FABRICS TO NEEDLE FELT ONTO

Fabrics to Needle Felt Onto DOC3820
If you are wanting to needle felt pictures or designs onto fabric, how do you choose which fabric is best for needle felting on to? We get this question all the time, and this video tutorial will help you choose the type of fabric or material that is best to needle felt onto..and it can really depend on what you are needle felting! Are you needle felting a picture that has a lot of detail and will require a dense application of wool? Are you needle felting a picture that is not overly detailed?
... something that needs to be durable, easily handled, or even washed? Perhaps you are needle felting a picture that you also want to wet felt, or a design that you also want to sew into another project. All of these parameters contribute in the decision making of choosing the type of fabric or material to needle felt onto.
There are many ways to approach this topic, and we will take the route of naming a variety of fabrics you might needle felt onto, and things to notice or look for depending on your particular project.
Some characteristics of the fabric you might consider: woven vs. non-woven and open weave vs tight weave, thin vs thick, fragile vs stable, stretchy vs non-stretchy, lofty vs compact aka squishy vs flat, low surface tension vs. high surface tension aka think surface "resistance")
What is the purpose of the project? Decorative, functional, wearable
What will happen to "it" ... the fabric you are needle felting on ....once you are done needle felting? Sit on a shelf, Framed, behind a mat, behind glass, in a hoop?" Mounted...on wood, on canvas, on...? Sewn into another project?
Will it get dirty? Will it ever get washed? Will it pill? Will it even hold up? Choosing the right fabric and the right finish for a project that will last is key.
Below is just a partial list of fabric you might consider needle felting onto. Of utmost importance is the FORM AND THE FUNCTION of the item you are needle felting. Consider the PURPOSE of the project first, then choose your fabric.

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