Working with Felt Tips and Tricks
Crafting with felt is an amazing way to make so many different projects! Being such a versatile material and with so many colors, there are endless possibilities to what you can create! Our experts have crafted everything from felt flower bouquets to festive banners to kids toys and more! Today we're sharing their top tips and tricks for working with felt to make your crafting time even more enjoyable!
1. Washing
Our first tip is to always wash your felt before using. Even if felt has been color set, there could be excess dye that needs to be washed away. It is best to hand wash your felt in cool water and then to lay it flat to dry. You can also tumble dry on a low setting to get the heirloom look ( a bubbly sherpa-like texture) that many people prefer. Avoid twisting or wringing your felt to dry it as this can stretch or misshape your pieces. Instead, squeeze excess water from the flat felt between your hands if needed.
2. Freezer Paper
Freezer paper is a felt appliqué must have! It makes cutting your shapes a breeze! Freezer paper has a wax or shiny side and a matte paper side. This allows you to adhere the waxy side to your felt so that it will stay in place while you cut your pieces all without damaging your felt!
Start by tracing your pattern to the freezer paper. You can use your printer and print directly onto the paper or hand trace your design onto the matte side. Next, lay your paper waxy side down onto your felt and press with an iron for five seconds using a dry wool setting. No pressure is needed, the freezer paper will attach very quickly. Then, cut your pattern with sharp embroidery scissors or fabric scissors. The freezer paper peels off easy after your cutting is finished.
Start by tracing your pattern to the freezer paper. You can use your printer and print directly onto the paper or hand trace your design onto the matte side. Next, lay your paper waxy side down onto your felt and press with an iron for five seconds using a dry wool setting. No pressure is needed, the freezer paper will attach very quickly. Then, cut your pattern with sharp embroidery scissors or fabric scissors. The freezer paper peels off easy after your cutting is finished.
3. Cutting with your Cricut
If you have a Cricut maker, this will allow you to cut through your felt with a breeze! We suggest always using the "more pressure" cut setting to get a clean cut and using the rotary blade.
A great additional trick with the freezer paper is to apply this to the backside of your felt and then lay this side down onto your Cricut cutting mat. This will protect your mat from the felt fuzz that can be hard to remove and it also helps keep your felt from shifting while cutting.
4. Chenille Needles
We recommend using Chenille needles with using embroidery floss with felt. These needles are designed specifically for this type of crafting. They have a very sharp point to minimize a visible hole being poked through your felt fabric and also have a large eye to accommodate the thicker embroidery threads without any snagging.
5. Hot Glue
Because felt does not fray like a standard woven fabric, it makes it a great material to use for those who don't sew! You can use hot glue to hold projects together and because of the texture of felt, this will bond nice and sturdy. Felt is a bit thicker than regular fabric as well so the glue won't be as noticeable at the seams.
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There you have it! We hope these tips and tricks help next time your are crafting with your felt! Share with us your next project by tagging us!
@Overtheriverfelt