# Sheep fleece as quilt filling



## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

Hi, I have 3 Dorset fleeces to skirt and wash that I would like to use to in quilts. Do I need to card these first into batting (if so, how?) or can I just tease open the fiber, stuff the quilt and then sew to anchor the fleece? I don't have carders but could use dog brushes, just don't know how I can get from what is on the brush to a quilt batt. I'd really like to make a pad for the matttress and then a quilt for on top- do I need to say our house is cool at night! Thanks for any help. Liese. Piedmont region, NC


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I would say yes you need to card this first but I don't really know. The woolen mill in town here sells wool batts for quilting. They have a huge carding machine for carding their batts.


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## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

Liese said:


> Hi, I have 3 Dorset fleeces to skirt and wash that I would like to use to in quilts. Do I need to card these first into batting (if so, how?) or can I just tease open the fiber, stuff the quilt and then sew to anchor the fleece? I don't have carders but could use dog brushes, just don't know how I can get from what is on the brush to a quilt batt. I'd really like to make a pad for the matttress and then a quilt for on top- do I need to say our house is cool at night! Thanks for any help. Liese. Piedmont region, NC


Yes you can, but you must remember that over time they will compact. In "olden days" they would take the filling out every so often and re-comb them to regain the loft and insulating characteristics. Also you must remember that if you wash them you have to just soak them or else you will felt the wool and then you will not be able to re-comb them.

Try it and see how it works and let us know of the results. 

donsgal


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## MTDeb (Feb 20, 2003)

Suffolk or hampshire or one of the other down breeds works really well for quilt batting because it doesn't felt. 

I've been wanting to do this myself for a few years now but haven't gotten to it yet.

I think you could stuff it in if you did a lot of tight quilting like stippling so that it'd hold it in place. But, I think carding it into batts would give you a more consistent batting. I've never tried it myself though.


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## Somerhill (Dec 13, 2005)

I think you'll be happiest and get the best longterm results if you send your fleeces to a fiber mill that does batting - Zeilingers in MI is one I have used and recommend. 
Dorset is a down breed, and should be good for quilt batting. I used to raise Cheviots, and their wool is very hard to felt. I made Chevito batting bed pillows for DH and me 10 years ago, and we still are sleeping on them!

Here is a list of fiber processors I organized for our angora newsletter:

