Description

Handmade sheep friendly “sheepskin” rug or throw made from Doris’ 2019 sheared fleece..

That’s Doris in the photos – alive and well and growing a new fleece already! Doris is a Valais Blacknose cross Greyface Dartmoor sheep and she lives with 70 other sheep at my home in on the Llyn Peninsular in North Wales. I sheared her myself with traditional blade shears and with the help of a couple of family members along the way (3-year-old daughter included) I stitched, backed and then felted Doris’ fleece into the rug that is offered for sale here. It is simply huge and beautiful (a lot like Doris herself) and the proceeds from its sale will help pay for her (and her 70 friends and family members) care throughout the year.

This is a truly handmade natural 100% wool item. The yarn that was used to stitch and hold the raw fleece together is from my own sheep and handspun by myself, the carded wool used for the back is from my sheep and handcarded by myself.. I enlisted the help of my daughter Elsie and my mum to help with the felting as the fleece was and is huge and what with caring for 2 kids and 70 sheep I need all the help I can get… To give you an idea of size – the table top the rug is laid on measures 150cm x 90cm. Doris’ rug is a wonderful irregular natural shape completely unique it is made up of long wavy locks and tighter shorter curls, simply beautiful..

I haven’t tried to get exact measurements but is does measure on the fleece side an average of 150 x 90cm like the tabletop with some bits being longer/wider than that and others more narrow. The texture is coarse and this rug may moult.

The colour is 100% natural and predominantly a varying creamy white colour with some darker areas and a greyish strip down the centre/spine. I have removed the most noticeable bits of food Doris collected in her fleece throughout the year, bits of hay and grass seeds, the odd stranded beetle…! However I guarantee you will find bits of hay as this is a natural unprocessed handmade piece.. these will be in areas deeper within the fleece along the spine where the hay and grass seeds are embedded within the felt and so I have left them as they are only noticeable on close inspection and to remove them would damage the lovely lock structure.. I have included a close up photo (second to last) of some of the vegetable matter debris buried within the wool.

Dori’s fleece would look absolutely amazing as a rug on a wood or stone floor. But it would also sit perfectly well as a luxurious throw on a bed or sofa.. It has a beautiful natural rustic look about it and is completely unique in shape. Being made of only wool (and hay…) it is biodegradable and kind to our planet..

If you have any questions or queries at all please send me a message I will be happy to help.

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A lot of time, care and love go into all my items they are all individually made one at a time by just 1 pair of hands – from caring for and shearing the sheep, washing the wool and crafting an item to the packaging and posting – handmade in the truest sense of the word.

Any questions just send me a message.

Postage is with Hermes and items are usually dispatched within 1-3 working days.

OVERSEAS BUYERS – postage quoted is approximate if I can post the item to you cheaper you will receive a refund for the overcharged postage.

If you have any problems with your order please contact me and I will do my best to help.

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We keep a well loved, high welfare flock of pet and rescue sheep on the Llyn Peninsular in North Wales. Our sheep are a part of the family and each is known by name. All our wool and makes are vegetarian-friendly as we do not breed or sell sheep for the meat market and our sheep live out their natural lives with us. I am a fulltime mum and slave to sheep! In my (none existent!) free time I make things from wool from the sheep in order to sustain them.

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You can learn more about us and meet the sheep on our website www.patchworksheep.co.uk and follow our sheep on Facebook @patchworksheep or Instagram patchworksheep_

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