Thrift shops are a great place to find wool for quilting, applique and embroidery. I love working with wool! Look for 100% wool - dry cleaning instructions. Then, take it home, deconstruct it, toss it in the washer with hot , hot water ( I usually add a tea kettle or two of boiling to my hot water) and a bit of detergent. Wash on a long cycle. Rinse in Cold water. Toss into a hot dryer. Take it out before its too over dry, otherwise wrinkles are hard to get out. The pieces you have are now felted and ready for use. The edges do not fray so applique is easy,
craft felt is an acrylic fiber and is not washable.
heres a couple of my wool projects I'm working on.