A few things in common, alongside distinctions, regarding the felt vs. wools comparison.
Felt is a clothing material generated from matted fibers condensation and pressing together.
Wool, on the other hand, is also a form of clothing material.
You can extract its fibers from mammalian animals like sheep, rabbits, camelids, goats, etc.
Many people sometimes need clarification when trying to differentiate between felt and wool.
Both felt, and wool have striking similarities yet, retain their disparities.
For instance, felt can be obtained from wool, whereas you derive wool from the skin of specific animals.
Hence, this article will explore the differences and similarities between felt and wool to help clear up the existing confusion.
Table of Contents
- What is Felt?
- What is Felted Wool?
- What is the Difference Between Wool Felt and Felted Wool?
- Conclusion
What is Felt?
(Stacked up felt)
Although wool and felt materials look similar at a glance, they have distinct qualities you need to know before choosing which to go for.
Felt is a clothing material obtained from the condensation and pressing together of matted fibers.
You can produce felt using pure/natural fibers like wool or artificial fibers like acrylic from petroleum solutions.
Felt also plays a vital role in various manufacturing industries, not just garment-making.
For example, industries that manufacture musical instruments, home or office interior decoration, automobiles, etc., use felt as part of their production items.
For the clothing industry, blend felt and craft felt are popular amongst others.
(Making a star design with felt material)
Felt vs. Wools: Blend Felt:
It is a type of felt that involves a blend of natural wool and artificial fibers.
The blend felt is usually thin and lighter to the touch than the hundred percent wool felt.
Still, it is relatively more long-lasting than the craft felt.
Felt vs. Wools: Craft Felt:
Craft felt is a more affordable type of felt. It is cheaper than all other types of felts.
This craft felt consists of a hundred percent artificial fibers.
These artificial fibers include polyester, acrylic, viscose, or rayon.
The craft felt are usually very rigid and thin, with the tendency to be see-through.
Yet, this felt is ideal for little children starting up on crafting lessons.
What is Felted Wool?
(Flower designs made out of felted wool)
Felted Wool is a type of felt that involves the process of threading.
The initial phase of felt production starts with the roving wool process.
In the formation of felted wool, the cleaned-up wool is spun around after the initial roving process until it turns into a thread.
After the thread’s formation, weaving follows until it turns into a woolen material.
Then, you can wash and dry this woolen material manually.
This artificial drying enables it to retain its moisture through the heating process.
What is the Difference Between Wool Felt and Felted Wool?
(A felted wool boot)
While bearing similarities in the name, wool felt and felted wool is two distinct materials.
Wool felt is a form of textile that does not require threading/weaving.
You can create it from a process called wool roving.
Wool roving involves the rearrangement of disarrayed piles of the fiber after breaking them apart from each other.
Wool felt is the end product of this wool roving when you include extreme heat and pounding to the formation.
After this heating-up process, the wool fibers tighten together to make up a hundred percent natural wool felt.
Felted wool, on the other hand, does not involve this pounding process. It is more of a threading process.
The felted wool is fatter and fluffier to the touch than the wool felt that turns out a bit lighter.
Conclusion
Ultimately, wool and felt are closely related as they go hand in hand.
With this article’s help, choosing what type of textile to use won’t be too much hassle anymore.
Still, you have the final decision on whichever is the better option.