How felt boots are made in the Beshenkovichi district…

When we asked where to find a master felt boot maker in the Beshenkovichi district, we were directed to the village of Ozyorki. It turned out that many people here possess this skill.

Liliya Aleksandrovna Usova hospitably welcomed us. She learned this art from her mother, who in turn learned it from her parents, and so on: the craft has been passed down from generation to generation. The craftswoman's three daughters are also continuing the felting tradition.

– It's still some kind of support. The products are mainly bought by hunters, fishermen, the elderly, and parents for their children, – Liliya Aleksandrovna shared. She charges 15-25 rubles for children's felt boots and 40 rubles for adult ones, and she duly pays the craft tax.

According to her, the main difficulty in making warm boots is obtaining clean, high-quality sheep wool. And then it's a matter of technique. To felt boots, dozens of operations must be performed. Over the centuries of its existence, the technology has not changed, except that specialized enterprises have appeared where machines facilitate the work.

– One pair of women's felt boots requires 1 kg of sheep wool, – the craftswoman explained and introduced us to the approximate scheme of their production. First, the sheep wool needs to be dried and combed. Then the process moves to the bathhouse, where the workpiece needs to be

to soak in warm water, that is, to beat with hands, to roll with a special heavy enough iron, then to straighten so that the product does not stick together, to stretch, to put on a last of the appropriate size, and when it drains, to dry in the oven.

– I only felt one pair a day. When the owner was alive, and he's been gone for three years, we made more, – shared the woman. – Now I felt valenki in the bathhouse, and before all the dirty work was done in the house. There was a sheep smell everywhere, and wool – in the water, and in the food, and everywhere.

In the manufacturing process, Lilia Alexandrovna does not use any chemicals. Thanks to this, Ozersky valenki can be considered the most environmentally friendly footwear, which does not cause allergies. In addition, such footwear made of natural material warms the feet well in the cold.

– They are hard to make, my hands already hurt from felting, probably I won't do this anymore, – said Lilia Alexandrovna. But looking at her, you understand that this is a momentary weakness. Because the woman can no longer imagine herself without her ancestral craft. It is no longer a hobby, but a way of life. So, if you need valenki, go to Ozërki – it's a stone's throw from Vitebsk.

Elena ALIMOVA, photo by Dmitry OSIPOV, "Vitebskiye vesti".