It started snowing in Munich now. Finally, and as always too late and to wet. So the only place we find ice right now is the ice rink. We’ve been going a few times now. It is a remnant of our stay in Sweden. Flauschi’s first time watching Bullerbyn. The original movie from the 60s, highly recommend it! The first episode is titled »Lasse trillar i en vak«, Lasse falls into a whole in the ice (vak i sjön). The scene is epic, and my kid got sweaty hands watching it the first few times. She could not get enough of Bullerbyn and she was at me all day about figure skates.

Skates for Flauschi

I was really hesitant, because since Germany is doing anything but handling »the plague« or the people with dignity (like Sweden), it was unsure if and when we could even go skating. And since the recent winters have been so warm, it is also not an option to just go find a like, like it was in my childhood. I have been skating on so many lakes, and I really miss it. Better than any stadion.

However, I finally got her a pair, second hand from Vinted. And they were really good. Perfect fit, tight and stiff, like it’s supposed to be. I’ve been a not too shitty skater myself in my youth. But boy, those days are over. Anyway, of course we all went together. And I am telling you, it was the cutest thing to see her on the ice with her adorable little skates.

Everything old must be bad, they say

I used a pair of old ones, also got them second hand on the Internet. And boy, they were blunt. So I wanted to have them whetted. However, the less than friendly dude at the local ice rink was really a handful. He told me, the heel was lose and he could not let me on the ice with this, it would be too dangerous.

He would make all sorts of gestures, you know, the kind people make that really have not accomplished anything difficult in life—braggy, noisy and overbearing. I said: Okay fine. All he did was joggle those heels like he wanted to damage them. I was actually afraid he would, because he used such force with his senseless and primitively moving 3X paws.

I found the best store for ice skates in Munich

So what I did is look up the highest ranking store in Munich for ice skates which would be Eissportwelt Gerti Schanderl in East Munich. It is almost an hour of an S-Bahn ride for me, but it was so worth it.

The owner is an extremely friendly lady, and she took at least one hour to fit the skates properly, listen to all my issues, chronic pain story and why I wanted extra wide skates. She told me they have not had a winter holiday for two decades, standing in the shop seven days a week, and I really appreciated her taking care of all my questions. I also bought a pair of protectors for the edges and she explained literally everything. I swear, I went out of this shop 10 IQ points higher.

I knew what to do and not to do with those skates now, how to handle them and keep them clean and she even gave me some tips on how to teach my kid and which arenas to look into. And most importantly, I went out of their with a pair of new skates.

Maybe not everything old is trash, I say

Most interestingly though, I brought my old skates to have them take a look. And to (not really though) my surprise she said, they had never been whetted before and were in pretty good condition apart from the age. So you know what I did? I had them whet the edges, and also bought a bunch of new laces so I would be able to tie them properly and have them look fresh and nice again. I will either sell them or give them to my mom. Because if there is anything I hate more than unsolicited mansplaining in sports, it’s throwing away something just because it is old. If you treat things like that, you also treat humans like such. And I don’t appreciate that.

Anyway, that is the story of how I got new skates. I did, because the ones I have were just a little too small for me, and I wanted a proper fit, because I plan on doing this seriously. And I think it was a really good decision. In fact I have no idea how I could not have gone skating for so long. How I could have missed out on this, because it is such an amazing hobby. But yeah, that is just how it is, kids help you reconnect with yourself, your habits and the things you used to love.

So, after I got new skates for about 200 bucks, I decided I wanted covers to protect them. However, I’m also an eco-nerd and I am cheap. So 1 + 1 = a pile of fabric downstairs + sewing skills = just make them yourself!

Sewing fabric ice skates covers

The fabric you need for this project should be stretchy and soft, but not too thin. You want to protect your skates from scratches! You can also do two layers, but I personally was too lazy for that.

I chose a color that matches my training leggings (soft leggings with a warm lining¹). The cuffs are made from stretchy wool elastic, which is very strong. You want to take something that can deal with getting wet and is also very tight, not just some average jersey.

Adding in details

My cuffs where actually too short, and so I ended up adding in a crap of sweat jersey at the top. Somehow I wanted it to look less like a bug and more like a feature, so I decided to put in some fabric band. I brought this from a Sami shop in Sweden, and I hadn’t found a project yet where I could use it.

I think this was the perfect choice. It reminds me of Sweden, it reminds me of the cold, and actually I have read quite a bit about the Sami, and also love learning about this culture, so all in all something that makes me happy when I look at it!

Download the sewing pattern

You can purchase the pattern in my Etsy store. Yes, purchase. It took me three days to make this pattern. If you think you can do it better and faster, make your own. Every skate is different. Those are perfectly fitted to Jackson or RIsport or other modern skates sizes 36-38 EU sizing chart (4-6.5 US). Also, the pattern is totally idiot-proof and you can contact me if you’re having trouble with it.

If you don’t want to buy the pattern, at least consider turning off ad-block, so I get a bit of revenue from the ads. You can make your own pattern by trial and error, by simply tracing the form of your shoe. Then add the cuffs and proceed as explained below. If you want to support my work, I would really appreciate it though if you bought the pattern.

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