Felt

Felt is a fairly dense wool mass that can be cut into sheets of the desired size and rolled into rolls. Hot steam treatment affected the density of the fabric; the material is similar to felt, but delicate wool or animal down is mainly used for its production.

It is actively used to create crafts, toys, stickers, magnets, and for decorating notebooks and albums. Compared to other materials, it has a number of advantages:

• variety of color palette;
• Available in sheets of various sizes;
• does not cause problems in use (sewn and glued);
• the edges do not fall asleep;
• has no front or back side.

Classification

Often, needlewomen have questions about what types of felt are, what it is and how to use this fabric correctly. It can have different thickness and composition. Specialized stores offer material with a thickness of 1 to 5 mm. Thin felt is ideal for cutting out small parts. If you use it as a base for a toy, you should choose a thick one, as it holds its shape better.The fabric has several types that differ in composition: pure wool, wool blend, artificial and synthetic.

Pure wool: composition 90-100% sheep wool. This material is perfect for making jewelry, small crafts, and appliques. Its main feature is that it can withstand loads along the seams and, during operation, retains its original shape, as it has little elasticity. Felt made from natural wool contains natural proteins that are also found in the human body, so the material does not cause allergic reactions. In addition to the positive aspects, pure wool has its disadvantages:

• if washed incorrectly, it loses its original shape;
• when wet it has an unpleasant odor;
• Pellets may appear on the surface.

Wool-blend felt consists of 50-60% wool and 40-50% viscose and acrylic. The properties of viscose are similar to cotton and linen. Spanish wool blend, widely used in the manufacture of products, contains 40% wool and 60% viscose. One of the advantages of the material is the absence of the “itching” effect. Thanks to the presence of viscose, the fabric feels soft and smooth to the touch. The material is intended for the manufacture of small parts, as it is more susceptible to shape changes. Disadvantages that can spoil the work:

• upon contact with water, it quickly gets wet;
• small elements crumble easily;
• the fabric may fade.

Which felt should you choose?

Acrylic felt is very popular among needlewomen; it is obtained by processing plastic. Belongs to the group of synthetic fabrics and has a reasonable price. However, during the manufacture of products, “slipperiness” of the material, shine, and “creakiness” may be observed - all this is typical for synthetic fabrics.The advantages of acrylic felt include: the ability to retain its shape for a long time, ease of cleaning and the absence of shedding. The material is well suited for performing work of any degree of complexity. This could be a small detail or the basis of a craft.

Felt polyester is used to make items that are intended to be worn for a long time. Polyester fiber is highly durable, does not fade, does not fade, and does not change color. A polyester toy given to a child will retain its condition for a long time. When choosing this type of material, it is worth considering the color. Unlike colored shades, light tones of fabric can show through.

Modeled is a unique type of material that has interesting molding properties. Special impregnation allows you to give the felt any desired shape when soaking the product. After complete drying, the size and shape are retained.

When choosing, you should decide on the type of work you intend to do. If you plan to create a children's toy, then you should use polyester. If you need to colorfully decorate your album, then wool-blend felt would be an excellent choice.

Felt is often used as furniture upholstery; it covers chairs, sofas, and office chairs. Moreover, both small sheets and whole canvases are used in the work.

Tools for working with material

To work with sheets you will need office supplies and additional materials:

• scissors (for cutting out parts of various shapes);
• marker for marking or gel pen;
• threads (thin and thick);
• a piece of soap;
• needles;
• glue (PVA and textile);
• filler;
• beads and beads.

There should be several scissors: cutting and regular office scissors.To cut out small parts you will need scissors with straight tips; to cut thick felt, use a roller knife.

If you need to cut a round part, you should use a punch to install eyelets. It is convenient to outline small details with a self-disappearing marker.

To work with felt, you should use floss threads. With their help you can create a pattern on the fabric itself.

If you plan to create a voluminous product, then you should worry about the filler in advance. An unsuccessful option when working with felt would be batting, cotton wool, and various scraps of fabric. It will not be possible to fill the craft evenly with such fillers; the toy will be uneven and quite heavy.

Recommended fillings are holofiber and padding polyester (keep their shape well), camphor and foam rubber (light and comfortable).