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Like so may other things in life that are simple, dependable and unassuming, we think that felt fabrics tend to be under appreciated. No, they're not like a designer home décor fabric that, tastefully chosen, can make your living room look breathtaking. Nor are they a garment fabric that will have you looking stylish when you go out for a night on the town.
What felt is, is a durable, and most importantly, extraordinarily versatile, fabric:
- Felt is a craft fabric.
- Felt is a capable backing fabric for cushioning and sound-proofing.
But where felt quietly shines is in its usefulness across such a wide range of projects- from the extraordinary creations of fabric artists who hand sew from sheets of beautiful color wool felt, to the exquisite creations of doll makers who use felt cloth (doll making has in fact become a very fine art) in tiny garments and miniature home décor. Fabrics with this kind of versatility are few and far between, and of these extremely useful fabrics, felt textiles are perhaps the most used.
Here are a few reasons why they're such useful fabrics:
Felt material is extremely easy to machine sew and also to hand sew. Felt cloth isn't one of those materials that calls for fancy stitching techniques, and an obvious chain stitch, whip stitch or blanket stitch often enhances the homespun look of the material. Felt fabrics can be worked by even novice sewers with a circular needle and a bit of polyester thread, and circular needles slip easily through it. No fancy cutting is required- felt fabric sheets can be cut easily with fabric scissors or a rotary cutter, and with no fraying. Even cutting curves leaves no raw edges and the cut fabric stays intact.
Felt fabric is a very pliable material with some elasticity, so a piece of the cut fabric is very forgiving to work with.
Felt textiles hold their shape and can be bent, crinkled and crumpled, and still spring back to their natural shape. Depending on the felting process, felt fabrics can be thick, thin, pliable or rigid, depending on the use they're intended to be put to.
The polyester and wool fibers of felt materials accept dye extremely well- and beyond the black felt, red felt, green felt, yellow felt and other primary colors that you'd expect, felt is sold in charcoal, fuchsia and scores of other colors.
Felt breathes and continues to provide insulation and shock absorption even when soaked through.
For sheer versatility, few materials can match felt fabrics.
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