Posts tagged with "wool felt week" | Return to the Archives Listing
Felt Week: Felt Craft Book Roundup Part II
If you're new here, welcome! True Up is a blog dedicated to fabric. If you'd like to read about fabric news, get educated on fabric types and design, and ogle over gorgeous fabrics new and old on a regular basis, please consider subscribing to the RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Welcome to Part Two of the Felt Craft Book Roundup: the cute, the zakka, the Japanese. (Part One is here.)
Kata Golda’s Hand-Stitched Felt: 25 Whimsical Sewing Projects, by Kata Golda, STC Craft, 2009. Cute simple sweet projects, for kids, home and self. Get the full True Up review here.
Did someone say cute? I think this is the definitive work. Aranzi Aronzo: Cute Book, Vertical, 2007. 19 cute (duh) felt mascots. White Rabbit and Brown Bunny know you can do it!
My Favorite Felt Sweets, by Joie Staff, Japan Publications Trading, 2008. This book is full of insanely realistic felt treats and instructions to make same. It’s a translation of a Japanese craft book; if you’re a purist, you can find the original on Etsy or eBay or the regular Japanese craft book sources.
And sure, you can start with dessert, but make sure you get your veggies: Try Cute Felt Fruit and Vegetables, available in Feltorama’s shop. I think “cute” is an understatement here. (I mean seriously. Tiny felt garlic! Come on!)
Softies Only a Mother Could Love: Lovable Friends for You to Sew, Knit, or Crochet, Jess Redman and Meg Leder, editors, Perigee Trade, 2009. At least a few felt buddies in this one. Look for a second volume of this series coming out in February, too.
Speaking of softies, this is a classic. Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals, by Therese Laskey, Chronicle Books, 2007.
If you’re a beginner, you may prefer the Softies Kit, which has 10 new patterns plus five from the book. It also includes materials to make the Party Cake: felt, floss, batting and a pompom.
Also from Therese Laskey, the woman who brought you Softies, comes the adorable English language guide to Zakka Sewing: 25 Japanese Projects for the Household, STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book, 2008. This book only has couple felt projects in it, but that squirrel makes it worth the inclusion, don’t you think?
We’ve hit the highlights — is there anything we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments! And remember to check out Part One here!
Felt Week: Felt Craft Book Roundup Part I
What to do with all that felt, you ask? Make something! (Or, if you’re like me, READ about making something! That is almost as good.)
These selections feature sweet and sophisticated projects for home and accessories. Stay tuned for our recommendations on cute, zakka, Japanese and softies.
Fabricate: 17 Innovative Sewing Projects that Make Fabric the Star, by Susan Wasinger, Interweave Press, 2009 (watch for a True Up review soon!). There are a handful of felt projects in here; one of our favorites is the fused felt laptop sleeve.
Feltique: Techniques and Projects for Wet Felting, Needle Felting, Fulling, and Working with Commercial Felt, by Nikola Davidson, Potter Craft, 2009. For when you’re ready to learn about more than just store-bought sheets.
Felt Furnishings: 25 Accessories for Contemporary Homes, by Anne Kyyrö Quinn, Potter Craft, 2009. Look familiar? The pillow pictured above is also included with instructions in the Fall 2009 issue of Stitch magazine, published out by Interweave Press.
Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials, Betz White, STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book, 2009. See our interview with Betz here. Betz is super well known for creating beautiful things out of old felted sweaters.
… speaking of felted sweaters, this is Betz White’s earlier book, Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects.
Sew Darn Cute, by Jenny Ryan, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2009. There are a couple felt goodies in this one.
Pretty Little Pincushions, Lark Books, 2007. Since it often comes in small sheets, felt is perfect for small projects like this.
Fresh Felt Flowers: 17 Stunning Flowers to Sew & Display, by Lynne Farris, C&T Publishing, 2007. Flowers you don’t need to water! Loves.
And finally, the sweet work of Alicia Paulson in Stitched In Time: Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share From the Creator of Posy Gets Cozy.
That wraps up the home and accessories portion of our broadcast. Stay tuned for Part Two of this post: cute, cuter and cutest.
