Have a good day and good mood everyone! Today we will talk about felt, get acquainted with its main properties, scope of application, and, of course, learn a lot of interesting things. In general, let's go! As always, let's start with associations. As for me, when I hear the word “felt,” I immediately picture in my mind a young French woman in a red felt hat, a black coat and leather boots, walking with a small dog on an autumn day in the park. I don’t know why this particular picture pops up in my head, probably, most likely, from films. By the way, it would be interesting to know your association with felt. Write in the comments, I will be very glad to read it. So, where am I leading with all this? A! In general, later in the article we will find out whether clothes are made from felt, in particular coats and hats. In the meantime, I propose to move on to the history of its origin.
1. The history of felt; 2. Technology for producing felt; 3. Types and properties of felt; 4. Scope of application of felt; 5. Felt care; 6. Customer reviews
The history of felt
I really like to add interesting legends to my articles, here is one of them. In ancient times, about 350 - 400 years ago, nomads who had to travel long distances put animal hair in their shoes for convenience. As you may have guessed, after some time the wool was crushed under the influence of the person’s weight, and a completely different, more durable and comfortable material was obtained. The people quickly mastered this accidental invention and began to use felted wool everywhere to make clothes, carpets, chain mail, roof coverings, etc.
The word “Felt” itself (from the French feutre - felt) means a special non-woven material made by felting down, wool and fur. It is worth noting that at the beginning of the twentieth century in France, only a very wealthy lady could have a felt hat; commoners could not even dream of it.
Felt production technology
As mentioned above, the structure of felt does not have interlacing threads; accordingly, the material belongs to non-woven types obtained by the folding method. By the way, felt is also popularly called felt or yarn after dry felting.
Modern felt production.
Naturally, to produce felt on an industrial scale, automated production has been established around the world. The raw material for making felt is soft wool or fluff collected from animals, most often a goat or a rabbit. Modern materials, of course, contain synthetics and artificial components. What would it be like without them!? During manufacturing, the raw material fibers are moistened with hot steam, then they are heated, and then friction is applied. As a result, sheet material (sheet thickness varies from 0.5 mm to 10 mm) or rolled material up to 220 cm in size comes off the conveyor. It is also possible to see semi-finished products in the form of caps for making hats and thin felt boots. Most often, felt has a single bright color, but it is also possible to add various prints. Interesting! It is worth noting that the color range of felt can reach up to 144 different shades.
Also, felt does not have a front or back side, it is durable and comfortable, the edges of the felt do not crumble and they don’t even need to be processed.
Additional materials for crafts
First of all, you need to prepare a work area with good lighting. When pieces of felt in the required colors are already available, it is important to additionally acquire available materials.
For work, you may need scissors, a set of threads in matching or contrasting colors with the felt, a set of needles of various thicknesses, a pencil or marker, glue and a glue gun, decorative elements such as buttons, beads, beads, rhinestones, ribbons, tracing paper for patterns.
Stuffing material can also be useful if you need to make a voluminous toy.
Types and properties of felt
Depending on the source raw material, the material can be:
- Woolen. Felt of natural origin is made from the wool of a goat, rabbit, sheep, etc. Wool felt is environmentally friendly, has antiseptic properties, and has high thermal insulation. Durable, dense, not afraid of dirt and contact with fire. The disadvantage is the high price, change in shape when water gets in, as well as the unpleasant odor of the wet fabric. Used for crafts, applications, decorations and technical purposes.
- Wool blend . Composition: 50% wool and 50% viscose (possibly adding acrylic). Soft, plastic, cheap, large selection of colors, does not irritate the skin. The main drawback is the tendency to shed and wrinkle.
- Acrylic (artificial). This type is made from recycled plastic. The surface of acrylic felt is distinguished by its shine and long-lasting rich color. Felt is easy to clean (the shape remains unchanged after washing). Unfortunately, man-made fibers make felt unhygienic and prone to fire. A “creaking” effect appears in the work. It is also very slippery in your hands.
- Bamboo . The composition includes bamboo fiber with viscose. It has an antibacterial effect and high strength, and also has a slight shine, silk and soft structure. Very pleasant to the touch. Large selection of colors. The main disadvantage is loss of strength when wet and deformation. It is dry clean only. It has a high cost. It is worth noting that it is very rare in Russia.
- Polyester. Durable enough for long-term use. In light colors it tends to shine through.
- Simulated. Another type of felt that allows you to make products of absolutely any shape. Modeling properties are achieved by special impregnation and wetting of the raw material before work. An important advantage of simulated felt is the absence of deformation during operation.
- Eco-felt. Obtained after processing of secondary raw materials. It can be both soft and hard. Keeps its shape like whatman paper. Thin sheets are uniform in structure and do not show through, do not stretch or tear. Widely used for children's crafts.
