What is Felt Fabric

Felt is a common fabric with many different uses. Most felt is a non-woven cloth that is created with a mixture of glue, steam and pressure that mats fibers together. It can be cut at any angle, and the edges will not unravel as most other fabrics do. Although some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be dyed to create many different colors, and can be made into many different shapes or sizes.

History
Felt is one of the oldest types of fabric in the world. Archaeologists have found several highly sophisticated felt artifacts preserved in permafrost in Siberia dated to around 600 AD. It is believed that nomadic horsemen made clothing, saddles, and shelters from felt because it was strong and helped resist wet and snowy weather.

Uses

Felt has many uses. It can be found everywhere from the automotive industry to craft projects to musical instruments and even in home construction. In the automotive industry, for example, it quiets the vibrations between interior panels and also prevents dirt from entering into small areas. Felt can be cut into any shape and sewn together to create stuffed animals and other objects. Punch holes in the felt, and children can learn to sew the pieces together with a large craft needle. Cover a piece of cardboard or other hard surface and it can be used as a story board. Cut out animals and other felt objects and they will stick to the felt backdrop. Children can move them around to act out the story.
Felt can be found on professional or tournament billiards tables to cover the slate surface. Felt is also used to make hats, like the popular fedoras.
Many musical instruments use felt, such as drum cymbal stands, bass drum and timpani mallets and piano hammers.

Types
There are several common type of felt, associated with different manufacturing methods.
Woven felt--A very durable fabric made from wool or a wool blend woven into a cloth, then felted using pressure and steam to interlock the fibers. Woven felt is typically used on musical instruments.
Pressed felt--Created when wool or a wool blend are pressed together with pressure and steam to interlock fibers. This is the oldest form of felt; it even came before weaving and knitting. This is slightly less durable than woven felt, but is usually less expensive and can be made up to three inches thick.
Needled felt--created when synthetic fibers or a wool blend and synthetic fibers are mechanically interlocked using machines with thousands of needles. Needled felt is typically used for crafts, and protecting furniture. It is an inexpensive version of pressed felt.

Materials
Typical fibers used for felt include wool and polyester or wool and nylon. Synthetic fibers can be felted if they are combined with wool, since they cannot be turned into felt by themselves. Felt is a fairly inexpensive fabric, typically sold in 8 1/2 by 11-inch squares, or by the yard.

Warning
Wool felt is known to bleed or fade, so dry cleaning or spot cleaning your finished project is recommended. If embellishing a quilt or clothing, you might want to wash with something like the Shout Color Catcher or other products designed to prevent dye transfer.



Read more: What Is Felt Fabric? | eHow.com 
 

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