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Felt Stitching: 12 Must-Know Stitches For Sewing On Felt

Planning to do some felt stitching and wondering which stitches to use for your project?

Excited to get started? You’re in good hands! I’ve been sewing on and off since I was 11 and I love helping fellow sewists with beginner-friendly tips. Read on for the complete guide on the basics of stitching felt.

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Table of Contents

12 Different Kinds Of Stitching For Sewing With Felt

Figuring out the best stitch for felt depends on the kind of details you want to add to your felt projects. You can mix and match these 12 basic stitches when you sew felt:

1. Back Stitch

Difficulty: Beginner.

Used for: Sewing strong seams.

The back stitch looks like a full straight line (instead of dashes like the running stitch). It’s one of the strongest (if not the strongest) stitches for felt crafts or any sewing project. It’s easily as strong as sewing a straight stitch with the sewing machine.

This stitch is the most important to learn as it will help you sew your felt project together and make it last a long time.

How to do a back stitch:

Step 1: Bring the threaded needle to the underside of the fabric. Sew upwards.

Step 2: Using a stitch length you prefer, sew downwards through the fabric.

Step 3: Using the same stitch length as a guide, leave an empty gap. Sew upwards at the end of that gap (the length of the gap is the same as the length of the first stitch).

Step 4: Sew downwards through the same hole at the end of the first stitch (you’re basically going backward).

Step 5: Repeat Steps 2 to 4 as needed.

Here’s a video tutorial on the back stitch:

2. Running Stitch (Straight Stitch)

Difficulty: Beginner.

Used for: Creating borders, sewing on appliqué and embroidering.

When you’re learning how to do stitching on felt, this is the second type of stitch you’ll learn. This easy stitching style looks like a dashed straight line on finished felt crafts.

It’s great for decoration and finishing seams that don’t need as strong a seam.

How to do a running stitch:

Step 1: Bring the threaded needle to the underside of the fabric. Sew upwards.

Step 2: Using a stitch length you prefer, sew downwards through the fabric.

Step 3: Using the same stitch length as a guide, leave an empty gap (this is what creates the dashed look).

Step 4: Sew upwards through the fabric.

Step 5: Repeat Steps 2 to 4 as needed.

Here’s a video tutorial on the running stitch:

3. Whip Stitch

Difficulty: Beginner.

Used for: Joining seams, sewing appliqué.

When you use a whipstitch stitch on felt, it creates a sturdy seam. It’s one of the best picks for stitching felt edges as it wraps neatly around the seams. You get a unique look for the edges with this stitch so I like using it for appliqué on felt too!

How to do a whip stitch:

Step 1: Place two pieces of fabric together.

Step 2: Bring your threaded needle in between the fabrics. Sew upwards through the top fabric.

Step 3: Bring the needle to the underside of the bottom fabric. Sew upwards through the same first hole.

Step 4: Bring the needle to the same hole on the bottom fabric. This time, sew upwards diagonally next to the first stitch.

Step 5: Bring the needle to the same previous hole on the bottom fabric. Sew upwards diagonally next to the previous stitch.

Step 6: Repeat Step 5 as needed.

Here’s a video tutorial on the whip stitch:

4. Blanket Stitch

Difficulty: Beginner.

Used for: Joining seams, sewing appliqué, embroidering.

The blanket stitch on felt looks similar to the whip stitch, except that it has an extra outline along the stitches. Blanket stitching by hand gives a cute DIY look, making it one of the most popular picks for hand-stitched felt projects.

It’s slightly more secure than the whip stitch, so good if your felt project has a lot of stuffing.

How to do a blanket stitch:

Step 1: To blanket stitch felt, start by sewing upwards through the fabric.

Step 2: Bring the needle diagonally according to the length you like. Sew downwards through the fabric but don’t pull it all the way through.

Step 3: Bring the needle to the same horizontal line as the first stitch. Sew upwards through the fabric. Pull all the way to create a knot.

Step 4: Repeat Steps 2 to 3 as needed.

Here’s a video tutorial on the blanket stitch:

5. Ladder Stitch

Difficulty: Beginner – intermediate.

Used for: Closing invisible seams on stuffed felt projects, like teddybears or plushies.

This nifty stitch is critical to learn if you want to close your felt projects without any visible stitching showing.

Like the other stitches mentioned so far, this stitch is done on the RIGHT side of the project (the side that’s visible to everyone) but it’s not meant to be decorative like the running stitch, back stitch or whip stitch. It’s meant to close up a felt project that doesn’t have viable stitching to close it. For example; felt teddies and other stuffed toys.

How to do a ladder stitch:

Step 0: After sewing your project up, on the wrong sides of your project, except for a small part (say between 5-10cm, depending on the project), turn the project out so the right sides are showing

Step 1: To close the last part of the seams of your felt project, sew upwards through the fabric, from the wrong side on one side of the fabric.

Step 2: Bring the needle to the other side of fabric of the opening. Sew a short horizontal stitch.

