I wrote: > >nice pillow indeed. One of my bolsters is stuffed with washed, > >compressed (but not felted) fleece))
Catherine asked: > Is this sheep's fleece bolster one that you made? ... I thought about densely > felting some of the wool, but reading the above I'm wondering if that's a > good idea or if I should try "washed compressed" fleece? Do you have any > more info ...? For my bolster, I prepared the fleece by stuffing it loosely into an old pillow case and laundering it in the washing machine with enough odds and ends (towels are good) to balance the load. It then went into the dryer. It would depend on the breed of sheep as to how it would launder - some breeds felt quite solidly anyway, others are springy, such as the Down breeds, and defy felting - but that's ok, you just have to compress it more when stuffing. The fleece that is quite felted tends to be lumpy using the above method, but just keep pushing it into place in the new pillow, working bits of it into any gaps, to make a smooth cylinder. If you are making a small bolster, put a weight in the middle area of the pillow. A smooth clean rock will do - not too big or your pins will hit it when making the lace. If you have more time and patience than I did, card the fleece first, then machine wash it. The resulting felt will be uneven but quite suitable for pillow stuffing. Does anyone want the measurements I used? I can dig out the info - or if you can locate a copy of Brigita Fuhrmann's bobbin lace how-to (a Dover publication), it's in there. -- bye for now Bev in Sooke BC (on Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada) Cdn. floral bobbins www.woodhavenbobbins.com - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
