/ Sewing Tips / By Madeleine

Wool Vs Felt: The Difference Between Boiled Wool And Wool Felt

Wondering what the difference is between boiled wool vs felt?

You’ve probably noticed a lot of similar-sounding terms when researching wool-based fabrics, including boiled wool and wool felt.

Wool felt is a type of non-woven fabric made from sheep wool. Boiled wool is a type of felted wool fabric that’s boiled in water to create a dense fabric.

Not sure what makes them different? I’ve got you covered! I’m a passionate sewist, (who’s still learning), and I’m happy to share how felt fabric is made and the characteristics of wool felt vs boiled wool.

We’ll also take a quick look at how to make felt from raw wool for your felted wool projects.

Let’s get right to it!

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Wool Vs Felt: The Difference Between Boiled Wool And Wool Felt

Boiled Wool Vs Wool Felt: What’s The Difference?

Wool felt: Non-woven natural fabric made by agitating raw wool into felt.
Boiled wool: Dense fabric made by shrinking woven wool fabric in boiling water.

Texture

Boiled wool

Softer to the touch compared to wool felt
Not as scratchy as wool felt
Has a little elasticity to it

Wool felt

Stiff texture
Not very flexible
Doesn’t have much of a stretch to it

Appearance

Boiled wool

You can see the appearance of the fine fibers on this woven fabric

Wool felt

The fibers are tightly interlocked – they appear smooth and completely meshed together

Durability

Boiled wool

Boiling wool is a key step in making boiled wool and this boiling process makes it more durable:

Sturdy dense fabric, as a result of the boiling process
More resistant to friction
Stain-resistant
Wrinkle-resistant
Holds its shape well for years

Wool felt

Less durable compared to boiled wool

Good to know: If you’re planning to use it for crafting, the good news is that wool felt is more durable than synthetic craft felt.

Water Resistance

Both wool felt and boiled wool are water resistant.

Boiled wool has an added advantage as its fabric is denser, making it even more resistant to water. Either way, both fabrics are pretty weather-proof and can hold up well against rain.

Heat Retention

Boiled wool and wool felt are both great at retaining heat.

Boiled Wool

Boiled wool has tiny air pockets that help maintain body temperature and retain heat. This makes it a popular choice for making winter clothing like jackets, coats, scarves, gloves, and more.

Wool Felt

The natural kinks and curls of wool fibers trap heat well, making wool felt great for insulation. It’s also used to make things like wool felt pads for dryers, wool felt rugs, and wool felt bags.

Availability

You can find boiled wool fabric for sale on Amazon and Etsy. Most knitting and maybe even some fabric stores have boiled wool in stock too.

Wool craft felt sheets are popular for crafting, so you can buy them on Amazon and Etsy (for specific products, check out Felt and Yarn). I’ve even found wool felt on eBay.

If you’re more of an offline shopper, you can buy wool felt at craft and knitting stores.

Wool Vs Felt: How Are They Made?

Boiled wool and felt both start with the same raw material: wool roving (wool roving is a clump of sheep’s wool that are combed and twisted together).

The way they’re processed is what makes boiled wool and wool felt different.

How Is Wool Felt Made?

Wool felt is made by agitating the raw wool for felt until the fibers interlock to form what’s known as wool felt fabric.

It’s a non-woven fabric, which means that no thread or weaving is used to produce it.

How Is Boiled Wool Made?

Boiled wool fabric is made by agitating knitted wool fabric in boiling water.

The heat shrinks the fabric and meshes the fibers together to form a soft and dense fabric.

If it sounds a little too technical, think about the time you accidentally shrunk your favorite wool sweater in the washing machine. It’s basically the same thing!

Wool Felt Vs Boiled Wool Best Uses

What Is Wool Felt Used For?

Insulation for houses
Making crafts (especially heirlooms as it lasts longer than craft felt)
Pads for dryers
Rugs
Wool carpet underlay
Bags
Wool felt hats (although fur felt is a higher quality choice)
Shoe insoles (my favorite Allbirds sneakers have wool felt insoles, I’m obsessed!)

One thing wool felt is NOT used for is clothing, as it’s stiff and doesn’t drape well. It’s also not very breathable for clothing purposes.

What Is Boiled Wool Used For?

Winter clothes like coats, jackets, and sweaters
Winter accessories like gloves, hats, and mittens
Home accessories like blankets, rugs, and upholstery

How To Make Boiled Wool Fabric (Shrink-A-Sweater Method)

Wondering how do you can make boiled wool fabric at home?

Here’s my budget-friendly tip: shrink old woolen jumpers in the wash – yup, on purpose!

If you don’t have any woolen clothes at home, your local thrift shop is your friend. I’ve found some incredible quality woolens at even the smallest thrift store.

Felting wool sweaters for projects is pretty straightforward and you can do it with a washing machine. Check out this simple upcycling tutorial on how to felt wool sweaters:

How To Hand Felt Wool

If you prefer to learn how to felt wool roving by hand, that’s a useful skill to pick up too! You’ll need wool roving for this.

