/ Sewing Gear / By Madeleine

Best Thread For Sewing Felt (Guide For Hand & Machine Sewing)

The best thread for sewing felt – the quick answer:

Best thread for sewing felt with a sewing machine: All-purpose polyester thread
Best thread for hand sewing felt: Embroidery thread

If you’re like me and want all the details on how to pick the best thread for sewing felt, either by hand or on your sewing machine. Read on!

Should you choose, polyester, cotton, embroidery thread? Gah! There are so many different types of thread to choose from and it can get pretty overwhelming trying to figure out which ones are suitable for your felt sewing projects.

I can help! I’ve been sewing on and off since middle school and I’ve picked up some interesting things about sewing with felt along the way.

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Best Thread For Sewing Felt By Hand

Embroidery thread is the best option for sewing felt by hand.

It usually comes in 6-strand skeins. This gives you the flexibility to customize the look of your stitches by using as many or as few strands as you need when you’re sewing on felt.

What I especially like about embroidery thread is that it can have a pretty sheen to it and makes sewing projects look really nice. It’s pretty durable too!

When you’re using good quality 100% wool felt, use natural thread like the Perle cotton thread. It’s a strengthened S-twist thread that’s soft and shiny. It’s lovely to sew with!

For a little extra drama, try variegated floss. It has an ombre effect and changes color gradually as you sew it onto the fabric, giving it a unique look. They also come in glow-in-the-dark versions, which is pretty cool for costumes or Halloween projects!

Best thread for sewing felt by hand is this embroidery felt. There are 6 skeins of thread of different colors resting on a white background.

Best Thread For Sewing Felt On A Sewing Machine

The best thread for sewing felt on a sewing machine is Gutermann polyester thread. A close second is cotton thread.

You may be wondering, how do I decide which one to choose?!?

When in doubt, the best thread to use for sewing is always all-purpose polyester thread. Especially if you’re using synthetic felt (i.e. acrylic and/or polyester).

It’s durable and is great for when you need extra strength, like for seams, edges on children’s toys, and small parts like buttons.

It doesn’t fade and comes in a huge range of colors so it’s easy to match your thread to your projects. Plus, they’re affordable and widely available.

When it comes to 100% wool felt or wool blend felt, use cotton thread (or polyester).

Cotton thread is lovely, but the downsides are that it can fade over time and it may break and give you popped seams.

TIP: Best practice when it comes to sewing, is to sew like with like – so man-made fabric with “synthetic” thread (polyester with polyester and acrylic etc), and cotton thread with natural fabrics like wool felt, and other natural fabrics like cotton and linen etc.

Picking Thread Colors For Felt Sewing Projects

Choosing your thread color depends on the effect you’re trying to get for your project.

For a classic look, try to match your thread to the felt fabric. If you can’t find an exact matching shade, choose one shade darker.

If you want the stitches to stand out, choose a lighter or completely contrasting color.

Use complementary contrast colors like green and magenta or orange and blue. Check out this explainer on colour theory and contrasting colours for more details on how to do this.

How To Store Embroidery Thread

I found out the hard way that if you don’t store your thread (especially embroidery thread) properly, you may as well just chuck your thread stash in the bin, as you’ll never be able to untangle the mess it creates (please, learn from my mistakes ;))

It’s also best to keep your embroidery thread organized so that you can quickly and easily find the exact shade you want, when you want to start sewing.

You’re bound to be buying threads in all the gorgeous shades and trust me – the last thing you’d want, is to be digging through a big bunch of random threads trying to find that specific teal shade you swore you had!

Having quick access to your thread makes taking on felt sewing projects easier! Here are my favorite ways to organize thread:

Use a mesh bag. It’s the most effortless method. Just place your threads in the mesh bag and zip. You can also separate the threads into bundles of similar colors, and place them in separate mesh bags.
Keep them in a bobbin organizer. This Pinterest-worthy option makes it easy to spot everything you need at a glance.
Use Floss-A-Way bags. You can label these mini zip-loc bags with the color code, making it super easy to find the color you need.
Hang on thread drops. They keep your threads neatly organized. Plus, you can easily grab a strand of thread without having to unravel the whole skein using this method.

Check out the below photo of the beautiful handmade thread drop I got in Argentina! I love looking at it from my desk, even when I’m working and not sewing! It looks a bit messy, but let’s be honest – that’s who I am ;).

This is how I store my embroidery thread (well, all my thread)

Best Thread For Sewing Felt FAQ

What Thread Is Best For Blanket Stitch On Felt?

Embroidery thread is the best thread for blanket stitch on felt when hand sewing.

Blanket stitch is a decorative stitch so you want to use thicker threads like embroidery thread to make the design stand out.

The best thread for machine sewing blanket stitch is either all-purpose polyester thread or cotton thread.

How Do You Sew Two Pieces Of Felt Together?

Use a straight stitch to sew two pieces of felt together on a sewing machine or backstitch if sewing by hand.

For something more decorative, you can use whipstitch and blanket stitch.

What Holds Felt Together Best?

If you’re using glue, tacky glue, hot glue, or permanent adhesive hold felt together best.

If you’re hand sewing your project, use embroidery thread or polyester thread if you’re machine-sewing.

Best Thread For Sewing Felt: Wrap Up

Picking the best thread for sewing felt is a lot simpler than it sounds!

For hand sewing with felt, go with embroidery thread. It’s durable, cheap, and comes in a large selection of rich colors. It comes with six strands that can be separated to suit the thickness needed for your projects.

For stitching felt together with a machine, an all-purpose polyester thread works great. It’s extra durable and widely available, making it perfect for felt sewing projects for beginners.

What about what stitch to use on felt? Check out my full post!