Things to Make with Felt

What is Felt

Felt is a fabric which is made from either man-made or natural fibres. The fibres are heated, compressed and agitated until they interlock together to form a fabric. The natural fabrics will typically be wool, the man-made fabrics include acrylic, viscose, rayon. Fabrics are often made from a mixture of fibres.

Felt for Sewing Projects

Felt is an absolutely perfect fabric to use for sewing projects. It has so many qualities which make it such a joy to use for sewing. It is particularly good for beginners. Most of the sewing patterns in A Sewing Life are made using felt. If you'd like to take a look through them, click here. Of course, this is not the only fabric you can use, it's just that it lends itself so well to these patterns that have been carefully designed using felt.

Why is Felt so Good?

Because of the way that felt is manufactured, by agitating the fibres and interlocking them together, it has a different structure to other woven or knitted fabrics. Other fabrics will generally fray a little at the edges when they are cut. Some fabrics will fray more than others, dependent on their structure and what they are made from. However, felt will not fray at all when it is cut. That makes it a wonderful fabric to work with because it means that the raw edges can be left and do not need to be turned under to stop them fraying.

Hand Sewing with Felt

Because the edges do not fray, felt is perfect to use for hand sewing projects. An example of a hand sewing project that is perfect for beginners is our mini bear pattern which is free when you subscribe. If you would like to receive the pattern click here. Not having to think about turning edges under and dealing with frayed edges makes the sewing project so much easier.

Machine Sewn Felt Projects

Felt can also be used for machine sewn projects and can be treated the same as any other fabric where the seams are turned under. Felt is a perfect fabric for making the stuffed animals in A Sewing Life. Felt is soft so it has a nice handle to it. It also holds it structure very well so it is easy to stuff the toy. It has a lovely texture and when it contains wool and is in a heather, marl colour, it has a lovely heritage feel to it. If you would like some more information about how to make a felt toy, click here.

Other Felt Projects

The list of projects that can be made using felt are endless. There are so many craft projects that involve felt. They don't have to involve sewing, felt can also be glued which opens up the opportunities for making projects even more. Below are a few examples of projects made using felt.

Felt Project Ideas

Some of the things that can be made from felt include felt flowers, stuffed toys, bags, purses, felt Christmas ornaments, hanging mobiles, felt succulents, hair accessories, animal masks, felt food, felt children's toys. There is an endless list of projects that can be made from felt. It's such a versatile fabric that there is no end of things it can be turned into.

What Next?

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