Felt is a non-woven, somewhat thick and dense fabric made by compressing and felting different types of fibers, using techniques that involve heat, moisture and pressure. Layers of fibers are kept together to achieve the wanted thickness and then they are matted or entangled or interlocked to make the fabric you call ‘felt’.
FactorsDetails about FeltFiber compositionWool, acrylic, polyester, rayonType of materialNon-woven materialConstructionBonded or felted / fibers are matted togetherUsesBags, outerwear, crafts, toys, pillows, quilts and hats. Industrial purposes like sound proofing, insulation.Sewing machine settingsSewing machine needle size 14; Stitch length 3mm; Sewing thread polyester.OrientationNo grain, No pile going in any direction and may look the same on both sides.You may know felt fabric as just a craft supply used to make ornaments and school projects but it is much more than that. The felt textile may be soft and supple or tough and coarse according to its purpose and the way it is made – through artisanal techniques or industrial ones.
Common Felt Facts
In this article I will cover:
1. What is felt made of? and How is it made?
Cotton, rayon, fur, acrylic, wool fibers are used for felting, though what you call the ‘true felt’ is made of wool fibers.
Felt can be made from animal fiber like sheep’s wool or synthetic fiber like acrylic and semi synthetic fiber like rayon. The craft felt that you get for crafts is usually a blend of many fibers made from by products of fossil-fueled/petroleum-based oils. This felt is a little stiff and somewhat weak.
Felting, the process of making felt, has been practiced for centuries. In fact, it is one of the oldest methods of making fabrics, like net fabrics. Wool fibers were felted in China/Central Asia tens of thousands of years ago and made into soft and supple fabric.
Felting is the process of pressing together and matting fibers so that they interlock. Felting is done with special machines for industrial purposes or with felting needles (the DIY way)
Today textile manufacturing has come a long way, especially in the process of carding, spinning etc which are essential for making high-quality felt. Industrial machines make high quality felt very fast in a variety of colors and textures.
The 2 main methods of making felt are Wet Felting and Needle Felting. The first method involves heat, water, and some good old friction to mat fibers together. Needle Felting, on the other hand, uses needles to intertwine the fibers in a repeated dance.
2. Main types of Felt
Wool felt
Wool felt is made by layering carded and combed wool fibers at 90 degrees in thick layers and heat, soap and friction (agitation) are used to interlock and entangle the scales of these fibers.
A mechanical action is used in industrial setups and artists felt by pricking with specialized needles.
The resultant wool felt fabric is very soft and air permeable. Wool felt is supple (can be shaped). It is the most durable, and thicker because of its make and fibers. It also doesnot pill like the other felts. It is usually treated with lanolin to make it water resistant and slightly antibacterial.
But the downside is that it is expensive and also because it is thicker can be a little difficult to sew.
Worsted vs Woolen felt
Wool felt is categorised as woolen felt and worsted felt. Worsted felt is the prefered felt in most cases because it is smoother and doesnot pill as much.
Acrylic felt
Acrylic felt is modern synthetic variation of the traditional wool felt involving the use of acrylic fiber for a more budget-friendly option.
Acrylic felt is very inexpensive and easily available (in most craft shops) in vivid colorfast colors. It does not shrink after washing. But there are downsides too, many more than wool felt.
Acrylic felt is not as supple as wool felt and not as durable or strong. Nor as environment friendly because it is after all plastic.
The final verdict is that it is not the best for making long-lasting things but when you do not have a choice and you want something cheap, it is good enough.
Wool blend felt
This felt is usually a blend of rayon and wool.
There is another blended felt which is a specialty felt made by blending wool with synthetic fibers. Thermoformable felt is made from wool blended with synthetic fibers – this felt can be shaped under heat into permanent folds, which is very useful in accessory and trim making.
Fur felt
This is made from animal fur hair – some of the fur felts made from hair of rabbits or beaver are very soft and much superior to wool felt. Other than the soft feel this felt is also very durable hence it is favourite of hat makers.
Then there are Bamboo felt, considered to be a more eco-friendly fabric choice.
3. What are the uses of felt?
Felt has been traditionally used to make yurts (round shaped tent like portable houses) in nomadic societies from a long time.
Today, felt is used to make garments and accessories though it is mostly used for industrial purposes. Padding, soundproofing, insulation, filtering, polishing and wicking are some of the industrial uses of felt. Felt is also used in mats and padding.
It is used for decorations and to make as well as embellish accessories like hats, sandals. A lot of people are thrilled to wear cute jewelry made with felt. Brooches are embroidered and beaded with a felt background. Some use felt as a backing for fabric projects like coasters because of its coarse texture.
Related posts : 4 ways to Make felt roses. ; Make flowers with felt : 10 tutorials
Disadvantages of felt
Generally, felt doesn’t have the strength of woven or knitted fabrics. The stretch recovery of felt is also poor ie once you stretch it out of shape it stays like that forever. This depends on the density and quality of the felt you have.
Some brands have better felt than others – Always look for certifications to ensure the felt you purchase is of high quality. That is the way to get good felt.
Shrinkage is another big problem. In short you have to be very careful when you wash felt ; the best thing is to get it drycleaned. If that is not ok, hand wash in cold wash. No hot wash or tumble wash in the washing machine or heat drying in the dryer. Heat is the weakness of felt – it is super vulnerable when heat or hot steam is applied.
Another concern is the use of heavy chemicals in the making of the fabric. If you are particular about this, look out for felt with Oeko-Tex certification. Some speciality stores offer this standard ceritied felt and you can be assured that it is devoid of harmful chemicals and dyes that may be dangerous to human body.
A pet peeve of mine is the lint it collects – there is a solution. You can use a lint roller to remove dust and lint from felt.
Related posts :Different names of fur; Animal fibers and fabric ; Different types of wool fabric ; More about textiles.
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