Felt

Today I am going to talk about FELT. Felt is used in sewing for all different projects. It can be used to make a hair tie, a toy, a pocket book, a feltie, etc.

There are different types of felt, such as described in the image below. Here are some: Hand dyed wool, recycled eco felt, 3mm Wool felt, tough felts, soft felts, craft felt, blended wool felt, 100% wool felt.

What type of felt should I get?

That is absolutely up to you. I suggest getting eco friendly felt to be a friend to the environment.
However some projects may require a specific type of felt, so I will let you know when that requirement must be in place for projects.

If you have not purchased felt before or would like some for an upcoming celebration of yours, buy or ask someone to buy a felt pack. They are good to start with and come with the basic colours. I have
one that is similar to the image below.

Where do I purchase felt?

Felt is available at craft shops and sewing shops.

Lincraft Sale!

Attention Everyone!                                                    
There is a Lincraft sale on all fabric from Thursday the 6th of February to Sunday the 16th of February!

I am definitely going to go, this is an awesome sale!

To find out where your nearest Lincraft store is go to http://www.lincraft.com.au/storelocator/ .

Please note: The sale is only for fabric sold by the metre.

I will show you what I've bought on the ' Fabrics' page.

Cutting Fabric

Cutting fabric is really important [ then again, most things in sewing are! ]. It can seriously affect your work, and if you do it incorrectly, you will waste fabric.

How to Cut Fabric-Rules

1. Always cut a shape from the edge of the fabric. If you cut it from the centre, you will waste fabric and when you want to do other projects with the same fabric, that require lots of the same material, you will have to buy more because your other shape will not fit in the space left.
2. When you have a shape like a pony, for example, there are some parts of its shape that need to be rounded, such as a neck. What you do is you snip a few small triangles from the edge of the fabric to the stitches. However you should only do this if instructed.
3. Cut slowly. If you cut your fabric really fast you can make a mistake, so it's best to cut slowly and steadily.
4. Make sure your fabric is straight, not crumpled! This rule is very important. Your fabric MUST be straight and flat before you begin cutting. If it is crumpled, your shape will go all wrong and you would've wasted fabric.
5. Cut your fabric on a flat surface. Never cut your fabric in your lap or on an unsteady surface. Cut on a table or a tray, or anywhere else that is flat, not a bed!

How to find Fabric Catalogues Online

Sometimes you want to know the price of fabric before you buy it. Check an online catalougue. Sometimes you want to know how much it will cost per meter. Check an online catalougue. Sometimes you will want to know what colours are available. Check an online catalougue.

I found this catalougue online, for the Spotlight shop. Most other craft stores will have this available to you so I suggest you check it out, especially before going shopping, so you know exactly what you want, how much it costs, etc.

Below is the Spotlight catalougue and what materials are on sale.

http://salefinder.com.au/Spotlight-AU-catalogue?gclid=CMeI9pLxp7wCFVJxvAodNg0A3A

Right Side, Wrong Side

When sewing, it is important to know which side is which. Yes, that sounds confusing but believe me, it is important!

Basically, all fabric has a wrong side or a right side.

The wrong side is the side with the light, faded print of the fabric. Mostly, we do not use this side as it isn't as fuller or as brighter as the right side.

The right side is the side with the bolder, more fuller colours of the print. This is the side we use the most for sewing.

Sometimes we can have trouble deciding which is which, as some fabrics sides are really similar.

If you have any trouble deciding, take a photo of both sides and show me in the comments.

Fortunately, as you deal with more fabrics, you get used to telling which side is which.