Felt Week: Felt Cafe Japan
I discovered Liz at Felt Cafe Japan when I bought Ed Emberley fabric from her earlier this year. So she sells more than just felt and felt-centered books in her Etsy shop (in addition to cotton fabric, she also carries that printed masking tape that is becoming so popular around the crafty blogland lately). Her blog has tons of wonderful felt craft tutorials and inspiration, and her .com is “a resource for people looking for information about crafting in Japan, Japanese crafts, and craft resources for those visiting Japan.” So there’s tons of great information there, not limited to her want-inducing guide to Japanese sewn felt books.
I didn’t get into needle felting and wet felting techniques much this week, but if you’re interested, check out her tutorials here and book guides here and here.
Felt Week: Felt Shopping Guide
Bonjour! Has Felt Week whetted your apetite for the softer, fuzzier side of fabric? Are you ready to experience wool you could sink your teeth into, if the thought of chewing on this weren’t so weird? Are you wondering why my metaphors always seem to veer off into the culinary?
Me too.
Never mind that, friends: I’ll fix a snack while you peruse this starter Felt Shopping Guide.
Kata Golda, author of Kata Golda’s Hand-Stitched Felt (review) recommends OhMa Felt, a California company offering custom-dyed blends of 70% wool and 30% rayon in 35 colors. She also lists in her Resources section Magic Cabin, purveyor of fine kids’ learning toys, for 100% wool felt available in 56 colors.
Felt-o-rama offers a great, colorful selection of hand-dyed woven wool, wool blend felt, recycled eco-felt & 3mm wool felt. See our interview with owner April here.
Etsy seller Filzfelt sells an amazing variety of 100% wool felts from Germany, in a range of thicknesses and in sizes from 12″x12″ up to 70″-wide yardage. This felt has a certain industrial quality to it — suitable for upholstery or fashion, and it’s shown as floor covering as well, to give you an idea of the weight and strength. Filzfelt also offers pre-cut and finished items in addition to the raw material.
Heather Bailey has introduced a new line of wool-blend and bamboo felts. They’re available in her store in a range of very Heather hues.
Wool Felt Central: The name says it all, right? More than 60 colors in 100% wool, plus they offer a wool-rayon blend in 36″-wide yardage, which is refreshing as most places (excepting Filzfelt above) typically offer precut squares instead.
If you like your wool felt in tidily arranged chromalogical bundles, Purl Soho is the place to try. They offer 100% wool in 10 color combinations, with eight colors of Wollfilz wool felt to the bundle, in packs with names such as Dahlia and Earth. They also offer wool felt in individual sheets, if you’d rather purchase your colors one at a time.
Another source for custom felt collections is etsy shop Felt on the Fly, which sells three- and five-piece combinations of 100% wool pieces alongside owner Linda’s finished felt objects.
Giant Dwarf, another etsy seller, sells a wool-rayon blended felt in large assorted bundles of 15 pieces, also alongside her finished felt objects.
Etsy seller Lit’l Brown Bird sells the amazing SunFelt, a wool-rayon blend from Japan, in 60 colors and two sizes: mini and jumbo. LBB also sells Felt Ribbon, which is made of polyester and crazy cute.
Prefer your felt to be green? Feltwerker sells recycled felt from old sweaters on etsy, in packs, kits or scrap bundles.
Sue Spargo sells hand-dyed wool in 49 colors and two sizes (fat eights and fat quarters), plus yardage and full combo packs as in sheets as small as fat twenty-fourths (6×12″).
You can get Oeko-Tex-certified 100% Holland wool felt from A Child’s Dream Come True, in addition to bamboo felt, 3mm felt, handmade felt and plant-dyed felt.
That should be enough to get you started! Pardon the crumbs on my shirt. Do you have a favorite felt source we missed? Let us know!
Photo credits: All images belong to the individual shops listed above.
Felt Week: Interview With April of Felt-o-rama
Editor’s note, 11/13/09: In some very unfortunate timing on my part, April temporarily shut down Felt-o-rama yesterday for maternity leave. This interview took place some time ago and I hadn’t communicated recently with her re: my publishing timetable, so my sincere apologies to April and to those of you excited about checking out her shop (may I direct you to her blog and its enormous list of felt tutorials?). I will let you know the second she re-opens. Big huge congratulations and best wishes to April on her new addition!
