What is felt? First of all, this is a sort of felt, which is obtained from the fluff and waste of rabbit fur, hare and other small fur-bearing animals by dumping them. The structure of felt is completely different than the structure of woven materials.
A bit of history
Material appeared almost 400 years ago. Felt fabric was already distinguished by lightness, durability and more attractive appearance. Today, thanks to modern technologies in industrial production, it is possible to mix pure wool with synthetic fibers, which makes the material more plastic, soft and smooth.
Specifications
Before you buy felt for any purpose, you need to understand its characteristics. The most basic of these are density and composition. They are interconnected with each other. Felt, having a low density, is able to stretch, practically does not hold its shape. Therefore, it is mainly used as a second layer. High density of the material ensures the maintenance of the shape of the product, ductility and preservation of a clear seam. This largely depends on the composition of the felt fabric. Some types of synthetic material are much looser and softer than those that contain woolen fibers.
Wool fabric
What is felt, if we take into account the composition? This is a material that can completely consist of both pure wool and artificial fibers. Wool felt is considered to be of better quality, denser, unable to roll over time. It has a very nice texture, which can be rough and, conversely, softer, nap. Due to its natural composition, this material is very environmentally friendly and safe, but it does not hold its shape well, since it is rather loose. In stores, purely wool felt is not particularly in demand. Its price is slightly higher than its analogues and ranges from 150-300 rubles per sheet 30x30 cm in size. It is used mainly for making jewelry, covers, handbags, as well as for decorating clothes and interior.
Wool felt
Softness and ductility are the main distinguishing features of the material, which consists of a mixture of natural wool and synthetic fibers. This is a wonderful fabric for making soft toys (due to the ability to take any given shape without forming folds). For this feature, the material of the puppeteers is very fond of, they create doll masks from felt from felt. With the help of steam and a hot iron, the fabric very well takes the given shape. For the manufacture of small decorative elements, Christmas decorations, garlands, wool blend is used. The photo below shows some options for such products.
Synthetic material
What is synthetic felt can already be understood from the name. Polyester and acrylic are the main components of this material. It can be of various thicknesses and stiffnesses.
Acrylic felt is the result of plastic processing, therefore it differs in creakiness and bends very poorly. A plus is the wide color gamut and the absence of deformation during washing.
Polyester is a fairly durable material that keeps its shape perfectly, retains color, and it makes a very soft felt. Toys made from it serve for a long time without losing their original color even after washing. In stores, you can choose any thickness and color of synthetic felt. Its price is low, so it is widely used in children's art. A sheet of 30x30 cm costs no more than 30 rubles.
Korean felt
Most needlewomen are well aware of what Korean felt is. Due to the fact that it does not stretch, does not crumble and does not tear, products made from it are very resistant to washing, do not fade and do not cause allergic reactions. Such material does not require additional processing. It resembles thick paper more - it is easy to give it any shape with the help of scissors, the details can simply be glued together. The fabric has the same density over the entire surface. When purchasing a hard Korean felt, you should pay attention to the manufacturer. Sometimes you can buy low-quality material, which is characterized by friability, heterogeneous texture and the presence of gaps.
Scope of application
In very old times, the nomads living in Eurasia knew well what felt was. From it they made coatings for yurts, carpets, and clothing items. In military affairs, this material was also used. The high strength of the felt made it possible to use it for the manufacture of chain mail and to protect city walls during a siege.
The combination of the properties of paper, fabric and wood allows the use of felt today in almost all branches of production: in the automotive, furniture, clothing, footwear, medicine, agriculture and mechanical engineering. It is used in the manufacture of filters, cleaning and polishing materials, in the manufacture of musical instruments. It is difficult to imagine today the creation of children's toys, various jewelry and decorative items of clothing without such material as felt. Photos of numerous products from it adorn the pages of handicraft magazines.
The most popular material is felt in furniture manufacturing. It is widely used as a sofa upholstery, as well as for office armchairs and chairs. The lack of need for edge processing significantly reduces the cost of production of furniture factories.
Benefits
The widespread use of felt in various fields is explained by its many advantages:
- Material during cutting with scissors does not crumble, does not require additional processing of the edges. Therefore, for children's creativity is just a godsend.
- The surface of the felt is exactly the same on both sides.
- A wide range of colors makes it possible to choose the material for the embodiment of a wide variety of design decisions and ideas.
- Cloths are available with a thickness of 1 to 5 millimeters, i.e., you can always choose the fabric of the desired thickness.
Which felt to choose
In order for a thing to serve for a long time and please the eye, it is necessary to choose the right material for its manufacture. Felt is selected for the product. It matters what object it is intended to be created, how it will be used, and whether it will directly contact human skin. For example, for toys, volumetric letters, it is better to purchase felt, which lends itself well to drapery, that is, it can easily take the desired shape. Its thickness should not be more than 1.5 centimeters, since it is much more difficult to shape a thick material.
It is very convenient to use sheet felt for the manufacture of original souvenirs, applications and paintings . A variety of colors, a large selection of sheets in density and thickness allow you to choose the material for every taste.
How to make felt yourself
Despite the fact that the choice of material is offered on the widest market today, you can make felt yourself. It’s not difficult to master the process of felting. From the materials required:
- wool (or fluff),
- a roller (it can be replaced by a regular rolling pin),
- bubble wrap,
- soap for solution
- napkins.
Also have to be patient.
Wool is recommended to be purchased in specialized stores, because in this case it is already painted in a variety of colors and is completely ready for use. If the wool is bought on the market, then it must be thoroughly triturated to get rid of dust. Then you need to prepare the workplace (cover it properly with film) and bring the soap solution in a small container. Preferably a dispenser is provided. The solution is prepared from ordinary laundry soap and warm water. The main thing is that he be very concentrated.
Now you can proceed directly to the process of felting. On a slightly moistened pre-film, lay a thin layer of wool. Then wet it with soapy water and cover with a film of bubbles. With smoothing movements, gently pressing with your hands, to achieve an even distribution of water. Then go through the film with a roller. Lay the next coat of wool and repeat the procedure. Use a cloth to remove excess water and soapy foam. So it is necessary to lay layer by layer until the required sheet thickness is reached. Then remove excess moisture with a towel, cut off uneven edges and begin to dry.
Felt toys
Today, many people are fond of making toys, jewelry and souvenirs from felt. For beginners in this matter, it is recommended that you use the simplest method. You will need a stencil, pieces of felt, scissors and a needle with a thread or glue.
Using a stencil, you need to cut out the figures from the fabric and lay them on top of each other. They can be fastened together with a seaming seam or textile glue. It remains to decorate the resulting toy - it completely depends on the imagination of the master. In this way, you can create whole pictures if you take as a basis a piece of felt, onto which then various elements are sewn or glued in the form of an application.
Having mastered this technique, you can begin to create two-layer toys. They will be larger than single-layer, as well as denser and tougher. Instead of one part, two are prepared from a piece of felt. Then on the front side of the toy various elements are sewn in the form of jewelry from buttons, beads.
Both parts are sewn together with an overcast seam, and when the stitching process comes to an end, you can put a little cotton wool inside to give the toy some volume.
Finally
The once forgotten felt today is undergoing a rebirth. It is just the perfect material for needlework. Modern designers have also shown a keen interest in it recently, using it for accessories and jewelry. Felt is a color, bright and very practical material, the products from which look just great.