Thread: A stupid batting question

What is the difference between batting and felt?

i hope somebody knows this one. i know the difference. i just can't explain it. :lol:

am i correct in thinking felt would fall apart in the laundry?

Felt is made from matted or compressed fibres - usually but not always wool. Batting is the material used to put in a quilt sandwich specifically . So a piece of felt could be used as batting (but I wouldn't recommend it for the reason Patrice gave)! :mrgreen:

I think the difference is that felt is defined by how it is made (see above) and batting as how it is used. Any kind of soft stuff could serve as batting. :-D

There are no stupid questions here!

K3n did a good job explaining it.

Batting is usually needle punched which intertwines the fibers, felt is just compressed fibers. At least that is what I have always been told.

A Fine Question! For answers, go to the TextileGlossary.com

"Real" felt is wool fabric washed in very hot water to shrink it to its utmost. It will not fall apart. The stuff called felt for crafting is not real felt and more than likely can fall apart in the washer; actually, washing this stuff is not recommended. I think real felt would be too expensive and heavy to use as a batting. However, there is a wool batting for the quilt sandwich which is warm and light and can be a good choice.

Thanks so much. I was going to use some craft felt for batting but now I won't.

Originally Posted by CoyoteQuilts

Batting is usually needle punched which intertwines the fibers, felt is just compressed fibers. At least that is what I have always been told.

The polyester battings that I bought 20 years ago were not needle punched. I don't know how to explain it, but they are just long fibers that are kind of fluffy.

Some felts are washable - felted wool absolutely won't fall apart -