A+ Alpaca Fiber Mill 6781 River Road, Jordan. NY 13080. (315)689-1649 www.AplusAlpaca.com [email protected].
ABC Ranch Naturals 15249 Hwy. 19 Martinsburg, MO 65264 (573)492-6472 [email protected] www.abcranch.com 
Adstock Mill 368 Rang,Adstock,Quebec,Can.G0N 1S0 (877)422-5708 [email protected] http://www.cottagecraftangora.com/
A Touch of Twist 1286 Weast Rd Schenectady, NY 12306 (518)864-5885 
Alpaca Dreamin' Fiber Mill 9630 Stage Road Arkport, NY 14807 (607)295-9515) www.alpacadreamin.com .
Bear River FiberWorks PO Box 980211 Park City, UT 84098-0211 (435)657-0336 www.rio-oso.com 
Big Sky Quality Wool 120 East Holt Broadus, MT 59317. (406)436-2184 www.bigskyqualitywool.com [email protected] 
Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill 3776 Forshaug Rd. Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 (608)437-3762 [email protected] www.blackberry-ridge.com/ 
Blue Hills Fiber Mill W 13163 Sieck Road, Bruce, WI. (715)868-3074 [email protected] http://www.bluehillsalpacasandfibermill.com/
Blue Moon Farm Custom Spinning. 31808 79th Ave. Ct. E., Eatonville, WA 98328, (253)846-5863. www.blue-moon-farm.com [email protected]
Briggs and Little Woolen Mills Ltd 3500 Rte 635, Harvey , York Co., NB, Can E6K 1J8 [email protected] http://www.briggsandlittle.com/wool/default.asp 
Callimoor Alpacas Fiber Processing 17813 Snyder Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023, (440)543-6152 [email protected] Alpacas1.com.
Carothers Country Fiber Mill 23798 Whitman Deering Drive, Minnesota City, MN 55959 (507)689-2677 [email protected] www.CarothersCountryFarm.com
Cedarburg Woolen Mill, W62 N580 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, WI 53012 (262)377-0345 OR 1-800-wis-wool [email protected] www.execpc.com/~wiswool 
Crofton Custom Carding, Box 256, 8126 Shasta Road, Crofton, BC Canada V0R1R0 [email protected] 
Custom Woolen Mills RR 1 Carstairs, AB Can T0M 0N0 [email protected] www.customwoolenmills.com 
Dawn's Custom Carding 214 296th St. E., Roy, WA 98580 (253)843-1899 [email protected] www.dawnscustomcarding.com 
Done Roving Farm & Carding Mill P. O. Box 45, Pembroke, ME 04666. (207)454-8148 [email protected]. 
Ewe to You, Oregon Wool and Mohair Company, 305 Long Valley Drive, Sutherlin, OR 97479. (541)459-5739 [email protected] 
Fantasy Fibers 26516 S. Hwy 170 Canby, OR 97013 (503)263-4902 [email protected] www.fantasyfibers.com 
Ferndale Fiber, 2870 W. 54th Lane, Ferndale, WA 98248 (360)384-0169 [email protected] 
Fingerlakes Woolen Mill 1193 Stewarts Corners Road, Genoa, NY 13071, (315)497-1542 [email protected] www.fingerlakes-yarns.com; 
Frankenmuth Woolen Mill 570 Main St Frankenmuth, MI 48734 (989)652-8121 
Georgia Mountain Fiber, Inc. Eleven Mountain St., Blue Ridge, GA. 30513, (706)632-6767 [email protected] www.georgiamountainfiber.com 
Green Mountain Spinnery Box 568 Putney, VT 05346 (802)387-4528 
Harmony Holler Farm 217 Smith Trail, Meherrin, VA 23954-9508 434-223-2335 [email protected] 

Hidden Valley Woolen Mill, 14804 Newton Road, Valders, WI 54245 (920)758-2803 
Huacaya Moon, 214 S. Riverview, Bellevue IA 52031 (563)542-5000.
Jehovah Jireh Farm, 32323 M-43, Paw Paw, MI 49079 Phone (616)628-4340 
www.woolmill.com. [email protected]. 