I don’t know about you, but I used to find the felt world particularly confusing. There’s the terminology (the olde felted vs. fulled issue), different fiber types and blends, different thicknesses — then there’s the intersection with wet felting and needle felting and knitting. Then all the felt craft books I’m drawn to seem to be in Japanese, adding to the general air of inaccessibility and intrigue.
That was until I found April and her wonderful shop Felt-o-rama. There it all is (four types of felt; roving for needle felting and associated supplies; felt balls, beads, shapes, and ribbons; patterns and kits; all the current felt-centered books), all clearly organized and explained so I don’t feel stupid anymore. I also adore April’s blog, where she interviews felt crafters, discusses working with felt, and links to just about every single felt craft tutorial that’s out there on the internet.
And April is the guest star here on True Up today. I asked these questions back when I was still in that confused state, so in case you’re still there, she clears up all that messy terminology and explains the kind of projects for which each type of felt is suited.
Where is Felt-o-rama based? How long have you been in business?
Felt-o-rama is based out of Charlotte, NC. After many long months of planning and creating the online store, I launched the business in August of 2008. In addition to my online store, I also have an Etsy shop with a smaller selection of items. My company has one employee – me! I’m responsible for web development, photography, cutting yards and yards of felt, shipping, marketing, accounting, and everything in between.
felt trees created by April (instructions here)– aren’t they so perfectly retro?
How did you get interested in felt?
I’ve been crafty from the core for as long as I can remember! When I was growing up, my mother was always sewing or cross-stitching, so I just assumed that these activities were part of everyone’s daily life. She taught me how to sew at an early age (on my grandma’s antique treadle machine) and I’ve dabbled in so many other crafts – knitting, jewelry making, paper crafts, embroidery, etc. However, I simply cannot resist textiles. A couple of years ago, I wanted to create appliquéd clothing for little ones. I did not care for the poor-quality felt in local craft stores, so I began to search for felt online. I was surprised to find that I could not find a one-stop source for a variety of different types of felt and a wide range of fun, vibrant colors. I knew that there must be other crafters out there with the same need for felt and Felt-o-rama was born!
For those readers who have never experienced felt other than the cheap craft-store acrylic stuff, please talk a bit about how the felt you sell is different.
Cheap craft-store acrylic stuff gives felt a bad name! So many customers tell me that they can’t find the “good stuff” in their local stores.
Cheap acrylic felt shreds easily, does not wash well, and can be too thin to hold up to many projects. Most of this poorly manufactured felt is imported from China and India. I’m very proud that all of the high-quality felt fabric sold by Felt-o-rama is manufactured in Canada, the United States, and Germany.
What are the differences between the fibers you sell? I’ve worked with 100% wool felt and loved it, and I’m curious about the blends and the polyester eco-felt, but is the quality comparable? My biggest concern is fraying. And what about the different thicknesses? Is the 3mm felt unusually thick? What kind of projects would that be suited for?
I currently sell four varieties of felt. I highly recommend that customers purchase samples to experience the various textures and colors first-hand.
Here is an overview of the unique qualities of each type of felt:
Woven Felted Wool: This fabric begins as 100% woven wool. The woven wool then undergoes a fulling process, which results in a soft and fuzzy felted fabric. The fulling process is very similar to what happens when you accidentally machine wash a wool sweater. The fibers shrink and compress and the texture of the fabric changes completely.
The woven felted wool is hand-dyed, which results in a beautiful mottled effect. In other words, darker and lighter shades of the same color may be apparent in a single piece of fabric, kind of like a subtle tie-dye. The mottling effect surprises some customers, but it is a natural result of the hand-dying process. All dyes used for the woven felted wool are organic, environmentally safe, lead-free, and formaldehyde-free. For those of you who create items for children, it is CPSIA compliant! As an added bonus, is completely machine-washable.
Woven felted wool is best suited for special heirloom projects, such as a stuffed toy, wearable accessories, or even a small quilt. The edges may fray ever-so-slightly since it began as a woven fabric. It is the most expensive felt I carry, but it is worth every penny. Speaking of, the thickness of this felt is about that of a penny.
