Today, felt is a cheap material that comes in many colors. Mostly used for kids crafts and plushes, not all craft felt found in big box craft stores are 100% wool. Most are made of some synthetic fiber blend such as acrylic or polyester. So what to do when you want to use felt in your projects and not use fiber made from plastic? There are several options to green your craft project and feel good about your materials:
Look for 100% wool craft felt. One hundred percent wool craft felt is available at stores such as JoAnn and Michaels, you just have to look at the label. Buy organic wool felt. La Lana Wool offers organic wool felt, dyed with natural plant dyes. Make your own felt from carded wool. Felt is made through a process of matting natural fibers together. Gleason’s Fine Woolies Ranch, has an excellent and easy to follow tutorial on how to make felt. All it requires is some carded wool, hot water, dish soap and a bit of elbow grease. Make felt with your knitting. Using 100% wool yarn, knit up a swatch in stocking stitch or garder stitch. Put the swatch in a pillow case and throw it in the wash with lots of jeans and hot, hot water. Go thrifting. Many a sweater found at thrift stores are in need of a new life. Look for sweaters that are 100% wool and cut out shapes you want and repeat the process of felting knits above.
What do you use felt for? Leave your crafts in the comments! Image credit: Aetna Felt Corporation
