wool felt?
 

Ok, so I bought an applique pattern and when I read the instructions it called for a lot of wool felt for many of the pieces. Hmmm.... So I go to stores on internet and lots of wool felt available from 100% wool to many with 20%nylon or other additives. There are many different thicknesses to choose from. I'm a iittle lost, no, a lot lost. Can anyone give me guidance here, I have never worked with wool felt. Thanks....Jane

oh, no....what about washing?

Once the wool is felted it won't shrink any more, that's what felting does. It depends on the project and how much you want to spend. If you are unsure of the techniques I'd make the first one going with a less expensive felt. I get mine thru Amazon

you can also used recycled felt. For applique, I would go with women's blazers or suits, which yields a nice weight product. Look for 100% wool, dry clean only labels. Deconstruct the garment. If any of the sections have iron on interfacing, remove it You might have to experiment a bit with this. Use a press cloth and work on the interfacing side. start with a dry iron and if that doesn't work, go with steam. The heat will reactivate the glue and you should be able to pull it off in sections. Put the pieces in a lingerie bag, wash on highest heat and agitation. I usually dry flat. Lots of felt for not much money.

It might help to know whether your pattern is a wall hanging, table mat or full quilt. And does it mix wool felt with another fabric, cotton or flannel...? You might get the best advice from the company that sold the pattern.

here is the pattern: It is 75 x 75, thought I could use it on a bed.

https://www.craftsy.com/quilting/pat...e-quilt/211592

You can use any kind of fabric you like for the applique, it doesn't have to be wool felt. The beauty of wool felt is that it doesn't fray so you can do raw edge applique with no fraying at all. If you used a cotton raw edge (with fusible) you may get a little bit of fray around the edges of the elements. You can also add a seam allowance to the applique and make it turned, if using a 100% cotton fabric. It is a cute quilt.

A great way to get a lot of small pieces of felted wool is to buy a scrap bag:
https://www.primitivegatherings.us/s...crap-bags.html

https://www.etsy.com/search?q=wool+felt+fabric+scrap

https://www.ericas.com/fabric/scrapbags_wool_felt.htm

If you are really lucky you may be able to find a white wool blazer or suit at a thrift store to felt yourself and dye (like PP suggested above). But I have had cases when the label said 100% wool and dry clean only the wool didn't felt for me with washing and drying.

I do think felted wool is a really beautiful option. I buy mine from Primitive Gatherings, which is near me, but they also sell online.

That said, felted wool is quite pricey. It's great for little table decorations, but otherwise it's a pretty major investment. For the quilt in my avatar I bought the fake stuff at JAF. It's 100% plastic, made from recycled milk jugs. It washes quite well & holds up to the beating my 2-year old nephew has put it through (I made it for him when he was born -- it's been used for tummy time, forts, cozying up with Mommy & otherwise just dragged around the house and frequently washed). You can do all the same things with plastic felt as with felted wool. It doesn't look quite as rich & luxurious, but it's still pretty nice.

I agree with Feline Fanatic. I love to work with felted wool but as Bree123 said, it could get a bit pricy. But if you're already committed to the pattern, you might try one of the blocks with wool felt and see if you like it. (Pick a block you like that you could gift to some else if you decide you want to use cotton instead! I'm sure it would be pretty!)

Can you tell or show us what your pattern is. I have used cotton in place of felted wool for wall hangings . Tell us more and we can answer more specifically.
peace

EDIT: Sorry I missed the pattern post. I see no reason why this couldn't be done with all cotton fabrics if you are into doing applique/ fused applique and buttonhole stitching which is what you would do with felted wool.

A great pattern.

I bought a Moda scrap bag of felted wool (multi colors) at the Lil' Red Hen, Paola, KS (they are on-line) for my sis's Christmas present--she kept looking at wool every shop we went into but always thought the price was too high. Figured this was good way for her to experiment.

I've also felted my own wool from thrift shop buys--got mixed results depending on the weave and whether 100% wool.

Just checked out your pattern--weird they don't explain it as wool applique! But I'd do the applique on cotton backgrounds if I were doing it.

I have used "woolies flannel", a very nice compact flannel available in quilt shops, along with felted wool for the appliqued parts of a design. I use regular quilting cotton for the background. The "woolies" really mimics wool in a good way, is less expensive than wool and is easier to find in a variety of patterns and colors. The pattern you are doing will look great in wool (or woolies).

Wool felt is totally different than felted wool. Felted wool is 100% wool (or close to) that has been washed in HOT water and dried in a hot dryer to shrink the fibers so it won't unravel and is expensive. It gives the item you are appliqueing a rich look. Wool felt is simply felt that contains maybe 20% wool, comes in solid colors (any and all) and is so much cheaper, and can be easier to work with. Wool felt usually doesn't have to be washed in hot water before using.
I quilt and do wool applique.

I would use cotton fabrics for two reasons: wool is expensive and the quilt might be too heavy to use regularly. Also, with so many small pieces, you would have access to a larger color palette. Good luck and please post your progress. Have a happy new year and enjoy your quilting experience.

I love working with felted wool. It is so soft and manageable. I used wools I felted myself from the thrift shop. Made in USA does not felt well. Be careful if you use any red as it will probably bleed upon washing. Flannel blazers are good sweaters usually felt to be too thick for applique. Your pattern is beautiful.

An edit of my previous post. My avatar is a wool felt applique on good quality flannel. I love it but don't use it much as I don't want it to wear out. The name of the pattern is American Beauty.

I buy mine from Bunny Hill, yeah it is pricey; but if I'm going to put in the hours to do it right then I want the best I can afford. The suggestion to use other fabrics for applique is so true. I've found patterns I love and used regular quilting cotton for the applique and had terrific results. The pattern you have selected is absolutely beautiful and I wish you many hours of pleasure as you bring it to life.

I recently got the desire to applique with wool felt too when I found this pattern: http://www.ctpub.com/summertime-sampler/. I'm planning to make this with a combo of wool felt and felted wool on a black cotton background. So much info in this thread, thanks! Does anyone recommend a specific type of thread to hand appliqué felted wool with? Can I use regular cotton embroidery floss?

That's a gorgeous sampler! And it looks like fun!

Please be careful when you purchase felt for applique. Make sure you purchase real wool fabric. Some shops sell "felt " fabric for wool applique that is not wool or a has a low percentage of wool. The issue is that the blended fiber is man-made and will scorch when ironed at wool settings. Also some felt squares (usually man-made fiber) can be very thin.

The lower grade felt can be useful in some projects. Just make sure you get what you want.