Step 3: Move the needle back to the other peice of fabric. Sew a short horizontal stitch.

Step 4: Repeat Steps 2 to 3 until you’ve sewn the whole opening closed.

Step 5: Gently pull the thread and the opening will close up.

Step 6: Knot the thread securely and poke the knotted thread back through to the inside of the item, then cut the thread.

Here’s a video tutorial on the ladder stitch:

6. Split Stitch

Difficulty: Beginner.

Used for: Sewing strong seams, embroidering.

This creative stitching method is similar to the back stitch, but it has a cute braided detail that’s great for creating a more decorative look.

Here’s a video tutorial on the split stitch:

7. Chain Stitch

Difficulty: Beginner.

Used for: Creating borders, appliqué, embroidering.

This linked stitching design has a bold braided look. Use it to create pretty embroidery details on your felt crafts!

Here’s a video tutorial on the chain stitch:

8. Fly Stitch

Difficulty: Beginner.

Used for: Creating borders, embroidering.

This decorative stitch appears as a “V” shape – you can leave it as a single stitch or sew the fly stitch in rows to get the look of ferns and branches.

Here’s a video tutorial on the fly stitch:

9. Feather Stitch

Difficulty: Beginner.

Used for: Creating borders, embroidering.

The feather stitch looks like cascading feathers, which explains the name. It’s an elaborate-looking stitch that’s actually easy to do. Use the stitch when you want to add an extra decorative touch to your crafting project.

Here’s a video tutorial on the feather stitch:

10. Satin Stitch

Difficulty: Beginner.

Used for: Filling in embroidered areas.

This is one of the easiest felt embroidery stitches you can use to fill up an area. I love that it has a cute textured finish!

Here’s a video tutorial on the satin stitch:

11. French Knot

Difficulty: Advanced.

Used for: Textured embroidering.

This 3D French stitching uses more advanced felt stitching techniques to create a neat little textured knot.

I like using the French knot to add layering and dimensional stitching with felt. You can combine clusters of French knots to create textured flower stitchings. Mix and match with other textured stitches like the satin stitch to get a well-rounded 3D embroidery.

Here’s a video tutorial on the French knot:

12. Bullion Knot

Difficulty: Advanced.

Used for: Textured embroidering.

This textured stitch also uses advanced felt stitching techniques and takes some practice – but once you get the hang of it, you can use it to add cute 3D details to your felt embroidery.

Stitch it straight to create a bold outline or stitch it curved to create flowers, leaves, and more.

Here’s a video tutorial on the Bullion knot:

Felt Stitching: Best Stitches For Different Uses

In most felt stitching projects, you’ll combine different types of stitching depending on which stitches match your project best.

Here’s a cheat sheet of which felt sewing stitches to use when:

• Best Stitches For Sewing Felt By Hand: Running stitch, back stitch, whip stitch, blanket stitch.
• Best Stitches For Sewing Felt With A Sewing Machine: Back stitch, blanket stitch.
• Best Stitches For Stitching Felt Together: Back stitch, running stitch, whip stitch, blanket stitch, ladder stitch.
• Best Stitches For Textured Stitching: Split stitch, chain stitch, satin stitch, French knot, Bullion knot.
• Best Stitches For Decorative Stitching: Blanket stitch, fly stitch, feather stitch, split stitch, chain stitch, satin stitch, French knot, Bullion knot.
• Best Stitches For Edge Stitching: Running stitch, back stitch, whip stitch, blanket stitch, chain stitch, feather stitch.
• Best Stitches For Appliqué Stitching: Running stitch, back stitch, whip stitch, blanket stitch, chain stitch.
• Best Stitches For Letter Stitching: Running stitch, back stitch.
• Best Stitches For Beads Stitching: Running stitch, back stitch, fly stitch.

Best Practices When Stitching With Felt

Pre-Washing Felt: Yes Or No?

In my experience, it’s not necessary to pre-wash felt before stitching your project. Some might say that it’s good to pre-wash as a way to pre-shrink the fabric, but as long as you know the right way to wash your finished felt crafts, there’s no need to pre-wash.

How to Prepare Felt For Stitching

These are the basic steps to get your felt fabric ready to be stitched:

Step 1: Transfer your pattern onto the felt fabric using fabric pen or tailor’s chalk.

Step 2: Cut the pattern pieces using fabric scissors.

Step 3: Tidy up the markings.

And you’re all set to start stitching!

How To Prevent Felt From Distorting When Sewing

If you don’t stitch felt the right way, it can distort and pucker, and the fabric will end up with gathers and bumps. To avoid this, try these tips:

• Don’t pull too hard on the thread or felt. With each stitch, pull and push gently as you sew through the fabric – a thimble is your friend here, if you’re finding this hard to do.
• Use the right tension. When sewing felt with a machine, having your thread and bobbin tension too tight will pull on the stitches and create puckers.
• Use an embroidery hoop. If you’re noticing puckers when embroidering by hand, try using embroidery hoops with felt. It reduces the chances of puckering by keeping the fabric taut.
• Add a backing fabric. If you’re working on thinner felt like craft felt, it’s helpful to stabilize the fabric as you’re sewing.

