I have a dilemma. I find a sheepskin to be very beautiful but I also love the sheep that wore it. I have been trying to find a way to combine my wish for the sheep to live with having something similar to a sheepskin to wear but without it being synthetic. Needless to say, so far I haven’t been that successful.
A few weeks ago I got three sacks of wool from a friend. It was meant to be spread in the garden around my roses to keep the deer and field rabbits at bay. One of the sacks was full with beautiful, soft, curly white wool and it almost looked like someone had stuffed down a whole sheepskin in the sack. Looking at it I suddenly had an idea – I was going to make my own….
I had no idea how to go about washing the stuff but Google soon came up with a solution.
This is how I washed it...
I filled my sink with hot water, added a few drops of liquid detergent, placed about 500 gram wool in a plastic colander and then gently sunk the colander down into the water. I left it there for 20 minutes without stirring. I didn’t want it to be felted just cleaned. I took the colander with wool out of the water, filled the sink with cold water and down with the colander again. Waited another 20 minutes and up with the wool again. Now I filled the sink with hot water and added 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and repeated the 20 minutes in hot water and 20 minutes of rinsing in cold water and then the cleaning was done! I placed a wire netting over the sink and spread the wool out on it to drip dry for a bit.
A few weeks ago I got three sacks of wool from a friend. It was meant to be spread in the garden around my roses to keep the deer and field rabbits at bay. One of the sacks was full with beautiful, soft, curly white wool and it almost looked like someone had stuffed down a whole sheepskin in the sack. Looking at it I suddenly had an idea – I was going to make my own….
I had no idea how to go about washing the stuff but Google soon came up with a solution.
This is how I washed it...
I filled my sink with hot water, added a few drops of liquid detergent, placed about 500 gram wool in a plastic colander and then gently sunk the colander down into the water. I left it there for 20 minutes without stirring. I didn’t want it to be felted just cleaned. I took the colander with wool out of the water, filled the sink with cold water and down with the colander again. Waited another 20 minutes and up with the wool again. Now I filled the sink with hot water and added 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and repeated the 20 minutes in hot water and 20 minutes of rinsing in cold water and then the cleaning was done! I placed a wire netting over the sink and spread the wool out on it to drip dry for a bit.
....and then I started the “sheepskin” making
I spread the wool out on a prefelted piece of white wool and when I was spreading it I was extra careful to try and preserve as many of the natural curls as possible. I wanted it to look real!
I added soap and hot water, rolled it up to a log and threw it in the spin dryer for 15 minutes.
Boy was I nervous when I prepared to unfold it….. So nervous I started humming to myself “ see my west, see my west made of real guerilla chest…” All you who know your Simpsoniana get the picture….
But it came out looking just like I had hoped it would. A fake sheepskin but of real wool! Same, same but different!
Of course this is just a tiny piece for trying out the method but I think I will make it into a bag with embroideries on it….or a pillow cover…..or a seat cover…or….
Now that I know how to do it the possibilities are endless. The next thing I want to try is to color it…..Oh joy!
Now that I know how to do it the possibilities are endless. The next thing I want to try is to color it…..Oh joy!
Take care
Jeanette
2 comments:
Of course you are going to ask more wool to your friend, those nasty bunnies and deers you know ;-), this is an excellent idea! Sheepskin without the skin! I cannot read your former post, for the first time in my life I'm on a diet, a low carb one. :-(
Have a lovely evening!
fleeces are the best. :)
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