Sewing With Felt Part 1- Getting Started Supplies Needed

I have been getting a lot of questions lately about sewing with felt, the type of felt I use, how I draft my patterns, where I buy supplies from etc. So I am going to be sharing some of my knowledge for others here on my blog.
Part 1 is all about the tools and equipment needed to get started.

Tools and Supplies Needed

Felt
You can buy it by the meter or in smaller 30 x 30 cm squares. It comes in the most glorious colours. To read more about the types of felt go here.

Scissors
Dressmaking shears for cutting fabric and felt.
Embroidery scissors for cutting out detailed and smaller pieces.
Zig Zag scissors for finishing off and adding detail.
Craft Scissors for cutting paper, interfacing, cotton etc.

Pins and Needles
I prefer to use the pins with plastic ball shaped heads and sharp points. They come in different lengths and different colours so are easy to see when pinned on different colours of felt.
For hand sewing I use a sharp universal embroidery needle. these have a larger eye which is useful when sewing with several strands of embroidery cotton.
Sewing with felt dulls the needles quickly so it is important to change needles often.

Cotton Thread
Choose thread in colours to match your felt.  I use a good condition thread that is strong and 2 ply. For embroidery I use DMC embroidery thread.

Stuffing
I use either a non allergenic cotton stuffing or a polyester stuffing.  The polyester stuffing is the cheaper of the two.

Foam
A lot of my felt food projects ( sandwiches, cake slices, watermelon slices etc) require foam rather than stuffing. I buy large bags of foam off cuts in various sizes and cut the foam to the required size. Depending on the size and thickness of the foam I cut it with either scissors, sharpened knife or an electric knife.

Tracing Paper
I buy a roll of tracing paper to use for making my sewing patterns. It comes in a 30cm roll.

Embellishments
Many of my felt play food items are decorated with flower embellishments or ribbons. These can be brought by the meter or in rolls. Other handy embellishments include ribbons, lace and sequins, 

Cutting Mat and Ruler
I mostly cut on a cutting mat and use a metal ruler or a clear ruler with cm and mm marked.