Lee's Carding Mill 421 Lomax, Box 731, Encampment, WY 82325 (307)327-5568, [email protected] http://www.thesheepshedstudio.com/ 
Liberty Ridge Custom Carding 6175 Greenway-Lowell RdVerona, NY 13478 (315)337-7217 [email protected] 
Lightfoot Farms Exotic Fiber Processing 29 Wakefield Road ( P.O. Box 1275), Kennebunk, ME 04043 (888-426-6631) [email protected] www.lightfootfarms.com 
Lindenhof Wool Mill R.R. # 3, Allenford ON N0H 1A0 Canada www.lindenhofwoolmill.com/ [email protected] 
Longbranch Fiber Farm 17722 Erickson Rd, KPS, Longbranch, WA 98351. (253) 884-4523 [email protected] www.longbranchfiber.com
Mabou Ridge Fiber Processing 891 Southwest Ridge, RR#2, Mabou Ridge, NS, Canada B0E 1X0. (902)945-2171. www.mabouridge.com
MacAusland's Woolen Mills Ltd Bloomfield, PE C0B 1E0 Canada 902-859-3005 fax 902-859-1628 http://www.peisland.com/wool/ 
Mill Canyon Wool Processors PO Box 477, Magdalena, NM 87825 (505)854-2862 [email protected] www.millcanyon.com
Morning Star Fiber LLC 8522 Dover Road, Apple Creek, OH 44606 (330)439-4301 [email protected] www.morningstarfiber.com 
Ohio Valley Natural Fibers 8541 Louderback Rd. Sardinia, OH 45171 ( 937)446-3045 [email protected] www.ovnf.com 
Ozark Carding Mill Gail White, 130B Hwy T Warsaw, MO 65355 (660)438-2106 [email protected] www.ozarkcarding.com 
Pufpaff's Fiber Processing, Suzanne Pufpaff, 5038 East M79 Hwy, Nashville, MI 49073 (517)852-1871 [email protected] http://fibermill.yurtboutique.com
Quail Hill Carding Co 11707 Quail LN, Hillsboro, WI 54634 (608)-528-4640 
Rach-Al-Paca Fiber Processing 18495 Goodwin Avenue, Hastings, MN 55033 (651)485-7916 www.rachalpacafarm.com [email protected]
Red Barn Fiber Processing Curt and Susan Boyes 5401 Norwood, Loveland, CO 80538 (970)669-6106 
Reidhill Fiber Farm 935 Glenn Bridge Rd SE. Arden, NC 28704 (828)684-9792. [email protected] 
Rovings Custom Carding & Dyeing Box 192 Oakbank, MB Can R0E 1J0 (800)266-5536 
Royal Fiber Spinnery, Inc, 547 Gavilan Canyon Rd. Ruidoso, NM 88345 (505)258-9276 at [email protected] www.royalspin.us 
Snohomish Custom Carding OK Mill Rd Snohomish, WA 98290 (425)334-1942 
Spinderella's Creations 1640 South 600 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105 (801)668-0563 [email protected] www.spinderellas.com 
St. Peter Woolen Mill 101 W. Broadway , St. Peter, MN 56082 (507)934-3734 or 3702 [email protected] www.woolenmill.com 
Still River Mill, Deirdre Bushnell & Greg Driscoll, 210 Eastford Road PO Box 397, Eastford, CT 06242 (860)974-9918 [email protected] www.stillrivermill.com 

Stonehedge Farm and Fiber Mill, 2246 Pesek Rd., East Jordan, MI 49727 (231)536-2779 [email protected] http://www.stonehedgefibermill.com 
Taos Valley Wool Mill, P.O. Box 567, 104 Lower Hondo Rd., Arroyo Hondo, NM 87513 (505)776-1374 [email protected] www.taosfiber.com/woolmill/ 
The Fibre Company 144 Fore Street, Studio D-1, Portland, ME 04101, (207)761-9992 [email protected] www.TheFibreCo.com 
The Meadow's Gate 1366 Co Rd. 30 Andover, NY 14806 (607)478-844? 
This & That Farm 2212 Tinmouth Road, Danby, VT 05739 (80)-293-5492 [email protected] 
VIP Fibers - Handspun Yarn 18640 Castle Lake Drive, Morgan Hill, CA 95037, (408)782-0515 [email protected], www.vipfibers.com/ 
Wilde Yarns, Box 4662, Phila., PA 19127-0662. (215)482-8800 www.wildeyarns.com [email protected] 
Wooly Knob Fiber Mill Inc., PO Box 171, 207 South Main, LaOtto, IN 46763 (260)897-4477 [email protected] www.woolyknobfibermill.com 
Yolo Wool Products 41501 Co Rd. 27 Woodland, CA 95776 (916)666-1473 [email protected] http://www.quikpage.com/Y/yolo 
Zeilinger Wool Co 1130 Weiss St. Frankenmuth, MI 48734 (877)767-2920 [email protected] www.zwool.com


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Sumerhill would you please c/p all that info and post it on here for us? Please  http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=43673


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## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

Thanks Lisa for sharing all that info-wow! I did look at Zeilinger's already since my husbands' family lives only about 2 hours south. But it would cost about $106.00 to have 20 lbs of pre-washed fleece turned into battings for both a quilt and a matteress quilt. Their chart showed that 30lbs of raw fleece was needed for these and so I discounted for my prewashed- that's how I got to 20#'s. Anyway, that's not in the budget so I'll continue to experiment, nothing like re-inventing how Great, Great gandma did things! Thanks everyone, Liese


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