Preparing your fleece – Rampisham Hill Farm (2024)

FAQs

How do you prepare fleece for showing? ›

Keep your fields as clear of brambles and the like as you can, and when shearing keep away from straw and hay. This will help when you prepare the fleece and removing any vegetable matter. Skirt the fleece, that is take of the dirty edges and any dags (poo) which are attached.

Note: Some people like to pre-soak a fleece in cold water before washing. This helps to begin to loosen and dissolve the dirt. The presoak works great for uncoated fleeces with dirty tips and wool with red clay on it. Hot wash water will permanently set red clay stains; so the pre-soak can be very important.

On standard fleece the right side is nubbly and the wrong side is smooth. When the pattern instructions say, "Place the two pieces right sides together," it means place them nubbly sides together. Fleece marked "anti-pill" looks this way, too, and tends to be ultra-soft and cuddly. Some fleece is smooth on both sides.

Once the bags are filled, I may do a cold soak. This is especially useful if the fleece is dusty or muddy or has tips that are stuck together with lanolin. A cold soak is exactly that: soaking the wool in cold water. I often soak overnight, but always for a minimum of an hour or so.

The best detergent to use is a wool washing detergent: this is because they have a pH that will not damage the fibres (wool fibres do not like alkaline solutions). Add detergent to your hot water to create a fairly strong concentration then put your fleece into the water and let it soak for about 10-15 minutes.

Tips For Caring For Fleece

Fleece DOESN'T shrink so there is no need to pre-treat fleece, you can start your new fleece project immediately! Wash fleece in lukewarm water avoiding bleach and fabric softener. For drying, use low heat for a short time.

These days the price of wool wouldn't even pay for a weeks labour. With most fleeces worth around 20p yet many shearing will take at least a pound for each fleece. Sheep's wool simply is not worth anything to a farmer anymore.

Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (depending upon dialect, a sheep may be said to have been "shorn", "sheared" or "shore" [in Australia]).

Freshly shorn sheep

It takes up to six weeks for the fleece to regrow sufficiently to provide effective insulation. Sheared sheep also require more feed to maintain their body temperatures, especially during the winter.

You can fill a bath or large bowl with hand hot water, add liquid soap or detergent (e.g. wool washing fluid or washing-up liquid), then dunk the fleece into the bath/bowl and ensure it is submerged. Leave till cold. 5. Drain by squeezing gently and lifting onto a rack, then rinse until water runs clean.

Is it OK to take wool from sheep? ›

Do sheep get angry when they see us wearing wool? No they don't. They are happy to shed that fleece when they are sheared and don't think twice about it. However, they do seem to prefer wearing wool over synthetic.

Fleece does not shrink, fade or run so there is no need to prewash the fabric. It does not like to be ironed therefor if you need to press a seam flat, use a low setting with steam on and a pressing cloth. Don't tumble dry fleece just hang it up to air dry, too much heat from the tumble drier can cause fibres to melt.

Start by turning the garment inside out to protect the outer surface. Use a gentle cycle on your washing machine with cold water to prevent shrinking or damage to the fabric. Avoid using bleach or harsh detergents that can weaken the fibers.