Felt Sheets and Felt by the Metre

Felt sheets and felt by the metre are suitable for sewing, crafts with children, seasonal decorations, models and practical household items. We sell decorative felt in 50 × 100 cm sheets, and technical and self-adhesive felt in 100 × 100 cm pieces cut from a roll. Our felt is polyester and non-woven: the fibres are tangled and compressed into a sheet, so cut edges don’t fray. Polyester melts at high temperatures, so iron it or glue it with heat only on a low setting. If you’re looking for wool and needles for felting, see felting – it’s a different technique and material. Find more ideas in textiles and handicrafts.

What can you use felt for?

Sewing and handicrafts

Use decorative felt to sew soft toys, play food for a children’s kitchen, bookmarks, pincushions and appliqué for cushions and bags. Felt doesn’t fray when cut, so you don’t need to finish the edges. You can sew it with a blanket stitch.

Pick: For small sewn items and appliqué, choose 2 mm decorative felt in dark green, light green, pink, light blue or blue.

Quiet books and crafts with children

Felt is suitable for quiet-book pages with buttons, a zip and shapes to match, for finger puppets and for a felt board with cut-out shapes. Felt shapes stay on a felt backing without glue.

Pick: For coloured shapes, choose 2 mm decorative felt; for a firm page backing, choose 3 mm technical felt in white or grey.

Christmas and Easter crafts

Make your own tree decorations, advent calendar pockets, Easter eggs and bunnies, pieces for a garland and gift tags from felt. Thread a ribbon between two layers to make a hanging loop.

Pick: Make trees and leaves from dark green and light green 2 mm felt, Easter shapes from pink and blue felt, and snowflakes and firm shapes from white 3 mm technical felt.

Models and dioramas

Use green felt as grass or a field on a base. Make carpets and upholstery for a doll’s house, or tablecloths for miniature scenes from thin felt. A larger piece can be used as a mat for board games.

Pick: Make grass and fields from light green or dark green 2 mm felt, and mats from grey 3 mm technical felt or black 3 mm self-adhesive felt. Find more materials in diorama and model making materials.

Organisers and baskets

Use thicker felt to sew or glue a desk organiser, drawer liners and dividers, a cable organiser, a storage basket or a laptop sleeve. Thick felt holds its shape on its own.

Pick: Use 3 mm technical felt for organisers and liners, and 8 mm grey felt for freestanding baskets.

Protecting furniture and reducing noise

Cut self-adhesive felt into pads for chair legs, vases, lamps and frame corners, or use it to line a jewellery box or drawer. Felt pads reduce scratching and rattling. Thick felt on a noticeboard can slightly reduce echo in a small room, but it’s no substitute for a professional acoustic panel.

Pick: Choose 2.5–3 mm self-adhesive felt pads in grey or black, a 10 cm × 10 m grey self-adhesive strip for long lengths, or 8 mm grey felt for noticeboards.

How to choose felt: sheets, felt by the metre and thickness

How to sew a simple felt decoration

For a decoration or small soft figure, cut two matching pieces from 2 mm felt and sew around them with a blanket stitch. Prepare a paper template before sewing.

You will need:

2 mm decorative felt · paper template · sharp scissors used only for fabric · pins or clips · embroidery thread (2–3 strands) and an embroidery needle · a little stuffing · ribbon for a hanging loop

1. Draw or print a simple shape, such as a heart, star or animal, and cut out a paper template.
2. Pin or clip the template to two layers of felt and cut out both pieces at once using long, smooth cuts.
3. Sew small appliqué details, such as eyes and patches, onto the front piece first, or glue them on with fabric glue.
4. Place the two pieces together with the wrong sides facing inwards. Start the first stitch between the layers to hide the knot.
5. Sew around the edge with a blanket stitch, about 3–4 mm from the edge. Keep the depth and spacing of the stitches even – this is what makes the decoration neat.
6. Leave a 3–4 cm opening, add a little stuffing in small amounts, then sew the opening closed.
7. To hang the decoration, place a ribbon between the layers before sewing the opening closed.

