5 Felt Filling Tips to Perfect Your Felt Crafts

If you’re new to felt crafting, you may be wondering what type of filling you should use and how exactly the process works.

In felt sewing, all the details of a piece are essential to the result of a job. However, one aspect of the finish makes a lot of difference, and not everyone who works with felt crafts pays attention to these details.

See Also: Felt Crafts for Beginners – The Complete Guide

I’m talking about stuffing your felt craft projects. It may sound simple, but if you know the right shape and materials for filing each type of piece, you will see a massive difference in your felting crafts.

Once you get used to stuffing your felt plushies and ornaments, you’ll find it’s a pretty easy task. First, I recommend practicing on smaller and less complex hand-sewn pieces to familiarize yourself with the technique. Then, enjoy making sweet designs after learning how to do this technique.

See Also: Everything You Want to Know About Felt

So, if you want to know what you’re doing wrong, stick with me and check out the felt stuffing tips.

Filling Materials for Felt

Fibers aren’t the only option for filling your felting work. Some craftsmen recycle scraps of fabric and yarn as fillers. Although these are not always ideal but can make your finished work look particularly lumpy.

There are many different options for fiber-based felt filling. You can choose natural fibers such as cotton, wool, and bamboo. One of the most common options for stuffing felt ornaments and plushies is synthetic fiber stuffing.

I use polyester fiberfill in my felt craft projects that are affordable, lightweight, and work great for stuffing felt elements nicely. Polyester fiber is often the number one choice of craftsmen for stuffing handmade toys and felt plushies.

Whether you prefer natural or synthetic felt filler fibers, they all work perfectly.

Polyester Fiber

Silicon fiber is the most widely used felt filler among craftsmen. We often use the fiberfill to stuff felt dolls for decoration from smaller items such as keychains and souvenirs.

I guess I haven’t said anything you don’t know yet. Still, you should understand that some widespread mistakes can significantly compromise the appearance of your felting work. So follow the tips I’m going to give you!

Do not miss the filling.

Have you ever heard the saying “cheap gets expensive”? Because this idiom fits so well with padding ends for felt.

Sometimes the savings you make in stuffing a piece of felt, any size, make little difference in your pocket, but compromise a lot on the result of your work.

Because felt is a stretchable material, the fabric expands when we put the fiber in. Because of this, it usually starts to fade after the piece is ready.

Don’t forget corners and edges.

The golden rule for making the excellent felt filling is to start from the edges!

Do not leave the corners to secure when the piece of felt is already whole. Ideally, if it’s tiny or has tight corners, you fill in these details as you assemble the pieces.

By doing this, you ensure that all hard-to-reach parts are filled.

To help fill it, use a pencil or toothpick to place the fiber around the edge of your felt piece and then stuff everything else.

Avoid creating pits

Have you finished your felt work, and when you start analyzing the result, have you ever noticed that it is full of lumps inside?

Such lumps happen when silicon fiber is placed in small piles. As a result, you create balls inside the felt piece, which gives your work a very sloppy look.

Ideally, to prevent this from happening, you do not compress the fiber before installing the part but gradually add more strands of yarn until there is enough.

To finish, massage the felt piece well. Thus, the fiber will spread and settle in all areas without forming lumps.

Acrylic Blanket

An acrylic blanket is commonly used to cover items that require upholstery or reinforcement, such as wreaths.

Felt handicrafts, especially R1 and R2 acrylic blanket types, make working much more effortless. These two models of acrylic blankets have a resin layer that adheres or felted to the fabric when activated by the heat of the iron.

The difference is that blanket R1 has an adhesive side, while blanket R2 can be glued from both sides.

Blanket Pack

Another type of filling for felt is the blanket pack. This blanket is widely used as interior lining for backpacks and school bags.

Because it’s a light and structured material, it’s perfect for filling in small details that need a hard-hitting effect.

Many crafters use the blanket pack to make a background for a maternity scene, a wreath, and to construct three-dimensional elements, especially for felt decor pieces.

Be very careful when stuffing your pieces with the blanket pack. Since the blanket is more durable, you need to calculate how to stuff it to avoid compromising the already made buttonhole.

Cut the blanket according to the pattern by lifting 0.5 cm from all sides. Then, wrap it in a tube, pass it through the opening and only then open the blanket already inside the felt.

Lining

The lining is a type of fabric made from polyester. The constructor looks like a soft and even thicker felt.

This material is super practical and is often used to create a flooring effect without silicone fibers.

The liner allows you to fill any type of part. For example, you can use the lining as padding for key chains, felt bag lining, wreath base, and door decorations. Simply change the number of layers to get different results.

The lining is also an excellent option for creating an embossed effect on decorative appliqués, pennants, or nameplates. It’s an easy detail to make, but it adds value to every piece!

EVA Foam

EVA foam is the abbreviation of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer foam, used as an adequate substitute for various materials. EVA is the craftsman’s best friend! It is present even in felt handicrafts.

It is an inexpensive, easy-to-find alternative that can be used in various ways, including replacing acrylic blankets and the use of lining.

Since the EVA sheet is not as soft as blankets, it does not provide an evenly upholstered effect but also serves to fill and structure smaller pieces.

Felt Filling Tips

• You should partially sew the edges before you start stuffing your felt item. It is helpful for stuffing if you use a hemstitch to keep all the filling inside in good condition.
• The blanket stitch is the choice I often use for sewing the edges of felt ornaments and designs. This works very well to keep the stuffing neatly inside and looks good on the front and back of the design.
• You can also use a backstitch that covers the edges nicely. But keep in mind that this stitch looks messier on the reverse, so it’s best for front-facing creations rather than three-dimensional or double-sided ones.
• The running stitch can look pretty neat on either side and will work well, provided you sew the stitches close together.
• It is better to pull out small fiber pieces and add them gradually rather than trying to fill a large part at once.
• Sometimes you may need to use a blunt-ended tool to help fill in areas where your fingers are too large. An embossing pen with a round ball tip will do. This is great for gently inserting small fiber bits into areas that would generally be difficult to fill.
• Be careful when pushing your fiber into the felt design, mainly if you use a tool to assist. Stretching and poking too much can loosen the stitching and ruin the look of your piece.
• After you’ve finished sewing the edges of your felt work, carefully squash the entire outside of your design with your fingers. This crushing technique can manipulate the fiberfill and plump it up nicely. Eventually, you should be able to see that all the corners are adequately filled.
• A typical mistake made by beginners is not adding enough fiber to fill your felting work appropriately. If your felt item is not filled correctly, it will look poorly made.
• Usually, you need to add more fiber than you think. Push small pieces firmly but not so hard that they break or damage your seams.

See how many felt-filling options you have? It is essential to know new techniques and diversify the materials you use daily. Thus, you create cheaper alternatives to working with felt and diversify the look of your Felt crafts.

How well your felt item is padded can really differentiate between a professional-looking design and one that doesn’t. I hope the tips helped you. And if you have any doubts, leave a comment here. I am happy to assist you!