Since we've covered Ultrasuede and barkcloth (the original, non-woven kind) in previous weeks, I'll continue with another nonwoven fabric. This week’s fabric is felt, a fabric that may surprise some. For instance, did you know that the felt that is widely available in fabric and craft stores is not a real felt, but an imitation? That’s because genuine felt is made of wool fibers (more rarely fur fibers) and is much more expensive to produce. You can find vintage felt yardage at estate sales, and it can be soft, springy, a little lustrous and of great quality. If you haven’t felt it (no pun...) you are in for a treat. Felt, nonwoven Nonwoven felt is a fabric made in a process that involves fibers of wool or fur being subjected to moisture, heat, friction and pressure. The minute natural scales on the fibers cause them to tangle and mat while the heat and moisture shrink and thicken the fibers to form a dense fabric. Felting is the name of this process. Wool felt is probably the oldest fabric known to man, referenced in ancient writings and found in Bronze Age tombs. Fine felts may use rabbit fur fibers, while the finest use beaver fur fibers. These fine felts are known for their use in hat making. The fabric called felt which is currently widely available for crafting is actually an imitation; usually made of acrylic fibers and adhesives, no natural fibers are present. Other felts available are made of part wool. Half of the fibers must be natural for the fabric to felt. Uses: Hats, bags, slippers, padding, crafts, and a wide range of household and industrial applications Wool felt close up Crafters know that felt does not ravel, so it can be cut and used without finishing its edges. Iconic 1950s poodle skirts were made of felt. Interestingly, wool and fur fibers are so capable of felting that even only 50% wool/fur fibers will entangle non-wool fibers sufficiently to produce genuine felt. Another interesting point: The soft matted nap surface of many wool fabrics is produced by the same method (heat, friction, moisture, pressure) in a process called fulling. Not just poodle skirts, but all kinds of novelty skirts were the rage in the 1950s. Wool felt, thick but light, filled the job perfectly. It had enough body to hold its fullness, plus crafters did not have to hem! The 1942 Singer Make-over Guide calls novelty pins that you could make out of scraps of fabric "lapel gadgets". I've had one of the more extravagant lapel gadgets ever, this flamboyant wool felt bird.
Thanks, Maggie for posting this. Felt (the real stuff) is also incredibly strong. The fur felts used to make hats are divine, supple and feel like velvet or butter in the hands, and are extremely pliable, so they can take a wider variety of shapes than wool felts. Fur felt hats can also be re-blocked and made into totally new shapes, whereas wool felt hats cannot (generally) as the felt usually has some sort of chemical sizing in them to help them keep the shape. Good fur felt hats will rarely have sizing in them, except for some men's hats like a cowboy hat that often needs to be stiff. As I have not been to a craft store in decades, I did not know the felt they sell is "fake". Hat makers, please avoid that at all costs!
