Everything You Want to Know About Felt

Felt is one of the indispensable materials for many hobby products. Thanks to felts, we can realize our dreams, create brand new designs from different felts, and produce them very cheaply.

See Also: 15 Amazing Tips for Working with Felt

As in every hobby type, very different and remarkable new techniques have been developed and used in hobby products that use fabric as the primary material. As a result, previously tough jobs are now completed in a short amount of time with efficient outcomes.

See Also: 11 Questions Every Beginner in Felt Crafts Should Ask

Felt, which is the inspiration for many designs, is just one of the great textile products. However, the limit of the models you can make with felt and the shapes you can create is only your imagination.

See Also: Felt Sewing Tips

I have compiled information about felt use, sewing, and care for you. I hope it will be helpful for everyone who is involved in the felt business 😊

What is Felt?

According to research, felt is thought to be the oldest known and used textile material. It is formed by the intermingling of the wool fibers of animals such as sheep, angora goats, llama, camels, or rabbits in an alkaline environment created with the help of soap, water, and heat.

See Also: 4 Types of Craft Felt – Learn to Choose and Use

However, unfortunately, there is no definite information about when it was first used. Due to the extensive  ​​use of felt, it is still encountered in many areas today. It has been shown that felt is utilized to create souvenirs, toys, clothing, and many artists’ works.

What is Wool Felt?

It is comfortable to work with fabric felts. Wet felt or felt needling work is done with felt wool. We can say that this is a bit more troublesome, maybe a little more detailed. It is used with felting foam and needles.

What are the Features of Felt Fabric?

Unlike most other fabrics, felt is not woven or knitted. In other words, felt does not have warp and weft threads in short, vertical, and horizontal threads. This means that felt fabric does not fray easily around the edges and makes the felt easier to cut and handle as the cut does not compromise the integrity of the entire material.

See Also: What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Sewing with Felt

Felt is durable as many layers are intertwined in its structure. In addition, it is water-resistant and non-toxic.

Is Felt Fabric Waterproof?

The felt fabric is water-resistant but not completely waterproof. Think of it like a thick, fluffy coat that doesn’t necessarily have to be a raincoat in the rain. It will keep you dry for a while but eventually become wet.

See Also: How to Care Felt with Hair Spray

How Is Felt Produced?

Felt is formed by pressing each other as a result of condensing the fibers without touching them but by bringing them together. Natural or synthetic fibers can be used to make felt. A procedure known as wet felting causes it. Friction stimulates natural wool fibers, which are lubricated by moisture (typically water) and move at a 90-degree angle towards and away from the friction source.

At any given time, just 5% of the fibers are active. Still, the process is continuous, and therefore different fiber clusters are activated and then deactivated in the constant cycle. As a result, felt making is older than spinning and weaving, and many cultures have legends about its invention.

How to Wash Felt Fabric?

It is not good to wash felt fabrics in hot water. Instead, wash it with lukewarm water without rubbing it too much and dry it by hanging. Do not use a heavy soap or detergent when cleaning the felts. Hand washes with a mild cleaner.

See Also: Discover 5 Easy Ways to Clean Felt Crafts

See Also: What are the Felt Types

Ironing the felts is also not recommended, but if you are going to iron them, it is best to do it at a low temperature. While ironing, cover the felt with a thin cotton cloth.

How to Wash Wool Felt?

Cleaning figures made with felt needles or wet felt can be daunting. Soap will further felt the felt, and high temperatures will not do well for the felt. From the surface, gently hand wash or wipe with a wet wipe. After drying, you can tap the lumps with a damp wipe.

If the felt object is foul, first try to remove the dirt with a brush. Put cold soapy water in a bowl, soak the thing for a while, then gently wring it out. Let all the water come out as you did with the sponge. Let it dry on its own.

If the felt has a bad smell, do these operations with lemon squeezed water. If that is not enough, the circus comes into play. Add vinegar to half the amount of water in the bowl, and do this in that way. Do not prolong the washing job for more than 15 minutes. The smell of vinegar will also disappear over time.

How to Glue Felt Fabric?

Creating brand new designs by bringing together different textile products is a beautiful dream for everyone involved in this business. However, knowing what to combine with what is often not enough. First, however, it is necessary to determine which technique it will be integrated. Gluing is one of the most commonly used techniques today. The double-sided adhesive interlining is a very efficient tool used to neatly fold a single fabric and bring different materials together.

However, the best and easiest way is to stick the felts with hot silicone. You can also use textile adhesives.

