Hand stitching felt involves using a needle and thread to join pieces of felt together or add decorative details. It's a fundamental skill for working with this material.
Hand stitching felt requires just a few basic supplies and techniques. The process generally involves preparing your materials, selecting a stitch, and executing it carefully.
Essential Materials
Before you begin, gather the necessary items:
- Felt: Your fabric pieces.
- Embroidery Thread or Strong Sewing Thread: Choose a color that matches or contrasts with your felt, depending on the desired look. Embroidery floss separated into fewer strands (often 1-3) is common for felt.
- Needle: A sharp needle is helpful for piercing felt cleanly. The size should be appropriate for your thread thickness.
- Scissors: Small, sharp scissors are best for cutting felt and thread.
Getting Started
- Thread the Needle: Cut a comfortable length of thread (usually no longer than your arm span to avoid tangling). Thread one end through the eye of your needle.
- Knot the Thread: Tie a knot at the longer end of the thread to secure it when you start stitching. Alternatively, you can leave a tail and stitch over it for a cleaner look.
Making Your Stitches
The core of hand stitching is pushing the needle through the felt and pulling the thread through to form a stitch.
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General Technique: Insert the needle through the felt from one side to the other. Pull the thread through until the knot (or tail) stops it. Then, bring the needle back through the felt to form the next stitch, following the pattern of your chosen stitch type.
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Needle Handling (as referenced): While some people are comfortable pinching the thread with their thumb to help push the needle, you can use an alternative method if you find that difficult. You can slide the needle off onto your non-dominant index finger and press with your thumb to help push the needle through the felt. This technique provides leverage and control, making it easier to guide the needle, especially through thicker sections or multiple layers of felt.
Popular Felt Stitches
Several stitches are well-suited for working with felt, depending on whether you want to join edges, attach appliques, or create decorative lines.
- Running Stitch: A simple, dashed-line stitch used for joining pieces or decorative lines.
- Push needle up, pull through.
- Push needle down a short distance away, pull through.
- Repeat, spacing stitches evenly.
- Whip Stitch: Creates a clean edge join by looping the thread over the edge.
- Bring needle up from the back near the edge.
- Insert needle down through the edge from the front, looping the thread over the edge.
- Bring needle up from the back again, very close to the first stitch, and repeat the process, keeping stitches close together.
- Blanket Stitch: A decorative edge stitch often used for finishing.
- Bring needle up from the back edge.
- Insert needle down through the front slightly above and to the right of where you came up, but before pulling the thread all the way through, bring the needle tip through the loop of thread.
- Pull the thread to tighten the loop along the edge.
- Repeat, spacing stitches evenly along the edge.
Tips for Success
- Needle Size: Use a needle that is thin enough to pierce the felt easily but has an eye large enough for your thread.
- Thread Length: Avoid using excessively long threads, as they are prone to tangling and knotting.
- Tension: Keep your stitch tension consistent – not too tight (which can pucker the felt) and not too loose.
- Knots: Try to hide knots on the back or inside of your felt pieces for a neat finish.
Hand stitching felt is a rewarding craft that allows for creativity in joining, decorating, and shaping your projects. Experiment with different stitches and techniques to find what works best for you.
