It's like comparing a wool sweater to an acrylic one.
Wool is the most durable.
It is tightly woven, thicker, softer and has less fuzz than other felts.
It is the stuff heirlooms are made from.
As you can see here.
100% wool on the left, 80/20 wool felt blend, acrylic on right-
The fibers are most tightly woven in the wool felt and you can actually see the darker table showing through as darker spots on the acrylic felt.
The tighter fibers of the wool felt means the wool felt holds its shape better and does not get fuzzy at the edges as the eco felt does. This is important when you are sewing around the edges of designs. The stretched fibers makes it easier for stitches to stretch and come undone.
Of course, you get what you pay for and wool felt comes at a price. Sometimes up to 10 times the cost of acrylic felts.
There are times that I can not use 100% wool because the colors are limited and it can be a little thick for cutting super fine details...that's when a wool/rayon blend comes in handy. It still has the durability and softness of wool, and it usually comes in more colors, is a little less thick and easier to find.
This felt is great for crafting. This is what we use with the girls to create fun things.
I usually use it when I am trying new felt designs and don't want to burn through the more expensive wool felts.
Acrylic felt can be readily found at any craft store and even most big box stores now too.
It's cheap (like 29 cents/sheet) and great for use on kid crafts. Some acrylic brands are even made using recycled soda bottles. (so that's a good thing too)
But this, people, is why I prefer to stick to 100% wool and blends for my crafty needs.
It's the quality, the durability and the soft, less fuzzy texture that stands the test of time.
I hope you see the difference in our quality wool felt items too!
