About Felt
Wool felt is an ecological, sustainable, and renewable material and due to its high quality has an innate durability and timelessness. FilzFelt sells 100% wool felt imported from Germany and aims to promote high quality design and permanence in its materials and products. Go sheep!
History + Process
Even though the methods to produce wool felt have been refined over the centuries, the manufacturing principle and the basic raw material have remained unchanged. Sheep’s wool is cleaned, carded, and the fibers aligned into batts. It is then compacted and joined by moisture, heat, and agitation until a homogeneous fabric is formed – wool felt. The material is naturally moisture resistant, self-extinguishing, non-directional, available in lightfast and saliva-resistant colors, and provides thermal and acoustic insulation.
Eco-friendly, Sustainable, Green
Yes! All of the above. Wool felt is a natural product. A high standard of dye processes in Germany and contents of 100% wool make this product earth friendly. Recyclable too! Since wool felt is made of sheep’s wool and viscous staple fibers, this means that after the felt product has been used or become worn out, it can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
Colors
Most FilzFelt colors are matched to the Pantone Matching System (PMS), however a limited selection are stocked colors. For information on our full range of 54 colors available in 5 thicknesses, please contact us. Our felt is produced from virgin wool and colors 100 Wollweiß, 150 Weiß, and 200 Natur are undyed and natural. Other colorways are produced by dyeing these natural felts with textile dyes to produce a uni-colored (solid) or melange (heathered) appearance.
Natural felts: 200, 150, 100
Uni-colored felts: 425, 423, 476, 626, 286, 284, 308, 378, 124, 173, 201, 242
Melange felts: 300, 385, 613, 713, 125, 102
Please note that the color on your screen may vary from the actual product. Minor changes and slight inclusions of natural fiber on the surface are evidence of 100% natural origin of the material. For information on our full range of 54 colors in 5 thicknesses available by special order, please contact us.
Dyeing
Many of our felt colors have been dyed to match the Pantone system. However, not all colors in the Pantone system or the universe are available on our website. If you’d like to produce your own custom felt color, colors 100 Wollweiß, 150 Weiß, and 200 Natur are dye ready and friendly.
Custom Colors
Want us to do it? There is an 82 linear yard minimum for custom colors and a 6-8 week lead time from time of sample approval. Expedited shipping may be available.
Dye Lots
There may be slight variations in color between dye lots. Natural fibers have minor variations in structure which affect how much dye is absorbed and therefore we cannot guarantee exact color matching on all shipments. Please purchase a sufficient quantity of one dye lot to assure uniformity of color if required.
Yardage Width
FilzFelt goods are approx. 70 3/4" wide and a full bolt includes 25 linear meters (approx. 27.34 lin. yards).
Yardage Dimensions and Thicknesses
Our felt is available by the yard, 1/2 yard, 18″ × 18″ and 12″ × 12″ squares on our website. A half yard is 18″ × 70 3/4"± and a yard is 36″ × 70 3/4"±. Available thicknesses include 2mm (approx. 1/16"), 3mm (approx. 1/8"), 5mm (approx. 1/4"), 8mm (approx. 3/8") and 10mm (approx. 1/2"). Please contact us for information on color availability or check our shop for our stock items.
Product Info and Cleaning
Your FilzFelt product is made from 100% wool (not a wool blend) and therefore is not suitable for washer + dryer cleaning. If soiling should occur, please spot clean with warm soapy water or clean with a mild, water-free dry cleaning solvent. Be careful not to saturate the felt with moisture as the milling process will continue and may result in a misshapen appearance.
Cutting
What you decide to do with your felt is entirely up to you. Felt can be cut with regular fabric scissors but cuts the cleanest with a sharp utility knife (or similar) and straight edge or ruler. Felt can also be die-cut, laser or water jet cut depending on your needs. Since it is a non-woven material, edges cut cleanly and can be left raw, without finishing.
Sewing
Depending on the size and strength of your sewing machine and the thickness of felt, you may need to make adjustments to your machine to work with our felt. For example, using a heavy duty needle and replacing it frequently is highly beneficial. Also industrial strength machines are recommended for sewing, but are not always necessary.
Ironing
Should you need to iron your felt, please do so on a low, wool setting. Be careful not to singe or burn the material.
Screen-printing
We’re not the experts here, but rumor has it that it’s possible to screen-print onto the felt. You may need to test various methods and ink types before achieving the right look or feel.
Embroidering
Tried and tested, it is possible to embroider your felt product. Contact us if you need a recommendation for an embroidery company. We know a few great ones.
Flammability
FilzFelt felts have undergone ASTM E-84 Flame Spread testing for architectural finish applications. Test results are available upon request.
More Info
If we haven’t answered your felt questions in the above information, please feel free to contact us. We love talking felt!