The textile adhesive is a commonly used type of adhesive. The most important feature of these adhesives is that they can easily adhere to the desired form without damaging the fabric. Fabric adhesive products have been preferred for a long time to reveal different designs with the materials used or obtain a different appearance by folding a single fabric.

Adhesive interlining, which is preferred because it is double-sided, can respond to the needs of its users instantly and with high performance. For this reason, it has been making things easier for a long time by being at the hand of anyone interested in textiles professionally or who wants to create hobby products through fabrics.

Thanks to the interlining drawn around a fabric, you can combine it with another material or ensure that the fabric you apply is securely folded. You will undoubtedly get productive results thanks to this process performed by ironing. It is up to you to choose a quality and affordable product.

How to Sew Felt Fabric?

Felt sewing is about what kind of look you want. You can sew simple straight stitches by hand and machine or choose the blanket stitch for a rough, natural look. Then it would be best to use embroidery floss.

If you don’t want stitches in the image, try using ghost thread. Use a small needle to sew thin felt and a large needle to sew thick felt, but be careful when sewing thick felt.

How to Decorate Felt Fabric?

Especially if you add eyebrows and eyes to your works, if you prefer simple embroidery instead of sticking, it will be more robust. You can also consider sewing beads instead of eyes.

Where to Buy Felt?

You can buy felt from many places online. However, it has become easier to find felt in stationery and haberdashery stores.

How Much Does Felt Fabric Cost?

Genuine wool felt is quite expensive, but usually around the same price as other wool textiles. Felt made from acrylic or other synthetic fibers is less costly but does not have the same beneficial properties as wool felt.

See Also: How to Choose a Quality Felt Fabric

How to Cut the Felt Fabric?

You can easily cut thin felts with scissors, a rotary cutter, or a knife. The edges of thick felt can be a bit of a hassle. Try cutting them with duct tape on the back. Thus, you can prevent feathering.

See Also: How to Cut Small Felt Patterns

Embroidery scissors are ideal for fine details. In any case, make sure that the scissors you use when cutting felt are good. Otherwise, both your nerves and the felt edges will wear out.

How do You Know If the Felt is Good?

Notably, it complains that thin felts sometimes come out too hard. When working with lean felts, especially when dimensional work is done and filled, breaks and bad looks occur. Try not to buy these hard felts called cardboard felt. The felt sheets you buy should be as soft as possible.

How to Paint on Felt?

With textile dyes, you can dye on felt and fabric. You can also use the blush we know to make your baby’s cheeks work rosy pink.

What is the Distinction Between Thick and Thin Felt?

With 1-2 mm thick felt, you can efficiently work with stuffed inside (bead fiber is the most comfortable filling material). With a thickness of around 3-5 mm, the thick felt, which is quite seated and complete, is very suitable for single-layer works.

How to Remove Mold on Felt?

As a matter of fact, there is no specific rule for molding on felt. Some make molds by machine, draw and cut with their hands, and make both.

Do not use pens that will stain the felt, such as felt-tip pens. Instead, you can use drawing stone, for example. Then, of course, you will need to cut the felt neatly. Embroidery scissors will help you with details. You can also try making jagged edges with overcast scissors.

Is felt a Sustainable Material?

In fact, the issue of sustainability depends on the type of felt. Because it is renewable and biodegradable, wool felt is often considered a sustainable material. In addition, it does not cause unnecessary environmental pollution and is economically sustainable.

Recycled fiber felt is highly sustainable as it uses recycled materials and can be recycled again. On the other hand, new acrylic fiber felt can test the limits of all sustainability due to its use of polyesters and plastics. It’s recyclable, though, and doesn’t have to use harsh or toxic chemicals, so it’s certainly not the worst.

How are Products Made With Felt, and What Materials are Used in Making Them?

All the products you see with felt are made by cutting from patterns. You can find felt patterns free of charge in the articles I wrote on my blog. There are many kinds of handcrafted products. Some patterns are given for free, while others are sold for money. The molds are usually pinned on the felt and then cut to ready the pieces.

You can use a utility knife, scissors, overcast scissors, and a rotary cutter while cutting according to your purpose. Let me state that I only have scissors and a utility knife. I intend to buy the others but haven’t had a chance yet. So only with scissors 🙂

The rotary cutter can be used for all sewing projects but is more beneficial for straight cutting. Sliding scissors are scissors that cut in a zigzag shape and are often used in sewing projects. It is used to prevent threading on the fabric’s edges and avoid the need for overcasting. However, it is a somewhat expensive type of scissors.