Wool Blend Felt: The wool blend felt is produced from a blend of 30% wool and 70% rayon. Many customers ask how the texture of this felt compares to the recycled eco-felt. Though the thicknesses are about the same, I’d describe the wool blend felt as having a more natural texture than the recycled eco-felt, which has a synthetic texture. Some customers have shared that the wool blend felt from Felt-o-rama is very similar to more costly pure wool felt that they have purchased elsewhere.
Wool blend felt is very versatile, does not fray, and is about the thickness of a penny. I recommend it for virtually any item that does not require machine-washing. The manufacturer recommends dry cleaning this wool blend felt, but you can machine wash it — as long as you like the ‘pebbly’ texture and the felt material is pre-washed before cutting and sewing. You can see before and after photos here.
Recycled Eco-Felt: This is my most popular felt! The felt is made of Eco-fi, which is manufactured from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. In addition to being environmentally friendly, it’s also machine washable, very affordable, and CPSIA compliant. The recycled eco-felt bundles, which consist of a sheet of 29 various colors, are a great introduction to this fun felt.
Recycled Eco-Felt is also very versatile. I recommend it for children’s items that require machine-washing. It’s also a perfect choice for costumes, pillows, appliqué, and just about anything! Even though this felt is economical, it is a completely different animal than cheap acrylic felt. In my experience, it does not shred, fray, or pill. The thickness is about that of a penny.
3mm Wool Felt: This pure wool felt is an industrial 3mm thickness (equivalent to about 2 stacked pennies) and does not fray. It is a perfect choice for household items, such as placemats and coasters. I think this felt also has a great potential for creative sculptural jewelry. It’s also great for very sturdy handbags. In fact, one of my customers created this bag tutorial using the 3mm felt and recycled leather.
The manufacturer recommends dry cleaning, but I’ve personally had good luck machine-washing the 3mm Wool Felt: see here.
I highly recommend using rotary cutters with the 3mm wool felt. You may find it difficult to cut precise shapes with regular scissors. It also works great with the Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutter!
Your felt beads are irresistible — any inspirational projects for those?
I just can’t get enough of the felt beads! There are so many projects that come to mind -– hand-strung garland, mobiles, simple necklaces and bracelets, earrings, adding 3-D elements to appliqué, finishing touches for felt food (like cherries on cupcakes!), and ornaments. Large felt beads also make a great base for needle felting.
You have an *amazing* list of felt projects and tutorials on your blog. Do you have any absolute favorites? What are your favorite projects for absolute beginners?
There are so many inspirational craft blogs out there and I have so much fun searching out links to new felt projects! I truly have too many favorite tutorials to list, but I think my favorite category is Felt Food. The detail captured by some of these tutorials with felt is amazing! Since felt is so forgiving and easy to work with, I think the majority of the tutorials collected on the Felt-o-rama blog are ideal for beginners as well as experienced crafters. Here are a couple of well-written tutorials that may appeal to the absolute beginner: Felt tea bags, and Felt-covered clip barrettes.
I have to admit, I’ve never tried needle felting — it looks like a whole lot of effort for not a lot of return. Please take this opportunity to convince me otherwise.
I think that is a very common perception when it comes needle felting. I was also timid of needle felting until I tried a Woolpets kit by Laurie [penguin pictured above]. Laurie’s kits take the confusion and guesswork out of needle felting, since each kit contains precisely what you need to complete a project and includes very clear photo instructions. I was amazed at how quickly I could create such cute little dimensional creatures! I highly recommend them for the curious beginning needle felter.
Do you do much sewing with other kinds of fabric?
Oh my, yes! I love to sew, and with a baby on the way, I have a mountain of projects that I want to accomplish before he arrives this Thanksgiving. I’m lucky enough to live near the mecca of all fabric stores, Mary Jo’s, but I purchase a majority of fabric online. True Up is my go-to source for discovering new online fabric stores! My favorite prints are usually retro-inspired, like those by American Jane, and I also can’t get enough of Anna Maria Horner’s designs.
felt cloche made by April from a vintage pattern
What’s next for Feltorama?
