Tips for Sewing Felt Projects-All about Felt!

What is felt?

The felt we are discussing in this blog post is craft acrylic sheets that you can buy at your local big box craft store very inexpensively, or higher price and quality wool felt sheets or wool blend felt sheets. These craft sheets can be used in a variety of different projects that are fun for any age. I think the accessibility of the acrylic craft sheets makes a great entry point for beginners and kids to learn hand sewing skills to make fun projects and experiment with techniques with a low budget and readily available in most places. On the other hand, when you experience a wool blend or 100% wool sheet it is hard to go back to the acrylic sheets. The quality and enjoyment of working with this felt is unmatched. In this blog, we will talk about how to cut and sew and what you can make with these felt sheets.

What can I make with felt sheets?

Your imagination is the only thing that limits you as far as projects, but there are some project ideas to get you started. Ornaments, stuffies, toys, pin cushions, coasters/mug rugs, bookmarks, bags/pouches, and many applique and decorative ideas to add to pillows, etc.

Wool felt (100% and blends) vs. acrylic felt sheets:

Wool felt and wool blend felt:

You can iron wool felt.
Wool felt is smoother and less fuzzy than acrylic felt.
Wool felt is made from sheep, which is great for using natural fibers.
Because of the time and effort and caring for and raising sheep and obtaining their fiber wool felt is more expensive than acrylic felt sheets.
Wool felt is stronger holds its shape better than acrylic felt sheets, and lasts longer. It is a great material to use for projects that you want to last the test of time.
Wool felt does not fray when you cut it so it makes a great material to use in applique and beginner sewing projects.

Acrylic craft felt:

You can only iron acrylic felt if it’s very fast and low heat, it will melt if left for more than a few seconds. I only use an iron to adhere to freezer paper for a couple of seconds at a time.
Acrylic craft felt sheets tend to stretch more and tend to be more fuzzy than wool felt.
Acrylic felt sheets are made from plastic and synthetic fibers, which makes it a great price point but also uses artificial materials.
Acrylic felt is great for beginners and kid projects, it is readily available and such a great place to start when exploring this new hand-sewing felt craft.
Acrylic felt does not fray when you cut it so it is a great material to use in applique, and beginner sewing projects just like wool felt.

How do you cut and mark on felt?

There are many ways to cut felt such as tracing shapes and marking them with a marker or pen, freezer paper, staples or pins, and a template or cut as you go.

My favorite method to achieve sharp edges and shapes that are accurate is the freezer paper method. You will trace your shape onto the freezer paper, iron it to your felt, and cut the shape out with your small, sharp scissors. You can even reuse the freezer paper shapes a few times before you need to get a new piece. I show this method in some of the felt projects inside The Makers Club and the hand sewing course.

How do you sew with felt?

Sewing with felt is such a great way to start hand sewing and get used to the stitches and holding the needle and fabric. Felt doesn’t fray so it makes it a beginner-friendly project and also a great way to invite kids to join in. It is so fun to mix and match the felt colors and not have to worry about a bulky sewing machine. This is a great on-the-go project that has so many fun possibilities.

The stitches that I use most often when sewing with felt are the blanket stitch and the whip stitch. Inside The Makers Club, you have access to all Elevation Handmade courses like the hand sewing course, along with new projects and live calls. If you and your family are looking for fun and accessible crafting skills check it out!

What do you stuff your felt projects with?

You can use an inexpensive polyfil stuffing that you can get at most craft stores, or you can opt for a more natural fiber like wool or cotton stuffing which will be more expensive but will be a great addition to your final project.

Another fun way to stuff felt ornaments or stuffies is to use scrap thread, fabric, batting or scrap felt, or even batting scraps. These can be cut into smaller pieces so they are more “fluffy”. I like to keep a jar with all the scraps for projects like these.