The Importance Of Stitch Length In Felt

When you sew with felt, using the right stitch length is important to get a good finish.

You might wonder how to learn stitching felt with the right length.

For hand-sewn felt projects, try a stitch length in the range of 2 – 3mm. For felt sewing machine projects, the standard 2.0 – 2.5mm stitch length tends to work great with felt.

A shorter stitch is generally good for felt for the following reasons:

• Reduces chances of distorting and puckering
• Creates a stronger seam
• Works especially great for sewing curves

Just keep in mind that a shorter stitch is harder to remove if you make a mistake. Be extra gentle when using your seam ripper, as you might end up stretching or tearing the felt.

How To Repair A Tear In Felt

Use the ladder stitch to repair tears and holes in felt. I like using this stitch as it appears invisible on the fabric. Here’s a recap on how to do it:

Step 1: Sew upwards through the fabric on one side of the tear.

Step 2: Bring the needle to the other side of the tear. Stitch horizontally.

Step 3: Move the needle back to the other side and stitch horizontally.

Step 4: Repeat Steps 2 to 3 until you’ve covered the whole tear area.

Step 5: Gently pull the thread and the opening will close up.

How to Deal With Felt Stretching

Felt fabric can get stretched out of shape if it’s not handled properly. Felt doesn’t have any elasticity so once it stretches, it’s permanent – you won’t be able to get it back to its original shape and size.

To avoid this, it’s best to prevent felt from stretching in the first place. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• When washing felt, avoid scrubbing or wringing the fabric. Instead, gently squeeze the water out, and let it air dry.
• When stitching felt, don’t pull on the thread or felt too hard.
• If you’ve made a mistake in your stitching and need to remove it, pull the thread gently using a seam ripper.

Felt Adhesives: When To Glue Felt And When To Sew Felt

Is it better to sew or glue felt together?

You should sew your felt project if:

• You want longer-lasting felt crafts
• You want a cute, handmade look to your crafts
• You’ll be washing your crafts regularly

You should glue your felt project if:

• You’re working on 3D crafts, like attaching felt to wood, plastic, cardboard, and other non-fabric materials
• You want a quicker way to finish your felt crafts
• You’re working on felt crafts with kids (using kid-friendly glues)

Read my full guide on which types of glue to use on felt, if you’re creating a 3D felt project.

Felt Stitching FAQs

What Is Felt Stitching?

Felt stitching means sewing felt fabric, which can be done by hand or using a sewing machine. You can stitch on felt to appliqué, sew on beads, create outlines, and sew pieces of felt together.

What Is The Best Stitch To Sew Felt?

Some of the best stitches to sew felt are the running stitch, blanket stitch, and whip stitch. The running stitch is good for basic lines. The blanket stitch is used to add a decorative, homemade look. The whip stitch is best used for sewing felt together.

Is It Possible To Sew Felt?

Yes, it’s possible to sew felt. You can sew felt with a sewing machine or by hand. As an alternative to sewing felt, you can also glue felt pieces together.

What Is Felt Used For In Embroidery?

Felt can be used as the embroidery base or to add decorative details to an embroidery project. You can embroider on felt itself. Alternatively, you can also cut out felt patterns and stitch them onto your embroidered fabric for a textured effect.

Can You Sew Felt By Hand?

Yes, you can sew felt by hand. Beginners usually love this method as you can get started with just a basic set of fabric, needles, and thread. Hand-sewing felt is generally a lot easier to start with compared to learning how to machine-sew felt.

How Do You Fix A Mistake When Stitching Felt?

If you’ve made a mistake when stitching felt, use a seam ripper to carefully unpick the stitching. Place the sharp point of the ripper under the stitches you want to remove, and lift the ripper to snip the thread.

Felt Stitching: Wrap Up

That concludes this beginner’s guide on felt stitching!

To summarize, it’s good to learn basic stitches like the back stitch, running stitch and blanket stitch, if you’re planning to start working on felt projects. In fact, learning these stitches on felt projects is a great idea.

You’ll be able to work on all kinds of awesome designs using those 3 must-know stitches. And once you learn the other 12 stitches mentioned in the post, the sky’s the limit! You’ll be able to create beautiful decorations on them as well.

Ok, now that you’re all set on stitches, learn more about hand-sewing and machine-sewing felt with my complete guide on sewing with felt for beginners!

Related Posts On Felt Stitching

• How To Make A Felt Heart: Tutorial For Beginners (Free Template!)
• Best Scissors For Cutting Felt – 17 Of Them – Including Some That Aren’t Scissors!
• How To Cut Felt: Best Ways To Get Perfect Felt Shapes
• How To Embroider On Felt: Foolproof Felt Embroidery Tips