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Pre felt, Pre-felt, Prefelt What is it and what can you make with it!

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pre feltfelted book coverpre felt picture

 

What is pre felt? What’s the difference between pre felt and craft felt? And what is pre felt used for?

 

 

Pre felt if the stage between fluffy wool fibres and fully fulled felt. It can be made by hand or bought premade in sheets. The premade pre felt if some times know as needle punch pre felt as it is made using machines using lots felting needles to catch and tangle the fibres. Hand made prefelt is made with two or more layers of wool roving, tops or fleece which is then wet felted using soap and warm water enough for the fibres to catch together but not totally fuse into solid felt.

 

The difference with pre felt and craft felt is pre felt is a product which needs further action before it is a finished product. A bit like part baked bread (maybe) if you wet felt a piece of pre felt and lock the fibres (fully fulled) it becomes a piece of 100% wool felt.

 

So what can do with pre felt? Pre felt is a good way to create a picture or part of a picture with sharp edges or add detail to bags, purses, blankets, hats etc such as flowers, wildlife, shapes etc. It is also good as the base layer to work a design onto. As pre felt is part felted, when you use it, it keeps it shape so circles stay round and flowers etc stay as you meant them to look after the wet felting process.

 

How to use pre felt? I find it best to either use freezer paper which you have draw or printed on simply iron it on the pre felt then cut out your design and peel the freezer paper off. Or you could also pin a design you have drawn or printed on paper to your pre felt then cut out, or cut out free hand. Whatever the project you have in mind pre felt is likely to be a useful part of the felting experience.

 

pre felt flower hatfelted book mark