Felt Fabrics

Learn All You Need To Know About Felt Fabrics

Felt fabric is quite the popular material to work with among crafters. So, it is no surprise that Spotlight provides an incredible collection of felt fabrics for crafters to take advantage of. But what do you need to know about crafting with felt? Spotlight answers all those questions today.

What Is Felt?

A felt fabric is a unique textile material that is not woven. Instead, the chosen fabric fibres are condensed, pressed, or matted to create the unique look and texture of felt.

Felt can be made from numerous fabric fibres, this includes synthetic as well as natural fabric fibres. Wool is a common material used for felt, but so are Rayon and petroleum-based acrylics. So, there are plenty of options when it comes to felt.

When Should Felt Be Used In Crafting?

Since felt is non-woven, you can use felt for countless applications you might not have considered with other fabrics in the past. In fact, it is popular for clothing, tents, and even home decoration items such as rugs. You can even make kid's toys entirely out of felt. In other words, the only limitation is your own creativity.

Is Felt Fabric Easy To Wash?

Many crafters use felt for a variety of crafting projects, some of which may need to be put in the washing machine from time to time. Of course, felt is a little trickier to maintain than a plain wool fabric.

When washing felt in a washing machine, always make sure you put it on a gentle cycle, as higher temperatures and spins could cause damage to your material. It is still important to maintain felt on a regular basis though, as not doing so could cause damage to the material such as fading, shrinking, and shape loss.

While you should always check the care label before washing your felt fabric, it is generally recommended to put the fabric on a cold cycle. Never use warm water, as this can cause the material to face and make the material lose its shape. Please note, only use a gentle laundry detergent when putting felt in the washing machine.

How Often Should I Wash Felt?

It is recommended to only wash felt when the material is substantially soiled. In other words, only put the material in the washing machine when you cannot do any spot cleaning.

To clean a small stain from your felt fabric, use a simple mixture of water and a gentle detergent. Blot the stain with a simple cloth until the stain is gone.

How Should I Dry Felt?

Since felt is sensitive to warmer temperatures, you should never place it into a dryer. Once the felt comes out of the washing machine, wring out the material gentle to remove any excess water. Then, place the material flat on a clean towel and leave it to dry. Do not place in direct sunlight to avoid fading.

Crafters should know that felt can take some time to dry once it has been washed. For some of the thicker types of felt, 72 hours of drying time is not that unusual.

What Is The Main Disadvantage Of Felt Fabric?

Obviously, every type of fabric has a disadvantage and it is important to be familiar with those disadvantages as a crafter. One of the main disadvantages of felt can be remedied quite easily though, because its main downside is that it is susceptible to moth damage.

Moths are mainly attracted to sweat and other types of moisture, which means clothes made from felt are primary attractions for moths. Fortunately, you can protect the fabric against this common type of damage by using a special protection spray, shielding the fabric against moths.

Is Felt A Durable Fabric?

Even though felt is not a woven fabric, it is incredibly durable despite its different manufacturing method. If you look after this material properly, felt fabrics can last for many years.

One of the benefits that makes felt more durable is its natural resistance against wrinkles. So, no matter how often you wear felt clothing, its wrinkle-free nature enables you to keep your clothes looking crisp over time.

Felt Fabrics Selection At Spotlight

If you had the opportunity to check Spotlight's range of felt fabrics, you already noticed there are countless options available to you. Spotlight provides felt fabrics made from various source fibres, as well as fabrics in different colours and designs. Check out the Spotlight felt range today and benefit from our sharp prices.