Hello Fiber Arts Friday followers!
A while back I told you about the unfortunate passing of my alpaca Miracle. We ended up processing her hide and sent it off to be tanned and made into a lap robe. Well the good news is our Miracle Blanket is finished! I picked it up from Sivko Furs, Inc on Sunday and have had a full week to enjoy it.
Sivko Furs did an awesome job! I’m thrilled with the outcome. The fur is held tightly to the hide and has been brushed clean and is so soft. Their seamstress did a beautiful job sewing on a soft beige color fleece. She managed to hide the seam for the majority of the blanket and only a small area at the neck shows her stitching where she had to turn the blanket inside out.
Per my asking she trimmed some of the neck off A) so we didn’t have a seam in the fleece backing and B) so I had a piece of fur hide to keep and play with for my own projects. They also included all the other little scraps of hide they trimmed off while making the finished blanket. Maybe in future FAF posts I’ll show you what I plan on doing with them all.
The look and feel of this blanket really made me think of the old carriage lap robes used to stay warm with on cold winter nights. Actually the authenticity of such a lap robe isn’t too farfetched. Did you know in the late 1800’s alpaca was more popular in the US than sheep’s wool? Unfortunately it was a short lived industry since the quantity needed to keep up with demand wasn’t there and sheep ended up taking over as a preferred fiber. Check out my post on Alpaca, Fiber of the Presidents for more info.
If any of you who end up in the same situation as I did be sure to read my post on preserving your alpaca hide and I highly recommend the kind folks at Sivko Furs who had a great turnaround time and a very fair price for processing our Miracle.
I was just curious as to how the actual hide turned out. Was the leather soft and supple, or was it a little stiff. We have had a couple of our alpacas die over the years and have taken most of their hides to be tanned. Usually when they come back they are either very thin and tear easily or they are a little stiff and not easily worked, as for a garment. Was the leather thick like deer skin glove leather or was it thin? Was the leather stiff or is it easily folded and supple? Any and all help would be appreciated. My e-mail is paul@arrowhead-alpacas.com. Thank you, Paul
That’s wonderful, what a great way to remember a beloved alpaca.
.-= Jess (Storied Yarns)´s last blog ..Fiber Arts Friday: June Phatfiber Box =-.
That is a wonderful keepsake of Miracle. I love the photos and the instructions on what to do. Big hugs and thank you for sharing Miracle with us.
And…thanks for the link and spindle advice. I would never have thought about making your own.
.-= Allison´s last blog ..Spinning: Not On A Bike But Maybe On A Drop Spindle? =-.
That is lovely! What a treasure.
.-= Allison´s last blog ..Spinning: Not On A Bike But Maybe On A Drop Spindle? =-.
I’ve been wondering how that project was going. The lap robe is lovely.
.-= Kathryn | Alpacamundo´s last blog ..Fiber Arts Friday: Duck Foot, part 3 =-.
What a lovely way for Miracle to continue being a part of your life! I wouldn’t have ever thought to do that.
.-= Kristi aka FiberFool´s last blog ..ECF: Alpaca Shearing =-.
That is so beautifully, especially photographed with your carriage! Will definitely check out the processors, thanks for sharing.
.-= Seldom Scene Farm´s last blog ..Fiber Friday =-.