitable shoes for our winter. They are warm and cozy. I asked how they do it felt boots and from what? Mom replied that felt boots felted from sheep's wool, but it is very hard work. Now they are made in factories, but before they were lying around at home.

I was wondering if I could make it myself felt boots.

An object - felt boots.

Subject - manufacturing felt boots.

Goal – Find out why felt boots heat and whether they can be made at home.

Hypothesis:

I suggested that if I find out how and what they make felt boots, then I can make them myself, I can understand and prove why they are warm. To do this I need to find out what they are made of felt boots, and why do they keep your feet warm?

Tasks research:

1. find out what they are made of felt boots;

2. learn how to felt felt boots;

3. do felt boots at home.

4. prove that felt boots are useful and comfortable shoes, especially for residents of our Northern Republic.

Methods research:

1. Informational (studying children's educational literature, interviewing adults, watching videos)

2. Experimentation.

3. Observation.

4. Analysis.

Novelty research:

I was very interested in how I could make felt boots and what can I make it from?

2. Theoretical part

Felt boots- this is an old one winter shoes. Therefore, we decided to turn to adults for help, working in kindergarten.We asked them a question: What's happened felt boots? Why do children wear felt boots? What do they know about felt boots? Felt boots- warm felt boots made of felted sheep wool; Most often they are made hard, but they can also be soft, suitable for other shoes. From the adults' responses I learned that felt boots made from sheep's wool, feet shod in felt boots feel comfortable, warm and dry, and this is very pleasant. Valenki have their own history. Russian people wear felt boots for several centuries. During the Great Patriotic War felt boots protected Russian soldiers from frost. For a soldier going to serve, nothing is more expensive at all felt boots there was no such thing - warm and durable shoes not only protected from the cold, but also in battle could protect the feet from small fragments. And now felt boots are part special clothing for people who workin our northern republic: oil workers, gas workers, railway workers and soldiers. Also during the conversations, I learned that felt boots, like the Russian nesting doll, is a national attribute of Russia.

3. Practical part

1. Experience "Warm or Cold"

To conduct this experiment, I took a boot and felt boots, put a toy in each of them and sent it to the freezer to find out which toy would freeze faster. After a while we took the shoes out of the freezer and took out the toys. Having put both toys to my cheeks, I felt that one toy, which was lying in the boot, became cold, and the one that was in felt boots remained warm.

We have proven that felt boots retains heat and therefore the foot does not freeze.

2. Experience “Why doesn’t a piece of ice melt?”

We put two ice lumps - one on a saucer, the other wrapped in paper napkin, lowered into felt boots. After some time, we noticed that the snow on the saucer began to melt, became small and gray, and no felt boots. So what, maybe felt boots don't warm at all, but is it cold? Why do we wear it in cold weather? felt boots, and our feet are warm and not cold? It's simple felt boots did not allow room heat to reach the ice. And from this ice flakes felt boots were cold. That's why she didn't melt.

3. Study of wool

When examining the wool under a microscope, I realized that the wool is not smooth, but has scales that cling tightly to each other - this is the process of felting.

4. Create your own felt boots.

For this we first:

Cut out the template.

Cover the template with a layer of wool in one direction, slightly extending beyond the edge of the template.

We moistened the first layer of wool with soapy water and turned the template over to the other side.

We did the same.

And so we repeated until we got a dense layer.

Then we started felting. We moistened the template with soapy water, put it in a plastic bag and began to crush it and press it with a kitchen rolling pin. We removed excess foam and water. Then the workpiece was cut into two equal parts, the template was removed and the pedal mold was removed.

Conclusion.

Practical significance research:

I will know why in felt boots It’s warm and I will only recommend wearing it in winter felt boots.

Conclusion about the results obtained research:

As a result of its work I found out beneficial features felt boots, learned that they are made from wool, the method of their manufacture. My hypothesis was partially confirmed; you can make it at home felt boots, but with the help of an adult, but real felt boots can only be made by a true master

Publications on the topic:

Topic of the lesson: “How are they similar and how are they different?” Tasks: - Continue to teach children to name and recognize geometric figures, compare, find.

