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Caring for products made from felt is quite easy. You need to follow simple tips, and they will help you maintain a great appearance. Today crafts, toys, and accessories are made from felt. All of them are in great demand. There is always a desire to extend the life of these products. You need to use simple tips that will help you preserve the felt and avoid deformation. These rules should not be neglected, because crafts can easily be ruined even by hot water.
Felt products are always pleasant to the touch. Children like toys made from this material. You just need to understand that felt is high maintenance. He doesn't like water treatments. It is better to give preference to dry cleaning. Sometimes it is permissible to use a stain remover to remove stains. It is not recommended to leave felt items in direct sunlight as the color may deteriorate. Many people forget about this.
Types of felt
What is felt, and what kind of felt is available in stores? Felt is obtained after the fibers are compressed into a dense mass under the influence of hot steam. Then it is cut into sheets of the required size or rolled into rolls. Felt is made in a similar way, but the thinnest fibers or fluff are used for felt.
What made felt so popular? First of all, ease of processing: felt is very easy to sew or glue, and its edges do not crumble. This material looks the same on the back and front sides, and is also available in a wide range of colors. Felt is made not only from natural wool. It can be made from synthetic, man-made or mixed fibers.
- Wool felt
is soft and easily changes shape, it is perfect for decorations, interior decoration and various accessories. But after washing, wool can shrink and its edges become shaggy over time; in addition, the color palette of felt made from natural wool is limited. - Viscose felt
is also quite soft, slightly silky and smooth. It is well suited for toys and decorations because it has good strength and holds its shape. However, it can shrink if not properly cared for. - Mixed felt
contains up to 60% wool, and the remaining fibers can be acrylic or viscose. It is also soft and therefore does not hold its shape well. It has a smooth, beautiful surface and is a good choice for sewing soft toys and small crafts. - Acrylic felt
is slightly shiny and slips, it is sensitive to high temperatures and can become shaggy. But acrylic felt is easy to clean, does not fade or shrink, and holds its shape well. You can use it to sew toys, accessories, and also use it for appliqués. - Felt made from polyester fibers
has the greatest wear resistance and strength, it does not fade, and also holds its shape well. Use this felt for things that need to withstand constant stress (wallets, board games, puppet theater, etc.)
In the store you can buy felt of various thicknesses, starting from 1 mm. Thin felt is convenient for cutting out small parts for appliqués and sewing small toys (for example, Christmas tree decorations). Thick felt (4-5 mm) holds its shape well, it is perfect as a base for sheets of an educational book, decorative panel or bag.
Hats for strong and fashionable men
A man who wears a hat immediately becomes more attractive in the eyes of beholders, as this adds a special brutality to him.
You might be interested in: We sew a knitted hat ourselves
Decoration
Representatives of the stronger half of humanity wear the following styles of felt hats:
- Tribley. This variety is distinguished by the presence of a longitudinal dent in the center and small fields that are slightly turned up.
- Pork pie is a classic version, the features of which are the presence of a cylindrical crown, decorated with a ribbon, and a horizontal top.
- Fedora. This type of hat is the most common among men. It is distinguished by the presence of dents on the front and sides. It is made of soft and pliable felt and is best suited for casual style.
- The Homburg is a hat that goes perfectly with a classic suit. It has a dent in the center, rolled edges and a fixed shape due to the rigidity of the material.
With a bow
Due to such a variety of accessories, men have scope to realize their fantasies. A felt hat can be ideally combined with both trousers and jeans, both T-shirts and shirts, thereby adding uniqueness and aristocracy to each look.
What to sew from felt?
Most often, felt is used for sewing toys and accessories. Soft children's toys, New Year's pendants, educational books, interior decorations will definitely please children! Women will appreciate felt jewelry, which can be made in different styles. Bags and cases for modern technology, covers for books and notepads will be an excellent gift for anyone who values individuality and handmade work.
Full-length clothing is rarely made from felt, except that vests or children's sundresses can be made from soft felt. Most often, sewn applique made of felt is used in clothing.
For the bath
Felt is the most perfect representative among all felt materials. It is made from the wool of rabbits, merino or mountain goats. Its use is ideal for bath hats, since these headdresses are quite voluminous, soft and delicate to the touch.
Tribley
Note! Now in the store you can buy children's hats for younger and older children. Felt hats are also used to decorate a variety of toys, dolls and snowmen.
Sewing from felt
How to sew felt with your own hands? This is one of the easiest materials to sew. You can even sew felt with a simple basting stitch, and even glue some parts!
Use regular polyester threads for sewing, and for embroidery, take high-quality floss in two or more folds. For hand stitches you will need a thin needle with a sharp tip. To use a sewing machine, take a needle for thick fabrics.
