The Cushion Caper

I have friends with a lovely stone hearth in front of their fabulous fireplace. They enjoy a glass of wine gazing into each others eyes, overlooking their garden at sunset, and thinking about their elongating to-do list, I suspect. One problem: they are so fit that their boney bottoms are impaled onto the stone surface.



Sheep to the rescue. I was recruited to make 2 cushions just the right size to provide an elastic and thermally reflective surface between the smooth cold hard stone and the athletic derrieres.

First , get a specialty breed called Gotland sheep. They originated in Sweden and have ringlets of variegated silvery locks. Next, breed said sheep and provide lambing support for the newborns.





Watch them grow daily, which provides a panoply of FB posts. At 6 months of age, schedule shearing with expert John Sanchez. Six inch silvery curls fall to the barn floor and are gathered up.





Next felt squares. Start with 24x24" square of Corriedale batting. On top of that, lay individual locks over the entire surface. Wet thoroughly with warm soapy water. Place netting over the surface so locks are not dislodged much and start rubbing away. It feels like washing your hair with slippery fibers rubbing freely over your scalp. This mixes them up and forms actual fabric of felt.





Secure the fibers even more by forming a rolls between 2 layers of bubble wrap. Roll 50 times, open up and rotate 90 degree and roll another 50, repeat all 4 directions, then flip over and repeat. 400 rolls total. Then gather up the square and throw it over and over again, splashing water everywhere. This is called "shocking" the felt and tightens it up. I finish the process with placing the square in a mesh bag and add it to a load of laundry. The 24" sides shrunk to 15". You can iron to flatten out the undulating surface.



The material is so thick, my sewing machine was totally overwhelmed. Enter Meg, with an industrial machine. It glided around the edge without a hiccup. I left a hand-sized hole along one edge and filled it with washed belly fleece. That is fleece from the belly of the lamb with less curling, suitable for stuffing but less attractive for spinning or felt. Hand sew up the entry hole and deliver! Bottoms rescued! The "End"