A felt is a fabric or material made of matted or compressed animal fibers such as wool or fur and sometimes it is combined with vegetable fibers or other synthetic fibers. Felts are the oldest fabric known to mankind. Our ancestors in the ancient times could make felt easily since it did not require a loom for its production.

In this article you will learn about the different kinds of felts and their uses. Since this is a compressed fabric which does not wear away by rubbing or friction, it is a good choice for the new sewers.

The different types of felts are as follows:

Felt Commercially Produced: This fabric is made from acrylic and is available in a variety of colors for an economical price. These fabrics can be cut into a wide array of shapes and sizes. Some of these types of felts are usually marketed in forms of sheets of different sizes.

These wool felt sheets are made by tightly urging the fibers together and then shaking them until all the air is removed resulting in a firm fabric.

Handmade: Handmade felts can be made by using a variety of methods and are also used with numerous products. The conventional form of making felt is called wet felting. The woollen fibers are placed on boards and then dampened with hot water and agitated.
The fibers mat together and shrink due to the combination of heat and the movements thus giving it a firm and tough shape. These fabrics can also be made from shrinking techniques. Ever put a woollen sweater into the washing machine only to get back the sweater in a shrunken form?

The only difference is that these felts are shrunk deliberately through knitting. The knitting and weaving of the fabric enables the fabric to become tight and it will not unravel even with rough use.

Needle Felt: This is commonly referred to as pre-felt. This fabric is made from pure wool and it comprises of a loose fabric made from lightly felted fabrics. This is a good alternative for people who wish to create new products or designs.

Nuno Felting: The word Nuno comes from Japan meaning cloth or a fabric. It is a branch of wet felting where you apply wool to a fine open fabric. It is commonly used with chiffons and other materials. The basic concept is that you are just applying a woollen design to a fabric surface. By doing so, the fabric shrinks back along with the wool, giving it a splendid puckering effect.
Machine Felting: The fabrics are made with the help of a machine which resembles a sewing machine. The only difference is that it makes use of barbed needles that pushes the wool into the surface of the fabric. This technique can be used to cover large areas more efficiently but it gives a softer effect to the fabrics.
From the above article you can understand about the different types of felts available for you and they are unique in their own special way. Making felts is a great age-old technique used in the crafting industry since they are convenient for sewing. Though these methods take time to manufacture, it can give splendid effects to the fabrics.