An overlock stitch “over the edge” (“loophole”) not only connects the parts, but also decorates the felt product. Make sure that the distance between stitches is the same, especially if you are working with contrasting threads.
The edges of the felt can be trimmed with curly scissors, and holes of different sizes can be made using punches, which are used to install eyelets.
If you need to glue a felt piece, apply it very carefully. Do not allow the glue to completely saturate the felt, otherwise stains may appear on the front surface. If the felt product will not be washed, you can use double-sided tape to glue small fragments.
To fill soft toys or other felt products, it is best to use holofiber, padding polyester, padding polyester or polyethylene granules.
Care
Felt items can be cleaned with a soft brush, and, for example, pillowcases or large panels can be vacuumed.
Local dirt (eg on edges) can be cleaned with a damp sponge and a small amount of carpet detergent.
If you want to wash a felt product, use warm (no higher than 40 degrees) water, a delicate liquid detergent and hand wash. The product must not be squeezed or twisted. Let the water drain, pat dry with a towel and place on a flat surface.
How to decorate a felt hat
The felt hat itself is already a great addition to your wardrobe, but if you want to add some flair, you can do the following:
- Tie a beautiful ribbon around the circumference of the hat and secure it. Tie the loose ends with a bow and secure with a pin.
- Decorate the hat with fabric flowers. They can be attached to the brim or to the crown.
- You can make a composition of flowers and berries from fabric or wool, which will also be a colorful addition.
IMPORTANT! You should not make the decoration bulky, otherwise it will take all the attention and spoil the frame of the hat.
Crochet pattern for a hat
DIY Harry Potter costume
Crafts for children
If you want to spend some time in peace next to your child, it is best to keep him busy with creativity. Schoolchildren love to create various toys, including sewing ones, while it is best for kids to start learning how to glue together parts that have been previously cut out from a pattern.
You can offer marking and cutting felt to a child who is confident in working with scissors. For each of the holidays, you can do something unique with your own hands, which will greatly help your child in developing his imagination and fine motor skills. For example, by March 8, you can make flowers or whole bouquets of flowers from felt. After this, they can be used as hair decorations or as a brooch.
For the New Year, you can make a felt Christmas tree, a snowman, and Santa Claus and use them as decorations for the Christmas tree or as a refrigerator magnet. For Easter, you can try to make a pincushion in the shape of an egg or decorative chickens and Easter cakes.
The little ones love to play with toys that are stuffed with rustling cellophane, seed skins or buckwheat.
Iron temperature
The choice of temperature depends on the texture of the fabric, so 3 main ironing programs are suitable for felt:
- Synthetic fibers have a low degree of creasing. At the minimum heating level of the iron sole, you can carefully process the item. This regime will not get rid of stubborn creases.
- You can iron woolen and half-woolen felt “on a double.” Within a few seconds of exposure, the fibers will straighten out and the wrinkles will disappear.
- The “three dots” mode requires attention. The fabric smooths out quickly, but sometimes deteriorates when overheated. At high temperatures, treat only problem areas with creases.
Important properties of glue guns
Well, since this tool is so versatile and convenient, let’s take a little look at its characteristics. So that when choosing, buy the one that you need.
First of all, the glue gun is an electric tool and is designed to work with hot melt glue. That is, a special glue stick is inserted into the device, which will melt upon subsequent heating. It is important to know that you need to work with the gun not only carefully, but also as quickly as possible, because the glue hardens almost instantly. This requires skill. Having completed everything necessary, do not forget to run the device unplugged from the socket again over a clean surface (for example, paper) to remove unnecessary residues.
The main criterion for choosing a particular pistol will be the diameter of its cartridge. They come in two types: 7 mm and 10 mm (sometimes there are such reservations as devices with a diameter of 7 to 8 mm and from 11 to 12).
Another parameter of the tool characteristics is the length of the glue stick. Accordingly, a long rod lasts longer than a short one. Everything is simple here.
Next, when choosing a glue gun, pay attention to its heating temperature. The higher this temperature is possible when the gun is operating, the faster the glue will melt. By the way, unfortunately, those models in which the heating temperature is high (say, 500 degrees) are more expensive than pistols with a temperature rating of 105 degrees. But we advise you to still acquire a high-quality tool.
And the last thing you need to pay attention to when choosing a glue gun is the presence of a trigger. Yes, there are models that do not have this part, and they are cheaper. But you will have to push the glue yourself using your finger, and this is very inconvenient. Therefore, it is better to provide yourself with comfortable working conditions and purchase the most convenient tool, albeit a little more expensive in the proposed price range.
