Talking About Wool Appliqué

Now that you have seen the preview for the 2026 BOM, it’s time to review the technique of wool appliqué on fabric. There are other types of projects for wool appliqué where the wool is appliquéd to wool, but I use fabric as my background for two reasons. Fabric is less expensive than wool and, at times, I like to piece a background for more fun. So let’s go with my tips.

Choosing a Background

Before we get to the type of wools that can be used, you need to decide on a background for a project. For my patterns, I choose to do wool appliqué on fabric backgrounds to save quilters some money. Since wool is quite a bit more expensive than fabric by the yard, it’s more cost effective to have a fabric background. It also provides an opportunity to have a pieced background to give a project an interesting dimension. 

Sometimes I choose a fabric with some “personality” for a background, like I have done with the 2026 BOM:

The stripe of the fabric gives your eye another design to look at along with the wool design. I think it creates a fun contrast. Then there’s my technique of piecing a fabric background and adding wool appliqué afterwards.

For Gather ‘Round the Tree, I pieced a Christmas tree and then added the wool appliqué accents. The added benefit to this design is if you are not a fan of wool appliqué, you can use fabric for the embellishments.

The color of the background is also another thing to think about with wool appliqué (and fabric appliqué too!) to make sure your appliqué design pops. Above, on the light background I can use some darker color wools on the motif. But, if the background is dark, I recommend using lighter or more vibrant shades of wool like I did in the two projects below:

On Woolie Seasons Too on the left, the fabric is black so I needed to pick wools that were vibrant enough to show up. With In Season on the right, the fabric isn’t quite as dark as a black but I still wanted brighter wools. If I use a darker wool for an appliqué, like the red for the fireplace on the left, I make sure to add lighter wool accents to keep that piece from fading into the background.

Choosing the Wool

Felted wool or wool felt? What are the differences in these and can you use them both interchangeably? How do you go about felting wool? 

First, the difference. 100% wool is a woven textile. It is made when the wool roving is spun into thread and then the threads are woven into the piece of cloth. To turn it into felted wool, it then must be washed in hot water and dried at a high heat. The thickness and weave among these cloths can vary so you get primitive or rustic feel to a project. This wool looks the best when it is hand stitched and it is the more expensive of the two types.

Wool felt is also 100% wool but it is not a woven textile. It starts with wool roving just like the felted wool but instead of spinning it into thread, the roving is “bonded” by a process that includes heat and moisture and agitation. This causes the roving to matte together tightly to make wool felt. This wool is less expensive than felted wool. It tends to be more “uniform” looking but it’s still 100% wool! It’s less rustic looking when appliquéd because there is usually no fraying. This wool also looks good whether it is machine or hand stitched. 

The pieces of wool on the left are wool felt and the pieces on the right are felted wool.

You can use them both types of wool in the same project. I have been known to use a large piece of wool felt for a bigger piece in the motif and then use felted wool for smaller pieces in the design. It’s all based on your preferences! Wool felt is not as soft and as felted wool, so a project with a lot of wool felt will feel a little stiffer. But, if it’s a wall hanging, that’s not a big deal. Also, if you decide to use wool as your background, wool felt is less expensive, so a bigger piece would not cost as much.

Felting Wool

Have you ever been to the thrift store and found a sweater, skirt or other wool item in a beautiful color and thought “I’d like to use that in a project?”. Well, you can! You can “felt” wool in your washing machine at home. It’s a process that takes time and practice, but you can do it. Here are the steps:

• Use a hot water wash/cold rinse setting on your washer. You’ll want to keep darks and lights separate, just like normal laundry.
• You can put the wool into an old pillowcase and tie it closed to avoid getting a washer full of wool threads.
• Add in some old towels or jeans to increase the friction during the agitation cycle. *Some people stop here and air dry their wool. They will repeat the washing cycle as many times as needed.*
• Next put the wool in a hot dryer to continue the felting process. Each piece of wool can felt differently. Repeat the wash and dry regimen as needed to get the consistency you like.
• Be sure to check each piece of wool through the felting process in the washer (and dryer if you use that step) because if it felts too much and becomes too dense, it can be ruined.
• Once the wool is dry, you can cut it into the pieces you want.

So, now with these basics, you are ready to get going on a wool appliqué project. You can choose your background fabric and wool with confidence. You can even felt it yourself!

Come back for more wool talk next week. Leave a comment or ask a question and you will be entered into a drawing for the In Season pattern shown above. The drawing will be on Monday, December 15th, so you have two weeks to enter!

***We have a winner! Congrats, Karen Kimball***

Happy Quilting & Stitching!
Deanne