I would suggest using the wet felting technique when you’re learning how to felt wool yarn by hand. Here are the basic steps:

Step 1: Line your workspace with bubble wrap.
Step 2: Spread wool roving thinly over the mat.
Step 3: Cover the wool roving cover with mesh fabric.
Step 4: Prepare soapy water (you can use olive oil soap to make your soapy water).
Step 5: Work soapy water onto the wool roving spread.
Step 6: Place a pool noodle on top of the wet wool roving, and carefully roll.
Step 7: Cover the roll with a towel.
Step 8: Roll the wool roving 100 times. Flip to the other side, and roll for 100 times. Flip and repeat until you’ve rolled about 800 times.
Step 9: Full the felted fabric with your preferred method.

You’ll get really unique designs with this technique, you could even consider making felted wool fabric for sale on Etsy!

Here is a visual guide on each of the steps:

Is It Possible To Unfelt Wool?

If you’re wondering how to “unfelt” wool, no, it’s not possible to do so. Felting wool has a permanent effect.

But, if you’re looking to unshrink wool sweaters, I found this really cool hack that I think you’ll find useful:

Step 1: Fill a bucket with hot water.

Step 2: Add hair conditioner and mix well.

Step 3: Add the shrunken sweater. Let sit for an hour.

Step 4: Rinse in hot water.

Step 5: Gently stretch to bring it back to the original size.

Step 6: Press down with a towel to remove excess moisture.

Step 7: Let air dry.

Check out this visual guide on how to unshrink wool sweaters:

How To Wash Felt Material

Since wool shrinks in the wash, you might wonder, “Can felt fabric be washed?”. Yes, you can wash wool felt fabric without shrinking it.

Just remember that wool shrinks when exposed to heat, so always wash in cool water. I would recommend hand-washing felt as it’s gentler on the fabric.

Ideally, just spot clean, with a damp cloth and DON’T rub the felt, just dab it.

If you have to wash the whole item, here’s how you can wash felt fabric:

Step 1: Soak the fabric in cool water.

Step 2: Gently squeeze the fabric to clean it. Avoid rubbing as you don’t want it to fuzz.

Step 3: Lay the fabric flat and let it air dry.

Comparing More Types Of Felt Fabric

Wool Felt Vs Felted Wool

Boiled wool is a also known as felted wool, so the differences between wool felt and felted wool are basically the same as comparing wool felt to boiled wool.

Felted wool is made with knitted wool fabric that’s agitated in boiling water until it shrinks and sticks together to form a soft, water-resistant fabric.

Wool felt is made from wool fibers that are matted until they interlock, and that’s how to make felt fabric!

Boiled Wool Vs Felted Wool

Felted wool vs boiled wool: what’s the difference? Boiled wool is actually a type of felted wool so there isn’t a difference.

You can try making your own felted wool projects! Besides boiling, felted wool can also be made using the wet felting method and needle felting method.

Polyester Felt Vs Wool Felt

Polyester felt is a synthetic fabric made from polyester fibers while 100% wool felt is a natural fabric made from sheep’s wool.

Polyester felt is thinner and not as durable as wool felt.

It’s also cheaper and usually comes in much brighter colors (but wool felt can also come in bright colors too).

Here’s a full comparison of wool and polyester felt.

Wool Felt Vs Acrylic Felt

Acrylic felt is a synthetic fabric – it’s made from acrylic fibers. Differences between acrylic felt vs wool felt are mostly similar to the differences between wool & polyester felt.

Wool Felt Craft Ideas

Here are some fun wool felt crafting ideas you can try:

Check out these cute felt animal tutorials for more ideas!

Where To Buy Wool Felt Fabric

Here’s where you can shop for wool felt fabric:

For location-specific shopping, use these links:

Wool Vs Felt FAQ

Is Felt Considered Wool?

No, felt is not always considered wool as felt can be made of both synthetic and natural fibers such as wool or animal fur. You’ll find two types of wool felt: pure wool felt and wool blend felt.

Wool rayon felt, wool viscose felt, and wool cotton felt are some examples of wool mix felt. Felt can also be made from purely synthetic material. Acrylic or polyester felt are examples of nonwool felt.

Is All Felt Made Of Wool?

No, not all felt is made of wool. Felt can be made just from wool, viscose, polyester, polypropylene, recycled PET, kevlar, nylon, or cotton or a mix of these materials.

Basically, felt can be made from a variety of natural and synthetic fibers. Some wool felts are actually blended wool felts.

Is Felt Warmer Than Wool?

Yes, Felt can be warmer than wool, especially for hats and insulation as it’s so dense, thanks to the way it’s made.

Both wool and felt provide an excellent barrier against cold temperatures and retain heat very well.

What Is The Difference Between Wool Felt And Felted Wool?

The difference between wool felt and felted wool fabric is the way they’re made.

What is felt? It’s a non-woven fabric. It’s made by matting wool fibers until they’re tightly interlocked and gives the felt fabric definition. This turns wool to felt.

Felted wool is a woven fabric. It’s made by boiling and shrinking knitted wool fabric.

How Does Wool Become Felt?

Wool becomes felt when raw wool fibers are agitated and matted. Doing this causes the fibers of the wool to naturally weave together. Eventually, the fibers interlock to form wool felt fabric.

Wool Vs Felt: Wrap Up

To recap my boiled wool vs felt discussion… Wool felt is stiff and is often used for crafting things like toys, art projects and decorative items.

Boiled wool is a softer fabric that is often used to make coats, hats, scarves, and more.

If you’re curious about other types of felts and their differences, take a look at this article comparing wool and polyester felt or this guide, comparing wool and fur felt. I also have a post on what needle felting is.

Planning to make felt crafts at home? Check out my complete guide for sewing with felt!