Final organized educational activity for senior preschool age. Entertainment “That’s the secret of health!” Entertainment on the topic: “That’s the secret of health!” Educational area: “Health”, “Communication” Section: Physical education, Valeology,.

Summary of direct educational activities on artistic and aesthetic development “What and with what you can draw” Educational field: artistic and aesthetic development; Type of activity: directly educational Age group: preparatory.

Summary of educational activities for developing a culture of communication “The Secret of Magic Words” Bondarenko Oksana Summary of educational activities for developing a culture of communication. "Secret magic words"Goal To reveal to children the meaning of some etiquette formulas.

Summary of search and research work in the preparatory group “Getting to know the magnet” Abstract of search and research work in preparatory group“Acquaintance with a magnet” Purpose: To expand children’s understanding of a magnet.

Zverko Dmitry

Many people have these original Russian shoes, but few people have been wearing felt boots lately. I asked myself the question: “Why in modern world"Does the word "felt boot" often make us smile as something outdated and just funny?" Or maybe that's not true?

Target – explore the significance of felt boots in the life of the Russian people from the 18th century to the present.

The following follow from this goal: tasks:

1. Assess the attitude of teachers, parents, and students of our school towards felt boots

2. Find out when and where the first felt boots appeared

3. Study the process of making felt boots

4. Assess the role of felt boots in the life of our ancestors and in the modern world

Was nominated hypothesis: In the 21st century, Russian felt boots are regaining people's love.

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XXIV Stavropol Regional Open Scientific Conference for Schoolchildren

Section: Junior (1-4)

Job title: "Felt boots, felt boots...(From the past to the present)"

1. Author of the work: Zverko Dmitry Dmitrievich
2. Place of work: Sotnikovskoe,

MBOU "Secondary School No. 4", 3rd grade.

Scientific adviser:Garanzha Vera Vladimirovna, primary school teacher of the highest qualification category

MBOU "Secondary School No. 4"

Stavropol, 2013

Introduction________________________________________________ pages 3-4

1. When and where did the first felt boots appear___________ p. 4-5
2. The process of making felt boots ___________________ pp. 5-6
3. The significance of felt boots in the life of the Russian people_______ pp. 6-7
4. The role of felt boots in the modern world_________________ pp. 7-8
5. Recommendations for choosing felt boots page 8
6. Interesting facts pp. 8-9

Conclusion__________________________________________ p.9-10

Bibliography___________________________ page 10

Applications__________________________________________ p.11-18

Not shoes, not boots,

But they are also worn by legs.

We run in them in winter:

In the morning - to school,

In the afternoon - home.

Introduction

This year we had a real Siberian winter. Winter with severe frosts, snow storms, large snowdrifts. And in a good frosty winter, feet in any boots freeze. It was then that my grandmother remembered that in the attic we had felt boots that were not afraid of either deep snow or bitter frost.

And this winter I observed that both adults and children wore felt boots in winter. Indeed, you cannot find more comfortable shoes - warm, dry, soft!

"Thick as a Brick". There is such a famous Russian proverb. Often a rude, uncouth person is called a “felt boot”. And indeed, what, it would seem, could be simpler than clumsy, gray or black Russian shoes, which are now worn, perhaps, only by old people and small children - solely for reasons of warmth and convenience. However... our attitude towards felt boots can and should change!

Many people have these original Russian shoes, but few people have been wearing felt boots lately. I asked myself the question: “Why in the modern world the word “felt boot” often makes us smile as something outdated and just funny?” Or maybe that's not true?

I set before myself target – explore the significance of felt boots in the life of the Russian people from the 18th century to the present.

The following follow from this goal: tasks :

1. Assess the attitude of teachers, parents, and students of our school towards felt boots

2. Find out when and where the first felt boots appeared

3. Study the process of making felt boots

4. Assess the role of felt boots in the life of our ancestors and in the modern world

A hypothesis was put forward: In the 21st century, Russian felt boots are regaining people's love.