Felt has different densities and thicknesses. For example, the thickness of felt can vary from 0.5 to 10 mm. The thinnest felt sheets are designed for making small parts (they are easy to cut with scissors). Thicker sheets are usually used to make the base for toys and clothing, because... This material is dimensional stable. The density of felt is 250 – 700 g/m2. It depends on the scope of application. For example, for florists a density of 250 g/m2 will be enough, but to make a coat or hat of such weight it will not be enough.
Varieties of colors.
So, I propose to summarize the main properties and characteristics of felt. Among the most important features of felt material, I highlight: plasticity, high strength, the absence of a reverse side and, of course, “problem-free” edges that do not crumble and do not require additional processing. I can’t help but mention the disadvantages of felt. Knowing its negative sides, you can avoid some mistakes when using it:
- Felt is an excellent place for breeding moths (especially wool moths).
- Over time, the material shrinks and deforms, which in turn leads to an unattractive appearance of clothing and decor.
- Felt is a hygroscopic material, so it absorbs moisture very easily.
What standards are used in production? What do they take into account?
There are no strict recommendations and standards for the production of clothing and decorative felt. Manufacturing companies are guided by their own technical requirements. A more serious approach exists to technical felt and felt. After all, the safety of the entire system may depend on products made from them.
GOST and TU define: thickness, density, weight, tensile strength of felt and felt, depending on the purpose and quality class of the material. For example, GOST 11025-78 “Fine-wool felt for electrical equipment and parts made from it” defines the mass fraction of fibers in the mixture as a percentage:
- natural fine wool - 60,
- natural semi-fine wool – 15,
- fine sheepskin wool of 1, 2 lengths and fine combed tow - 25.
The same GOST standardizes humidity at 13% and the mass fraction of free sulfuric acid at 0.3%. Gluing felt and parts made from it is not allowed.
Scope of application of felt
Felt is an excellent “sheet of white paper” for the flight of thoughts and the translation of the most non-standard ideas into reality by hand-made artists, fashion and interior designers. From felt we can see shoes, hats, clothes, accessories, crafts, children's toys, as well as the design of albums, boxes and many other decorative items. And that is not all! Felt has proven itself in furniture production for covering upholstered furniture, chairs, and sewing covers.
You will be surprised, but felt is even used in the automotive industry. No, not for covering seats, but for the production of filters, technical gaskets, and oil seals. It is also used as a sealant and insulation in the cabin. And felt frames located in car doors help to avoid rattling and distortion of the glass when moving. Can you imagine!?
Felt seals.
As you can see, due to the diverse composition of felt, its characteristics and colors, you and I can find this universal material everywhere: from a children’s toy in the house to technical gaskets in our favorite car.
Overview of different types
To help you feel more confident in the store and buy the most suitable set for felt crafts, get acquainted with the types that deserve attention.
Bright polka dot sheets will delight lovers of creativity and handicrafts. Sheet size is 20 by 30 cm. Polka dots are on one side only.
Shiny felt is suitable for crafts for the New Year, and is also used as additional decor. Available in rolls and sheets. The glitter is applied on top, so the decorative side is only the front.
Multi-colored felt for needlework with a pattern printed on the front side. This makes beautiful pincushions, supply pillows, clothes for toys, children's handbags, and cosmetic bags.
The stone print attracts with its originality. The design is applied on one side, the reverse side is smooth. The sheets are dense and hold their shape well.
Felt care
In order to keep felt presentable for as long as possible and not lose its characteristics, you will have to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for caring for this material and follow certain “tricks”. Firstly, felt fabric likes dry cleaning and exposure to low temperatures most of all. This type of cleaning is suitable for absolutely all types of felt, and especially for wool and wool blends. Cleaning is easy with a dry soft brush or a sticky cleaning roll. Secondly, it is strictly forbidden to use cleaning products based on high temperature and humidity. Otherwise, you will 100% lose the shape and appearance of the product. Thirdly, the most extreme case of cleaning felt is hand washing. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend it to you, but anything can happen in life. To preserve your item as much as possible, follow these rules:
- The water should be at room temperature.
- Soap or other detergent should not contain bleaching ingredients.
- Wet the product completely and do not rub the stain, but perform actions similar to when you clean a sponge of soap until the stain disappears.
It is best to dry the product in the fresh air, away from direct sunlight and frost. Due to high temperatures, it is not recommended to dry felt items on a radiator or in the sun. By the way, it’s better not to dry anything in the sun at all, because... the color of things will quickly deteriorate, they will become faded and faded. Before drying, be sure to remove the water, but without resorting to “direct” squeezing, just press lightly on the product and blot with a dry towel until the moisture comes out.
Proper care is the key to a long service life.
Let's repeat once again what you absolutely cannot do with felt products:
- Use bleaches;
- Washable in a washing machine;
- Use dry cleaning;
- Squeeze;
- Dry on a radiator or in direct sunlight, as well as under a stream of hot air;
- Allow temperature changes (wash and rinse in cold or hot water).