How to stick self-adhesive felt on furniture and inside drawers

Use self-adhesive felt for furniture-leg pads and drawer linings. The adhesive needs a clean, dry and smooth surface.

You will need:

2.5–3 mm self-adhesive felt or a 10 cm × 10 m grey strip · ruler and pencil · sharp scissors or a craft knife (snap-off blade knife) · cutting mat · degreaser and a clean cloth

1. Clean the surface to remove dust and grease, then let it dry; adhesive won’t stick to dust or grease.
2. Measure the shape and draw it on the backing paper on the reverse of the felt. Remember that the shape will come out as a mirror image.
3. Cut out the piece with sharp scissors or a craft knife on a cutting mat. Make the pad for a chair leg slightly smaller than the bottom of the leg so the edges don’t catch.
4. Round off the corners of the pads so they don’t peel off.
5. Peel back just a few centimetres of the backing paper and position the felt carefully.
6. Peel away the rest of the backing paper gradually, smoothing the felt outwards as you go.
7. Press the whole surface down firmly and, if possible, leave the adhesive to bond for a while before putting it under load.

How to make a felt organiser or basket without sewing

Glue thicker felt to make a sturdy organiser or basket without a sewing machine. You’ll need a flat pattern, a sharp blade and fabric glue.

Tips for cutting and working with felt

• Use sharp scissors kept just for fabric. Paper blunts them, so felt will tear instead of cutting cleanly.
• Cut straight edges and strips with a rotary cutter along a metal ruler on a cutting mat.
• For curves, turn the felt rather than the scissors, and cut with the full length of the blades.
• Use 2–3 strands of embroidery thread with 2 mm felt; all six strands look too thick.
• Fabric glue gives a neat, flexible bond; wood glue can seep through. Use a hot glue gun only on a low setting, as hot glue melts polyester fibres.
• Before gluing or photographing, remove fibres from the surface with a lint roller.
• Place felt shapes directly onto a felt board; felt sticks to felt without glue.
• If you plan to wash the finished item, wash a test piece first – it may shrink or lose colour.

Storing and caring for felt

Store felt flat and loosely roll large pieces; don’t fold it, as creases are difficult to remove. Keep it in a dust-free bag or box and out of direct sunlight to prevent fading. Remove creases with steam held above the felt so the iron doesn’t touch it, or iron on a low setting through a protective cloth; test on a leftover piece first. Store self-adhesive felt in a cool, dry place with the backing paper on; the adhesive needs a clean, smooth, non-porous surface.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between felt and wool for felting?

Felt is a ready-made non-woven textile in sheets. Felting wool is loose fibre that you use to make felt yourself with a needle or with soap and water; find it in felting.

Does felt fray at the edges?

No. Felt is a non-woven textile, so cut edges don’t fray and don’t need hemming.

What should you use to glue felt?

Use fabric glue for a neat, flexible bond, or a low-temperature hot glue gun for quick work. Find glues in craft glues.

Can you iron felt?

Iron polyester felt only on the lowest synthetic-fabric setting, through a protective cloth and after testing on a leftover piece. High temperatures can melt it or make the surface shiny.

Can you wash felt?

Hand-wash finished items in cold water with a mild detergent, don’t wring them, and dry them flat. Wash a test piece first, as felt may shrink or lose colour.

What thickness of felt should you choose for decorations and organisers?

Choose 2 mm felt for sewn decorations and appliqué, 3 mm technical felt for firm shapes and organisers, and 8 mm grey felt for freestanding baskets and thick mats.

How can you protect the floor from scratches caused by a chair?

Cut a pad from self-adhesive felt or a 10 cm × 10 m grey strip, making it slightly smaller than the bottom of the chair leg, and round off the corners. Clean the leg, stick on the pad and press firmly. Replace it when it wears out.