Last week in Felt Lore Part 1, I told you about my favorite craft felt (wool blend!). Today I’d like to share some of my resources for finding quality wool blend felt.
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| Woodland Sewing Set made from wool blend felt |
But wait a minute, what’s so great about felt anyway? Here’s a short list of reasons to love felt, in case you’re not completely enamored with it like I am:
- It sews like a dream. Imperfect stitches can *disappear* into the textured surface. Plus if you do rip out some stitching, the holes sort of just close up.
- There’s no right or wrong side. Since it’s identical on both sides, it’s great for two sided projects, like ornaments.
- It doesn’t fray when cut. No need to finish edges and you can use weensy seam allowances.
- It has nice body and is easy to shape. I love how it can be streamed into submission!
- It’s relatively affordable and comes in lots of colors!
Ok, so where do you find such an amazing material?
Locally I find wool blend felt sold off the bolt at Joanns. They usually have the basic colors like red, green, gray, black, white and brown. Be sure to check the end of the bolt for fiber content because they also sell eco-felt which is 100% polyester made from plastic bottles. I’m not a fan of this type of felt but it is probably fine for some projects that don’t require sewing or a hot iron. Your local boutique fabric store or quilt shop can also carry felt, but you might give them a call before you make the trip to be sure they do.
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| etch-a-sketch laptop cover and mini sketch book cover from 2008! |
Online, felt fabulousness abounds! One website that I frequently buy felt from is Prairie Point Junction. They have the entire palette from National Nonwovens (the manufacturer of wool blend felt) and sell a color swatch pack of all 105 available colors! They also sell bundles and yardage and all sorts of felty goodness. I also love Feltorama, who carries several types of felt, plus books and patterns, felt embellishments and some embroidery supplies. There are quite a few wonderful shops on etsy like Lupin, Retromama, Felt The Love, Benzie Bazaar and many more.
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| Gingerbread House from the Gingerbread Ornament Set |
Do you have a favorite felt resource I should add to my list? Let us know in the comments!
estas lindas casitas decoran muy lindo el arbol de navidad!
saludos, desde monterrey mexico
… soy tu fan!
Love this series on felt – what a terrific idea and so wonderful that you are sharing yur expertise. Thank you!!!
Hi Betz! I have been reading your blog and I especially like the posts about felt. I have recently started sewing with wool felt and I really like it. The colors are so pretty! I like the felt from Giant Dwarf, http://www.etsy.com/shop/giantdwarf?section_id=11693047. It says it is a blend with viscose. Have you used that type before?
I also bought felt from Felt on the Fly – http://www.etsy.com/shop/FeltOnTheFly?section_id=5708993. I really liked it, too.
Hi Missy,
Thanks for your comment! Viscose is the same as rayon, so yes, I love the same kind of felt that you linked to at Giant Dwarf! It looks like Felt on the Fly is 100% wool felt, which is sooo lovely but often more expensive. Thanks!
Hi there! I hope it’s OK for me to comment here… I’m Janet from Felt On The Fly. Yes, my wool felt is 100% wool… and yes, it’s a little more expensive – but for several very good reasons! It’s a higher-grade fabric that’s specifically created for sewing and crafting. It’s more environmentally friendly since it requires less energy and chemicals to turn the fiber into felt. It’s softer than wool-blend, it’s washable (with care), needles slide through like a hot knife through buttah, it stays beautiful even with frequent handling…. I could go on and on!
Special projects deserve special supplies. If you’re going to put your time and talent into a project, it’s worth it to invest in quality. There’s nothing wrong with wool-blends, but at least try 100% wool felt just once and see the difference for yourself.
Thanks, Betz, for another great series on felt!
Janet
Hi Janet,
Thanks for chiming in! Don’t think for a minute that I don’t love wool felt! By saying that wool blend is “my favorite” I mean that it is, in my opinion, the best “everyday felt”. Good quality and good price. I agree that special projects deserve special materials. When I first started purchasing felt 6 or 7 years ago, 100% wool felt was hard to find and the colors were not what I wanted. That is not the case now!
Thanks for speaking up!
Betz