Research methods: holiday “Russian felt boots”, interview, survey, study of scientific and fiction on the topic, working with Internet information, analysis, systematization, generalization.

I began my research by visiting the library, meeting with Vasily Maksimovich Aleinikov, conducting a survey among teachers, parents, students, and as a result, I found out:

Of the 50 school students, 20 (40%) have felt boots or had them in childhood;

Of the 40 school employees, 8 people (20%) still wear felt boots in the cold season;

Of the 30 parents surveyed, 100%, having learned about the health benefits of felt boots, would like to purchase these wonderful shoes for their family. (Annex 1)

At the Russian Valenki Festival we got acquainted with the history of felt boots and the process of their production. An exhibition of ancient felt boots was organized. We held a competition of ditties, poems about felt boots, a relay race and a competition in throwing felt boots.

(Appendix 2)

1. When and where did the first felt boots appear?

Felt boots, felted boots... Initially, felt boots, or, in Siberian, pima, were short, and their tops were made of cloth. And only in the 18th century felt boots acquired their usual appearance: the Semyonovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod province is considered the birthplace of felt boots. The craftsmen “guessed” to felt them entirely, including the boot. After all, this is the advantage of felt boots: they are made without a single seam, therefore they are soft, comfortable, and do not chafe your feet. It is for this ingenious simplicity that a person who is naive to the point of stupidity is called “felt boot” in folklore. These shoes have only one drawback, but a rather serious one: they are very afraid of dampness, so at first they put leather and later rubber galoshes on the soles.

In Rus', only wealthy peasants wore felt boots, because they were quite expensive. A family that had at least one felt boots was considered rich. They were cherished, worn according to seniority and passed on as inheritance.

Receiving such a gift was considered good luck. There were few felting artisans, and the technology for producing wire rods was kept secret, passed down from generation to generation. The one who had felt boots was considered an enviable groom among the girls.

At the celebration of the Russian felt boots, we learned that Katya Fishchenko’s family has felt boots that serve the 4th generation; they are already more than 100 years old. (Appendix 3)

For a soldier going to serve, there was nothing more expensive than felt boots - warm and durable shoes not only protected from the cold, but could also protect their feet from small fragments in battle.

A lot of time passed until felting production mastered in the villages. This craft turned out to be very profitable - rolling up felt boots for every home. Felting technology was passed down from generation to generation, and therefore each craftsman had his own secret and the felt boots were special.

2. The process of making felt boots

In our village there were also masters of felting felt boots. Vasily Maksimovich Aleynikov told us that his grandfather Fyodor Danilovich was also involved in the production of felt boots. Then he passed this craft on to his father Maxim Fedorovich. Vasily Maksimovich, as a child, watched his father felt felt boots. This is what he told us. (Appendix 4)

After the sheep was shorn, the wool was washed, combed and smoothed, resulting in a thin, soft cloth. Then they smoothed it with their fingers for a long time so that the wool stuck together, as if the shape of a felt boot was sculpted from plasticine, and then the workpiece was boiled in boiling water so that the wool felted even denser. This blank already resembled felt boots in shape, only very large in size. Then the workpiece was pulled onto the block and beaten on all sides with a wooden mallet for a long time until the product took on the usual size for a felt boot. (Appendix 5)

The process is simple in words only, but in reality it requires physical strength and a lot of patience, which few are capable of. Upon completion of all these procedures, the felt boots were sent to dry, and all that remained was to shave it to make it smooth and shiny.

Vasily Maksimovich did not have to engage in this craft. He inherited his felt boots from his grandfather. They served him for many years, and they also went to his grandchildren. Now his eldest grandson Sasha works in the Far North and wears his great-great-grandfather’s felt boots.

And from 1950 to 1959, Nikolai Kirilovich Tuchin felted felt boots. In his workshop he had a stove with boilers, a ruble, a carding machine, blocks of different sizes and rollers for rolling.

