Where to find good quality felt for quilting crafts.
 

I'm new to making felted items. I see sweet patterns for needle cases, pin cushions etc, and I need a little help to find nice felt. I'm positive it's not the stuff I see at Michaels or AC Moore. Do you have any suggestions of places to buy it. I did a quick search and saw some on Healther Bailey's website, but it seems a bit expensive.

This site has quite a variety of felt contents. Some are sold in small pieces and some only by the yard. They even have some patterns and an excellent comparison of the qualities of the different ones. And on the blog, they have some free pattern ideas.

http://stores.americanfeltandcraft.com/StoreFront.bok

the best (resource) for wool felt- which is what you are seeing patterns for is
thrift stores/yard sales---purchase items that are 100% wool- you can get alot of wonderful wool from a man's wool coat! take your items home- de-construct them- remove buttons/zippers, cut away the seams- small items place in a mesh laundry bag- larger items just do alone- toss into the washer with hot water & some detergent- wash on a long- cycle- with lots of agitaton- rinse on cold- toss into a hot dryer- when your items come out of the dryer you have felted wool ready to be cut up & used for wool applique, and any other projects that appeal to you.
it is common to see prices of $20 up to $60 a yard for the same felted wools in quilt shops.

And if you can knit or crochet you can make your own wool felt with wool yarn knitted or crocheted up and felted in the washer and dryer. I don't even try to felt my material in the wash anymore, I just wet my material, wring it out, and put it in the hot dryer with a towel.

Thanks for the suggestions. I wasn't sure if the felt used for felt crafts was 100% wool felt. I'm pleased to know that. I am planning a trip to the thrift store, I hope to find some great stuff. Thanks...

I am glad you posted this, I've been wondering about this, too. I have enough invested in fabric and embroidery thread, so while I'd like to try felt applique, I don't want to start investing in felt! I saw that you could buy 100% wool or a wool felt blend combo, but I think shopping the thrift stores sounds better!