Do you know where I can find safe felt? I'm looking to source my supplies as natural, local and safe for children or pets if accidentaly ingested.

Name: Bree

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Message: Hello, do you know where I can find safe felt? I'm looking to source my supplies as natural, local and safe for children or pets if accidentaly ingested. I have looked so many places and have come up with nothing. I went to Hobby Lobby today and bought acrylic felt to practice with. It is difficult to hand cut and is stretching out.

I would think that the main danger with felt would be as a choking hazard, if there are pieces small enough for a baby to detach and chew on. Perhaps a synthetic-fiber felt might be safer for babies than natural-fiber felt, if it is more difficult to chew into pieces! Small pieces of felt, or pieces that can be chewed off, represent a hazard to any child or pet who chews on them, regardless of what they are made from. Long narrow strips of fabric, string, or ribbon can be particularly hazardous or even fatal to pets who swallow them.

Wool is the fiber from which felt is traditionally made. Customers who are interested in natural materials will prefer wool felt over felt made of acrylic or polyester, as will anyone who enjoys the tactile qualities of natural fibers. Wool is far more beautiful than acrylic or polyester. It's also far easier to dye wool felt yourself than any of the synthetic felts. Do a search online for "natural wool felt". One source that pops up in response to such a search is Michigan-based Weir Crafts, which sells felt made of 100% wool, a US-made 30% rayon/70% wool, and a US-made wool of 50% wool plus 50% bamboo rayon. Their products include an Oeko-Tex-certified natural undyed 100% wool felt. I doubt you will be able to find any natural fibers at Hobby Lobby, and it's likely that most of their products are made in China, so, ironically, you may have to resort to buying online in order to get more locally-sourced products.

If you want the dyes in your felt to be 100% safe for ingestion, you can buy undyed wool felt and dye it with Kool-aid or another synthetic food coloring. (Rayon cannot be dyed with food coloring.) These food dyes have been tested for safety even when consumed in huge quantities, so the tiny amounts a baby might extract from felt by chewing on it would certainly be safe, assuming that it is not possible to bite off chokable pieces. For dyeing rayon and other plant-based fibers, synthetic fiber-reactive dyes, such as Procion dyes, are very safe for babies, because they form such a tight bond to the fiber that, unlike other types of dyes, they will not come out of the fabric when the fabric is sucked on.

For customers who find the idea of even food-safe dyes unaesthetic, if the dyes are synthesized from petroleum sources, you might consider natural dyes. However, most natural dyes require mordanting with metal ions. All of the metal-based mordants are at least potentially toxic. The safest of all of the metal-based mordants for natural fibers is alum, but I would certainly not use it in baby clothing or toys, since my favorite synthetic Procion dyes, when properly used, are certainly much safer than alum, for babies' clothing and toys. You may see misleading references to "food grade" alum in some advertising, but in fact alum is not approved by the FDA for use in food. While it takes about an ounce of alum to kill an adult, smaller quantities are sufficient to kill a small child; quantities that are much smaller than the lethal dose can have some toxic effects and can be irritating to the skin and mouth, and thus are not suitable for anything a baby or pet might chew on.

Completely safe natural dyes that do not require a mordant do not retain their color nearly as long as other dyes, but there are occasions when they are the right answer, as long as you are honest about the impermanence of the dye in your package labeling. Turmeric and walnut are natural dyes that can be used without a mordant, though they may work better with one; turmeric is a light-sensitive bright yellow dye, which fades in sunlight, while walnut hulls produce brown. Cochineal is a bright red natural dye, made from cactus bugs, that is frequently used to color foods; while it works best with a mordant, on wool it works reasonably well even without a mordant. Indigo is a wonderful natural dye that can be used without mordants on many different natural fibers, including felt; the harsh chemicals used to apply it are, unlike mordants, completely removed by washing. Unfortunately, indigo dye is considerably more difficult for a novice to use, but, if you have time to learn the complex process, you will find that the blue it produces is more wonderful than the colors produced by most other mordant-free natural dyes, and longer-lasting, as well. Note that most indigo is synthesized from petroleum sources, but it is possible to buy natural, plant-derived indigo, if you check the label carefully. Items dyed with synthetic indigo are completely safe for babies to use, once they've been properly washed, but the plant-derived indigo may be more attractive in concept to your customers.

If you want truly local felt, you may be able to find crafters in your state who make felt. Or, you might be able to find wool grown in your own state with which to make your own felted toys. (Try going to your local county fair to try to meet someone who raises sheep.) Felting is a very interesting way to make not only flat fabric, but also balls, dolls, and other simple toys for children. A good way to decide whether you like this process might be to begin with a felt kit; I see some nice-looking felt kits for sale on Etsy and on Artfire.com.

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Posted: Friday - August 26, 2011 at 11:32 AM

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Do you know where I can find safe felt? I'm looking to source my supplies as natural, local and safe for children or pets if accidentaly ingested.

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