I’ll be added a much anticipated bamboo felt to the shop in the coming weeks. This felt is incredibly soft and available in eight fabulous colors. Bamboo felt is manufactured from 50% bamboo fibers and 50% rayon. It’s another eco-friendly felt option since bamboo is sustainable and grown without pesticides.
I also have daydreams of creating my own Felt-o-rama patterns and pattern kits containing all of the required materials. Online workshops would also be fun, since one of my favorite aspects of the business is interacting with customers!
—
Thank you so much, April! Wishing you much success with the baby and the shop.
Felt Week: Sunfelt (With Giveaway!)
Ha ha, you thought the Quilt Market posts were over, but I just had to withhold this one for felt week. Last year’s post about Sunfelt of Japan was a popular one, and I still get emails about where to find their products. (Short Answer: Superbuzzy and Lit’l Brown Bird!) Last year, there were all kinds of die-cut shapes, felt food, and ribbons to ogle over; this year, Sunfelt was promoting their new line called Punching Felt. These are sheets of felt with shapes punched out of them, creating a patterned surface. They look great layered over solid felt or regular solid or patterned cottons. There are hearts, circles, flowers, and donuts, each available in a rainbow of colors. I’m not sure when this will be available, but a cursory Google search tells me that no one has it yet. Thanks to reader fujiapple, I now know it’s 100% polyester — but leave it to the Japanese to create a synthetic felt that you’d never know was synthetic. It looks like wool and seems much sturdier than cheap acrylic felt.
And, why, yes, I did bring you home a roll for you! This is the donut pattern in a gorgeous peacock blue, 450×350mm (a little under 14×17 inches). To be eligible to win, leave a comment with an idea of how to use this insanely awesome felt. I will draw a winner next week, Wednesday, November 18, around 2pm Central U.S. time.
Felt Week: Interview With Hillary Lang
Bunny, Kitty, and Bear by Hillary Lang from her Put-Together Book #1
Hillary Lang and her blog Wee Wonderfuls need no introduction — I’m sure she’s responsible for at least one of your needlework or crafting addictions. Her unique and original point of view is evident in everything she creates, from quilts to kids clothing to to embroideries to zakka. But we’re here today of course to discuss her work with wool felt — she has created scores of dolls, animals and other creatures using felt as her primary medium. Several of these are available as sewing patterns, and we can look forward to her first book in the latter half of 2010. She has written specifically on working with wool felt and where she gets it, but I had my own questions for her about it — and felt week wouldn’t be complete without her!
How did you get started with wool felt? What was your first project — how did it turn out?
That seems like forever ago now. I think it was this robot. I wanted to stitch up a robot for Tim’s desk at work and that’s when I discovered hand sewing with wool felt. It worked like a dream! I really enjoy working without seam allowances. It’s so freeing. I can sort of cut the pieces out as I go. It’s got a much different vibe than regular sewing.
Bonneted Babies by Hillary Lang
Most of your soft toy patterns use wool felt. What sources do you recommend?
Online, I order it from Child’s Dream Come True and in real life I always try to pick up a few colors when I’m at a quilt store. It’s not something you can really run out and get at the last minute so it’s good to try to have a supply on hand.
Are there any artists/crafters who work with wool felt whose work you especially admire?
I very much love Alicia Paulson’s Christmas ornaments. They’re so retro. I love the sequins.
What kind of wool felt is your favorite? Is the wool-rayon blend OK to work with, or will only 100% do? I know you also like to work with felted/fulled/whatever thifted sweaters. Have you ever tried woven wool?
Hillary’s felt stash
All my felt is mixed in together, the 100% wools and the blends comingling, and really, I don’t notice much of a difference. Yes, I use woven wool a lot too. I love it for stuffed animals and doll bodies. I like to hit the fabric store after Christmas when all the wool suitings are on sale. And I used to buy Moda wool bundles from eQuilter but they don’t seem to carry them anymore. I loved those. Also love Weeks Dye Works! Their herringbone and plaids are always on my wishlist.
Lots of your stuffed toy pattern are on my to-do list. I have made a couple of your Hand Sewing for Fun guys though … a turtle and a bird. I just love those patterns, and I can vouch for hand sewing being fun. But I’ve never machine-sewed with wool felt. Does it take any special handling? What kind of thread and needle?
