Re: source for wool fleece?

[karen Clanin <kclanin@fix.net>]

Teresa

I finally am home and have a few minutes.  For anyone interested I use a
pad that is made from a sheep hide -- that's the unshorn fleece still
attached to it's original hide and tanned so as to be machine washable.
this was a spring lamb hide that was never shorn and is several inches
long.  I shipped to Bucks County Fur company in PA for tanning.  It's
wonderful.  I cut it to fit my saddle, the saddle does not slip against the
hide side (fleece naturally goes against the horse).  I have several others
that I use in chairs etc and they help a great deal with my bad back.

Anyone looking for a hide to purchase keep in mind you want a springy
fleece, straight Suffolk don't seem to do well, Montadale crosses seem to
work well.

If you are looking simply for fleece that is shorn off the sheep you might
look for a spinners or weavers group in your area, contact4-H groups and
try to buy a 'fleece', I don't think that processed fleece that's already
been carded would work if you want to latch hook fleece onto the latch hook
fabric, you would need to take it by the lock uncombed to do that.

Karen Clanin
kclanin@fix.net

>> I have a wool fleece saddle pad liner that
>> I just love and I want to make another one.
>> Does anyone know any places that sell
>> wool fleece?  I cannot find it in any fabric
>> stores.  The only thing I have found is a wool
>> fleece mattress pad in a catalog.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Teresa

>for some of the publications for folks that do spinning and such.  Karen
>Clanin is on this list but she's pretty busy right now, but she has
>sheep and goats and used to be into spinning and weaving her own woolley
>things.  She might be able to suggest a source, she's at
>kclanin@fix.net.
>
>Susan Garlinghouse