Anyone make their own hats, slippers, etc?

kesoaps · #1 09/08/05, 12:22 AM

I've been visiting sheepskin sites, and wondered how difficult it is to make your own sheepskin products. As I'm typing, however, I'm thinking you'd need a heavy duty machine to get through the skin. Anyone done it?

**Ross** · #2 09/08/05, 06:58 AM

It's on our "To do" list, we even picked up a "Bonus" (trade name) fur machine for sheep skin. With that it should be fairly easy.

kesoaps · #3 09/08/05, 09:34 AM

I figured if anyone had, it would be you and your wife, Ross! I expect to be updated on the projects that y'all will be working on!

sheep tamer · #4 09/08/05, 10:43 AM

It's been a while, but I made a knock off
from a pair we purchased at a festival
for our DD when she outgrew them.

I used it as a pattern, and made holes
for lacing with a teeny hole punch.
trimming the wool a bit where the seams
overlapped to reduce bulk. I think I
bought it from Tandy Leather...
anyway, I used heavy thread run
through beeswax and stitched 'em up.

This was with a purchased tanned
sheepskin, so it was fairly soft, and
they turned out just darling. It was
a bit time consuming, but I didn't
have to invest in a heavy duty
sewing machine and made a few
more pairs and sold them or gave
them as gifts. I've done some just
the skin (wool off) and sewn them
on my sewing machine with a
leather needle. HTH

**Ross** · #5 09/08/05, 01:13 PM

Its pretty far down on the list but ya never know. We're trying to get the wool processing up and running. Need to sell a little tractor I refinished/restored, to buy a building, and in the interim I'm building another wool picker for unwashed fleece. Just got the teeth for it now to either find the infeed rollers or re-design something that will work.