Types of Felt

If you haven&#;t noticed, I have a lot of felt crafts on my blog.  I really love felt.  So far, I&#;ve just been using acrylic felt from the craft store because it&#;s cheap, and honestly I didn&#;t know very much about the different types of felt.  Acrylic is fine to use for things that won&#;t be touched much, but for toys or things that are going to be shoved into the bottom of a dress up bin, I wanted to find a better option.  Everything I&#;ve made is still holding up just fine, but I hate the way that the felt pills or fuzzes when it&#;s handled a lot.

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I got several different types of felt to play around with so I could decide what kind I liked the most.  I tried out a 100% wool, a wool/rayon blend, a polyester &#;eco&#; felt made from recycled plastic, and just the craft store acrylic (also made from plastic) to compare.  I took each of my felt samples, embroidered on them, cut them, pulled them, rubbed them, and crumpled them. And no, I was not being very scientific when I did my &#;tests,&#; but the results were still telling.

You can&#;t really see much in the photos, but I&#;ll explain what I found.  In the end, all of them pilled (fuzzed).  Surprisingly the wool/rayon blend seemed to pill the least.  The acrylic, as expected, pilled the most.  When I tested their strength by cutting off strips and pulling, the 100% wool performed the best, the acrylic was the worst, the polyester and the wool/rayon blend were about the same in the middle.

I wanted to take into account not only the durability, but also the cost of the felt.  Although 100% wool is very nice and supposed to be the best, it&#;s super expensive.  Not really worth the cost since other options seemed fine to me.  Just my opinion of course.  The polyester felt is definitely a lot nicer than the acrylic, and I do like that it&#;s made from recycled plastic.  The price is really great too.  In the end, however, I decided that I like the wool/rayon blend made by National Nonwovens the best.  There&#;s something about the wool felt that gives it a warm, not shiny, feeling.  I also really love that it is manufactured right here in the USA.  I like that I&#;m supporting a US based company.  It&#;s reasonably priced, and they have some really beautiful colors to choose from.  The deciding factor for me was the way the fabric pilled the least when I handled it a lot.  I&#;ve been using it to make all of the felt crafts on my blog, and I love it.

I wrote this post, not because I want to advertise a product to you, but because I really want you to know that there are other options out there besides the craft store.  I am not currently affiliated with National Nonwovens, although I would love to be!  To see all of the colors laid out, I recommend going to the manufacturer&#;s website here.    I really LOVE this product, and I will be using it for a lot (if not all) of my felt crafts from here on out.  Hope this helps someone out there!

Options for buying National Nonwovens felt:

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• Joann&#;s usually has a VERY limited selection of colors of this brand (mostly primary colors and earth tones).
• Go straight to the manufacturer&#;s website to buy large quantities at wholesale prices.  National Nonwoven&#;s online store, commonwealthfelt.com, lets you buy smaller quantities.
• Sometimes I order from Prairie Point Junction. They have great customer service and you can order as much or as little as you like.
• There are a few sellers on Etsy who are selling National Nonwoven&#;s felt.  Type the name in the search bar to find them.  I always like to support fellow Etsy sellers!-Joann&#;s usually has a VERY limited selection of colors of this brand (mostly earth tones).

Polyester Felt and Acrylic Felt are two types of felt made from different materials, each with distinct properties and uses. Here are the main differences:

Material

• Polyester Felt: Made from polyester fibers, which are synthetic fibers. Polyester is known for its durability, good abrasion resistance, and long-lasting nature.
• Acrylic Felt: Made from acrylic fibers, which are also synthetic. Acrylic fibers are known for being soft, lightweight, and having good insulation properties.

Properties

• Polyester Felt:
  • Good abrasion resistance
  • Relatively good heat resistance
  • Strong UV resistance
  • Chemical resistance
  • Low moisture absorption
• Acrylic Felt:
  • Soft and smooth texture
  • Lightweight
  • Good thermal insulation
  • Resistant to moths and mildew
  • Less durable compared to polyester

Applications

• Polyester Felt:
  • Widely used in industrial applications, such as filtration, padding, and sound insulation.
  • Common in crafting and decorative items due to its durability and resistance to wear.
• Acrylic Felt:
  • Often used in clothing, blankets, and other items where softness and warmth are important.
  • Popular in arts and crafts projects for its ease of handling and vibrant colors.

Summary

Polyester felt is more durable and resistant to harsh conditions, making it suitable fo industrial and heavy-duty applications. Acrylic felt, on the other hand, is softer and better for applications requiring comfort and warmth, such as textiles and crafts.

For more information, please visit polyester fiber felt supplier.