He made felt boots for the residents of our village Sotnikovskoye and nearby villages. The people who felted felt boots in the village were called “Postovals”. Sometimes they even thought that these were their last names.

It must be said that the technology for making felt boots has not changed at all over the past three hundred years, only some techniques have become mechanized. Equipment with electric motors appeared: a drum and a gurney.

Technology is technology, but without the most important component of the ancient craft - love for one’s work and for the people who will wear these shoes, it is unlikely that felt boots would have survived so many centuries practically unchanged, easily withstanding competition with the most modern shoe models. Maybe that’s why it’s so nice and cozy to wear them because they retain the warmth of the hands of their creators. As before, the craft of felting is passed on from master to master.

1. Without felt boots, our ancestors could not imagine Christmas and Maslenitsa festivities, caroling, fairs, during which there was always a real Russian winter.

2. Even crowned heads did not disdain such shoes.

It is known that Peter I counted felt boots effective means in the treatment of radiculitis. In winter, after a bath and swimming in an ice hole, he demanded hot cabbage soup and felt boots. It was during his reign that piping production in Russia became widespread. Catherine the Great had the first pimas, which she wore under her dress on her sore legs. Soft combs made of fine black wool were specially invented for her. (Appendix 6)

3. Valenki kept Russian soldiers warm during the Great Patriotic War (Appendix 7)

The merit of felt boots in wartime is invaluable. In winter, our soldiers were dressed only in felt boots. In the forties - fatal for the front, about 100 million pairs of felt boots were made for victory. Many of them returned to the factories more than once, they were repaired, hemmed and again sent to the line of fire. The Germans considered felt boots to be the best trophy and were ready to exchange them for any value, even a gold watch. The Russian felt boot walked from Moscow to Brest and defeated the German boot!

4. Without felt boots, it would be impossible to explore the northern regions and carry out expeditions to the North and South Poles.

4. Explored the role of felt boots in the modern world:

What about Russia? Felt boots are hitting the world catwalks! And foreigners look with delight at the unprecedented Russian miracle.

Several thousand pairs of Russian shoes go abroad every year. Adherents of high technology themselves do not know how to make primitive felt boots, but they like their beneficial properties - they turned out to be a particularly successful purchase in Alpine resorts and the harsh Finnish coast.

And indeed! Firstly, felt boots are the only shoes made from natural materials that do not destroy nature and animals. Wool is cut from peacefully grazing sheep and processed, so the production of felt boots does not disturb the natural environment.

Secondly, as mentioned above, even in the time of Peter I, the healing properties of felt shoes were noticed. And today medicine confirms the influence of felt boots on human health.

1. Sheep wool helps with colds, rheumatism, radiculitis and other diseases of muscles and joints.
2. Felt boots are very useful for diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
3. Felt boots can relieve nervous tension, a feeling of fatigue and heaviness in the legs, and back pain.
4. Wearing felt boots on bare feet helps improve blood circulation. Natural wool does not irritate the skin of the feet, has positive energy for humans, natural wool fibers have a high heat capacity, which allows the feet not to freeze in the most bitter frosts. At the same time, your feet do not sweat, since wool fibers provide natural air circulation and your feet are always warm, which is why they are called a “dry heating pad.” At the same time, felt boots protect a person’s foot not only from cold, but also from heat. (Appendix 8)

Our Sotnikov fashionistas also wear felt boots. And when I asked the twin girls: Olya and Alena, why do they wear felt boots? They told me that they were not only light and comfortable, but warm and my feet didn’t sweat. (Appendix 9)

Valenki are the main workwear for gas workers, oil workers, and railway workers. The demand for felt boots is also reviving in the central region - Moscow, St. Petersburg, and in tourist centers. Felt boots are indispensable for winter outdoor recreation. Nowadays, factories receive large orders from the army, border guards, and police. All soldiers in the northern regions of the country have been wearing felt boots since October 15, 2011. (Appendix 10)

Felt boots are available in a variety of sizes, so that suitable ones can be found for both an adult man and a child who has barely learned to walk. However, keep in mind that felt boots are unusual shoes, and they have their own sizes. So, for example, shoe size 25 corresponds to felt boots size 13. In addition, felt boots shrink when worn, so you should buy them with a reserve. Felt boots with soles for adults should be taken one size larger.

