Pick up a pack of felt at a discount shop, try to sew a stuffed toy with it, and there's a good chance the seams tear the first time it's hugged. Pick up a piece of wool felt from a specialist supplier, try the same thing, and it'll outlast the child. The difference isn't how you sewed it — it's the felt. Not all felts are the same fabric, and picking the right one for your project matters more than most beginners realise. This guide covers the four main types of felt Australians can buy, when to use each one, and how to make the choice without buying something you'll regret.
What Is Felt Fabric, Really?
Felt is one of the oldest textiles in the world — and one of the most misunderstood. Unlike almost every other fabric, felt is not woven. There's no warp, no weft, and no crossing threads. Instead, felt is made by matting fibres together with heat, moisture, pressure and (for wool) a natural interlocking process the fibres do on their own.
That means felt doesn't fray at a cut edge, doesn't unravel, and behaves less like fabric and more like a soft, workable sheet. It also means that how the felt is made and what it's made of dictate its properties directly. There's no thread count to argue about — just fibre and process.
The Four Main Types of Felt
Australian craft shops stock four broad categories of felt. Three are fibre distinctions; the fourth is a format distinction that cuts across all three.
- Wool felt — made from 100% natural wool fibre
- Acrylic felt — made from 100% synthetic acrylic
- Wool blend felt — typically 20–35% wool with synthetic filler
- Craft felt sheets vs felt by the metre — a format distinction, not a fibre one
Understanding these four is enough to make the right choice for 95% of craft projects.
Wool Felt
Wool felt is the premium end of the market. Made from 100% wool fibre — usually merino or a wool blend from New Zealand or Europe — it's dense, holds its shape, resists pilling, and ages well. Seams sewn into wool felt stay strong. Hats blocked from wool felt hold their form. Heirloom-quality soft toys made from wool felt survive being hugged for years.
The trade-off is price. Wool felt costs three to five times what acrylic does per square metre, and the colour range is narrower. Use wool felt when you need durability and finish quality — hat-making, premium soft toys, high-detail hand-stitched work, wearable projects.
Acrylic Felt
Acrylic felt is the felt most Australians grew up with. It's the felt in the school art cupboard, the felt in the two-dollar-shop craft aisle, and the felt in most kids' craft kits. It's made from 100% synthetic acrylic fibre and comes in a vast palette — often 40+ colours in one range.
It's cheap, lightweight, and bright. Its weakness is durability: acrylic felt tears at seams under stress, pills quickly, and doesn't age well. That doesn't matter for the projects it's designed for — kids' craft, seasonal decorations, disposable classroom activities, ornaments that'll be replaced next year anyway. Match it to those projects and it's an unbeatable value.
Wool Blend Felt
Wool blend felt is the sensible middle ground — usually 20–35% wool mixed with acrylic or rayon filler. You get some of the wool durability at a fraction of the wool price, plus a colour range that sits between pure wool and pure acrylic.
This is the pick for semi-durable projects where you want the piece to last but don't need the premium finish of full wool. Applique on garments, quality kids' craft, felt jewellery, handmade market stock — all suit a good wool blend.
Craft Felt Sheets vs Felt by the Metre
This is a format distinction, not a fibre one — you can buy any of the three fibres above in either format.
Craft felt sheets are pre-cut, roughly A4-sized, and priced individually. They suit small projects — applique, ornament-making, small stuffed toys, classroom activities where each kid needs a defined amount. The convenience comes at a slight premium per square metre. We also have A3 size pre-cut, which is perfect for when those small projects become a little bit bigger!
Felt by the metre comes on a bolt at a wider width and is priced by length. It's the better buy for anything larger — sewing projects, backdrops, bulk classroom orders, or any time you need a piece bigger than an A4 sheet.
Wool Felt vs Acrylic Felt: A Side-by-Side Comparison
Visual comparison across the main felt types, so you can see the trade-offs at a glance.
| Feature | Wool | Acrylic | Wool Blend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durability | Excellent | Poor to fair | Good |
| Colour Range | 15–25 colours typical | 40+ colours common | 30+ colours typical |
| Ease of Stitching | Excellent, holds thread tension | Fine for glue and simple stitching | Very good, holds seams well |
| Ideal Projects | Hats, heirloom toys, wearables | Kids' craft, decorations, seasonal | Applique, jewellery, market stock |
| Price | Premium ($$$) | Budget ($) | Mid-range ($$) |
| Longevity | Decades | Seasons | Years |
How to Choose the Right Felt for Your Project
Rather than starting from the felt, start from the project.
- Hat-making: Wool felt. You need something that blocks and holds shape.
- Kids' craft and school art: Acrylic or wool blend. Colour and cost matter more than longevity.
- Soft toys and stuffed animals: Wool or wool blend for seam strength.
- Applique, quilting, embroidery details: Craft felt sheets or wool blend.
- Christmas and seasonal decorations: Acrylic. Colour range and price win here.
- Costume, theatrical, backdrops: Felt by the metre.
Felt Weight, Thickness and What They Mean
Felt is measured in weight per square metre (gsm). Standard craft felt sits between 200 and 350 gsm, and most projects don't need to think much beyond that. Thicker felt (400+ gsm) is worth reaching for when you're making structured pieces — bag panels, book covers, framed felt art — where you want the fabric to hold its own shape.
Thicker isn't always better. Overly thick felt is harder to hand-stitch, harder to cut into fine detail, and sits stiffly against skin. For most craft projects, the standard 1–3mm thickness range is exactly right.
Caring for Felt Fabric
Felt doesn't take well to washing machines. Even wool felt — despite being wool — shrinks and warps under agitation. Spot-clean instead, with a damp cloth and mild detergent.
For long-term storage, keep felt flat rather than folded. Folds set into felt and become permanent creases. Wool felt in particular needs moth protection — a cedar block or a lavender sachet stored alongside it will keep the wool safe.
Project Spotlight: Making a Nursery Animal Lampshade
A soft, tactile lampshade for a nursery — animal ears, a stitched face, and a warm glow when the light's on. Felt by the metre is the material of choice here: you need enough area to wrap a lampshade base, and the fabric needs to hold its shape without slumping.
Cut a felt panel to fit the lampshade base, hot-glue or hand-stitch it in place, add felt ears at the top and a felt-stitched face on the front. Choose acrylic or wool blend felt in a soft nursery colour palette — grey, cream, dusty pink or blush.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of felt is best for beginners?
Acrylic or wool blend. Both are forgiving, affordable, and available in a wide colour range. Save wool felt for once you know what you're doing.
Is wool felt worth the price?
For projects that need to last — yes. For a one-off seasonal decoration — probably not.
Can you sew acrylic felt?
Yes, though seams don't hold as well under stress. For durable stitched work, choose wool or wool blend.
What's the difference between craft felt and wool felt?
'Craft felt' usually refers to acrylic or blended felt sold in small sheets for hobby projects. Wool felt is a specific fibre type — 100% wool — and often sold as a premium range.
How do I stop felt from fraying?
You don't have to — felt doesn't fray. That's one of its defining properties. Cut edges stay clean without needing to be hemmed.