Oh dear, I’m the wrong person to ask. I just about always use the same needle and thread no matter what I’m sewing. I haven’t had any trouble though. The only tricky part for me with machine sewing felt is turning out teeny tiny doll arms that have been sewn in thick felt. That drives me bananas but it’s my own fault for being overambitious. That’s why I tend to save the thicker felt for the hand sewing projects.
Hand Sewing for Fun Bunny by Hillary Lang
You just finished writing a book — congratulations! Are you allowed to say anything about its contents yet? Will there be lots of wool felt goodness to look forward to?
Thanks! It’s a book of toys — stuffed animals and dolls. And yes, lots of wool felt goodness, both on the machine and sewn by hand. One of the best parts of writing the book was having an excuse to shop. I was a very happy girl when a rainbow of wool felt came in the mail. I think of all new supplies, wool felt might be the most satisfying. Thanks for featuring it, such a fun idea! Just another reason to love True Up!
Aww shucks, Hillary. Thank YOU!
Welcome to Wool Felt Week
This week on True Up is dedicated to wonderful wool felt. We have interviews, a source list, book reviews and roundups, and of course, a giveaway. But first off, let me introduce you to this fabric in case you’re not already acquainted, and demystify some terminology.
What is felt? Felt is a nonwoven, non-knitted textile, produced by mushing loose fibers together. It can be made from animal fibers (usually sheep’s wool), a blend of animal and other fibers (usually rayon), or 100% acrylic. Wool fibers felt because they are covered with microscopic scales that tangle and interlock when that magic combination of heat, pressure, moisture, and friction is applied. Wikipedia compares the structure of wool fibers to pinecones, which was helpful in helping me understand how the fibers become permanently interlocked.
I’m not quite sure how the acrylic fibers stick together. If you’ve ever had an acrylic felt project fall apart, you might argue that they don’t stick together!
What’s up with “fulling” vs. “felting”? Especially if you’re from the knitting world, you’ve probably heard people getting uppity about usage of the terms “fulled” and “felted.” The difference is simply this: fulled textiles start out life as woven or knitted fabric, to which the matting process is then applied. Just think of weaves and knits having tiny spaces between the yarns, and the heat/moisture/friction combo causes those spaces to be filled. Since the process and end result is so similar, I grant you permission to use the terms interchangeably around here! Fuzzy Galore has a thorough account of fulling vs. felting here.
Several types of wool fabric are fulled: blanket cloth, boiled wool, coating, loden, and melton. These would all work for most projects calling for wool felt. They vary in thickness, drape, nap, and weave of the pre-fulled cloth, but are similar enough in texture and durability.
Wool felt is expensive, but so are all wool fabrics. But a little goes a long way, and once you try it you’ll never go back to the cheapo craft store stuff. It is soft, super sturdy, comes in tons of gorgeous colors, and is incredibly easy to cut and stitch. It doesn’t fray and there is no nap or wrong side. Since it is so pricey, most people use it for small things: stuffed toys, pincushions, and other crafts.
American Felt & Craft wrote up a great “felt smackdown” comparing acrylic and eco-felt, wool blend felt, and 100% wool felt on several factors. No shocker here, but wool felt wins, with wool-rayon blends coming in a close second.
Any questions? We’ll answer them by the end of the week!
- You are currently browsing all entries tagged "wool felt week".
-
Search
- About
- Archives: tag, category, monthly
- Contact
- True Up Bookshop
- Advertise
- Sale Alert Sunday Guidelines
-
RSS
- Subscribe to the True Up feed or get all posts by email.
-
Best of True Up
- Swimsuit Fabrics or: the Spandex Superpost
- Quilt Market Fall 2008: Buying Bolts With Diane of Bee Square Fabrics
- San Francisco Textile Tour: Urban Burp
- Know Your Rayon
- Favorite Fabrics 2009 — All the Entries
- Heather Ross’ Blog March: Inspiration to Fabric
- Fabric and Intellectual Property Issues Hit the Big Time
- About Barkcloth
- Wax Prints From Ghana
- The Great eBay Fabric Haul
-
-
Flickr
-
Facebook