Feel the felt boots, remember it in your hands. A good felt boot is elastic. If the felt boots are too soft, they are underfilled and will not hold their shape. If it is too hard and does not bend, then walking will be uncomfortable.

Pay attention to the smell. If it is unpleasant, it means that unwashed wool was used in the manufacture of felt boots. It is almost impossible to get rid of such a smell.

Before putting your felt boots in the closet, you should pack them in plastic bag and put moth repellent in each of them, otherwise in a few months you risk taking out of the closet not felt boots, but miserable remnants.

6. Interesting facts

1. Two giant felt boots are vying for a place in the Guinness Book of Records. One, size 120, height 157 cm and weight 7.5 kg, was made in the village of Kubenskoye near Vologda. Another, even larger one, was dumped in Semipalatinsk. Its height is 178 cm, weight is 16.5 kg, and the size is just right for Gulliver - 146! (Appendix 11)
2. There are felt felt museums in Moscow and in the city of Myshkin. And in 2001, a felt boots festival was held in Myshkin. (Appendix 12)
3. Felt boots throwing championships have been held in Pyatigorsk and Syktyvkar for several years now. As the participants say, the main thing in felt throwing is not the strength of the throw, but the accuracy of the aim, because the felt boots, due to their specific properties, are often capricious and do not fly along a given trajectory. We ourselves experienced this when we held relay races with felt boots at the Russian Valenki Festival.
4. At one time, huge felt boots were made as a special order for Oleg Popov - the clown jumped into them during a trick.
5. Now the felt boots of the athletes who participated in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City have already gone down in history and are museum exhibits. The Russian team was patriotically shod in felt boots and galoshes.

Conclusion

Thus, having studied the history of felting, I became acquainted with the technology of making felt boots, met with people involved in this craft, and found out what significance felt boots have in the lives of modern people.

The hypothesis I put forward was confirmed.

Firstly Today, environmental and health issues are coming to the fore. But felt boots are shoes made from natural materials without harming nature and animals.

Secondly , medicine confirms the healing properties of shoes.

Third , felt boots again acquire the status fashionable shoes– models are produced with embroidery, trims, natural and artificial fur, and appliqués are used. They appeared in the fall-winter 2009 collection of Vyacheslav Zaitsev.

Those who consider wire rods to be the domain of only the old and small, and even janitors, traffic cops and winter fishing enthusiasts, are wrong.

Thus, fulling factories, keeping up with the times, keep up with the times. They walk, of course, in felt boots. (Appendix 13)

In felt boots with rubber soles, Velcro, zippers and laces.

In felt boots with gold embroidery and fur trim.

In felt boots with cute appliqués and hilarious pom-poms.

In elegant felt boots, tied with ribbons in the style of ballet shoes, felt boots with heels.

In felt boots of the most unimaginable models and the most enchanting colors.

In total, about 4.5 million pairs of felted shoes are produced in Russia per year. The largest manufacturers today:

Kukmor fulling and felt plant – 800-900 thousand pairs.

Yaroslavl factory of felted shoes - 550-600 thousand pairs.

Practical significancemy research - transfer the research results to the school museum

Bibliography

1. Burovik K. A. Pedigree of things, - M.: Knowledge, 1991.- 228, 3 p.
2. B.S.E. Second edition, 6 Botosani - Variolite May 12, 1951 Pp. 561, 59, 594.
3. www.valenki.inc.ru - museum "Russian felt boots"
4. www.valenki.promsherst.ru - Where you can buy felt boots.
5. www.specserver.com/rus/notice.asp?noticeID=198927 – equipment for the production of felt boots
6. www.valenki.textex.ru - felt boots