felt is a non woven textile made by compressing and matting fibers together until they connect to form a sturdy fabric. felt has a long history and is the oldest form of cloth known; it has been used in many cultures as a material for clothing, footwear, rugs and even tents. the distinctive kazakh yurt was traditionally made from felt. but borat’s mustache was not.
today, felt is used in many craft projects and one of the reasons behind the renewed popularity of felt for use in crafts is its sheer versatility. from pieces of economical, commercially manufactured felt that’s made from manmade fibers to pricey handmade felt that uses the finest animal fibers, there’s something out there for everyone.
felt in kids’ crafts
commercially produced felt pieces are ideal for using in children’s craft projects and unlike woven fabric, it will not fray or unravel. as such, felt is a great fabric for children to learn to sew with, and it can be cut with craft scissors. felt is also a popular material for making handcrafted products such as bags, hats and other accessories.
making felt
felt is made by manipulating fibers until they matt and then shrinking the fabric to make the fibers lock together.
handmade felt is typically made in one of two ways: either through the wet felting process, which involves wetting the fibers and agitating them until they have locked together to form a sturdy cloth, or though needle felting.
needle felting uses a special needle or set of needles to matt the fibers together. the needles are barbed and these barbs tangle and matt the fibers to form felt. wet felting can be done with animal fibers such as wool, whereas needle felting can produce felt from any fiber.
wet felting is the best way to produce large sheets of felt at home. needle felting is ideal for adding embellishments to projects and is also a good way to produce three dimensional work such as figures or dolls.
felting knitted or wool fabrics
anyone who has ever put a pure wool jumper or sweater into a washing machine later to find that it has shrunk to a fraction of its original size will be familiar with the felting process of knitted or woven fabrics. technically, this is known as fulling, however it is more often referred to as felting. any wool item can be felted in a washing machine, including garments and wool blankets. felt made in this way is ideal for using in a wide range of projects and is considered a great way to recycle items. one of the fun things about working with felted garments is that it provides a good range of colors and patterns.
buying felt
while making felt at home is a simple process which requires little in the way of special equipment, some people prefer the convenience of buying felt.
commercially produced felt made from manmade fibers is readily available from craft stores, wool felt is less readily available.
