UPDATED (ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAY 1, 2020 11:01 AM)
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What’s softer than a knit but tougher than a weave? Felt. Thought to have been discovered when prehistoric people slept on and inadvertently compressed sheep’s wool, felting is a textile-making practice older than either knitting or weaving. Used for garment-making, mixed media art, and home improvement jobs alike, felt is a durable and versatile material. Finding the perfect felt fabric for your project may be as simple as browsing through our picks below.
1. ARTEZA Felt Fabric Sheets
ARTEZA’s pack of 50 felt sheets includes a full spectrum of rainbow colors. Measuring 12 by 14 inches, this selection of large felt swatches also offers glitter, metallic, and neon options. Made of pressed polyester fibers, these sheets can stand up to being cut, glued, folded, ironed, and washed. While many felt sheet textiles are flimsy and soft and come apart easily, this product is super stiff and durable.
2. Life Glow Felt Fabric Squares
If sparkle isn’t your thing, choose Life Glow’s pack of 40-piece pack of stiff polyester felt 12-by-12 inch squares. With the same spectral range as the product above, these squares are just as high quality and brightly colored. The rainbow’s at your fingertips: each solid square is a different color. Not easily torn but smooth to cut and fold, this felt is safe to iron and is non-irritative to the skin.
3. Woolous Felt Fabric Sheets
The felt squares in this 28-piece pack from Woolous measure 10 by 8 inches. They’re great for covering bulletin boards, making costumes, and embroidering. The acrylic fabric is soft and pliable without being flimsy and it’s washer and iron safe. Great for projects that require multiple sheets of the same shade, this pack of felt in seven different colors has all the primary and secondary bases covered.
4. Caydo Adhesive Backed Felt Fabric Sheets
For textiles with staying power, stick with Caydo’s assorted color pack of adhesive-backed felt fabric sheets. These super vibrant, super sticky sheets come are perfect for a range of projects and eliminate the need for glue. Easy to cut and customize, this felt won’t bubble once applied or leave residue when removed.
5. Flic-Flac Assorted Color Felt Pack
For a higher quality craft textile, go with Flic-Flac’s pack of 42 felt squares, each a different color. The sheets measure 6 by 6 inches and are made of a high-density material so they won’t unravel or tear when you cut them. Washer and iron safe, these squares are perfect for any sewing project. Sew, glue, staple and cut these squares without a hitch thanks to their balance of durable construction and pliability.
FAQs
It's no secret that pure wool felt is by far the nicest felt to work with, having a lovely soft, smooth finish, and nice crisp edges when cut. The only downside to this option is that it tends to be very expensive compared to the blended felt.
What is the best felt in the world? ›
At Graf Lantz, we are only interested in the world's best kind, merino wool felt, and we use it exclusively in all our felt products. Being the world's best felt requires a combination of two specific factors: a singular Bavarian technique and an ultra-fine wool fiber from a specific breed of sheep called merino.
What is the most durable felt? ›
SAE F-3 Felt is one of the most durable industrial felts with an 85% wool content. F-3 serves the same general purposes as F-1 but is slightly less dense. Its advantages include excellent vibration absorption, resistance to abrasion and wear, and applications that require a coarse wool.
Is wool felt better than acrylic felt? ›
The down side of acrylic felt is that it is not as soft as wool felt, it can ball/pill and it will melt when exposed to heat, it is thin and does not cut as cleanly as wool felt.
What is the difference between true felt and craft felt? ›
For starters, craft felt is created with manmade fibers, mostly plastic and synthetic fibers, which have been needled and/or heat processed to cause the fibers to adhere to one another. Wool felt is made primarily or entirely from natural animal fibers, mostly, sheep wool.
What is premium felt made of? ›
100% wool felt usually contains merino wool, which is super soft and durable. Because it comes from a renewable source, wool is a sustainable product and will biodegrade.
What is high quality felt? ›
I consider wool blend felt to be the best of both worlds - it's durable and strong like pure wool felt but it's affordably priced too!
What are the disadvantages of felt fabric? ›
Pros and cons of felt fabric
Felt is durable and easy to cut and work with. That said, it is pretty rigid and can shrink over time. The fabric can have a coarse feel, but this can be counteracted by adding synthetic fibres. Over time felt tends to go fuzzy, but it doesn't fray.
Are there different grades of felt? ›
S.A.E. F-5, F-6 and F-7 are high-to-medium grade felts recommended for precision uses where resiliency and durability are important factors. SAE F-7 can be used in applications similar to those for F-5, but where slightly less durable material is permissible.
Should you wash felt before sewing? ›
However, if the felt is new and you want to remove any potential dirt or residue, a gentle hand wash with mild soap and cold water should suffice. Allow it to dry completely before sewing.
Easy to work with: Felt is a forgiving fabric that is relatively easy to cut, sew, and shape. It doesn't fray easily, so there is no need for hemming or finishing edges. It also adheres well to other materials, making it suitable for crafts and DIY projects.
What are the disadvantages of felting? ›
Felt tends to be a bit stiff and resistant whenever you compare it to woven fabrics. The most drawback is that once felt is stretched out of shape, there's no chance to return in the previous way or its original shape and size.
What felt is best for embroidery? ›
Not All Felt is the Same
Although you can stitch on these, you will get much better results with 100% wool or a higher wool blend.
How long does felt fabric last? ›
Our felt products are extremely durable and can last you for up to 7 years. But that being said, proper cleaning and maintenance ensure the longevity of your products.
What needle is best for felt? ›
FELTING PEN
Supplied with size 36 needles which are a thicker needle (perfect for flat felting) but you may want to change to a higher number (38/40) for fine surface work and top layers; the higher the number the finer the needle.
What roofing felt should I use? ›
The Best Type of Felt for You
Generally if a rooftop has a slope of 4:12 or higher, a single layer of 15-pound roofing felt is ideal. Lower slopes generally need a double layer or weightier felt, because it is easier for water to seep into these rooftop areas instead of quickly draining down into the gutters.
What are the different grades of felt? ›
SAE Felt Specifications
| SAE Grade No. | Lbs. per Sq. yd, 1" | Abrasion Resistance |
|---|
| F-3 | 16.0 | Excellent |
| F-5 | 12.24 | Good |
| F-7 | 12.24 | Good |
| F-10 | 8.48 | Fair |
6 more rowsWool Felt.
It doesn't pill, unlike other types of felt, so it's perfect to make soft toys, costumes, cushions, blankets or other home decor items that will get a lot of use. 100% wool felt may be a bit more expensive than other types of felt, but trust me, the quality is worth the investment.
