Saturday 16 March 2013

Woolshed love

I have a love for wool shed's and I'm sure it is because of the memories that stir in me when I see or visit a wool shed.  My dad was a shearer and contractor, my parents where sheep farmers and we spent time in them when I was growing up, both my brothers can shear, I made a bit of money as a wool handler-rousie-fleece-sewer(all names given for a shed hand.), I met my husband in a wool shed,( he was a shearer), we had our wedding photos in a wool shed, now my kids are learning to shear and spent the summer pressing (a job in the wool shed where they press the wool into bales).  It sure is funny this circle of life!!
This has lead me to make these pillows, which remind me of the old bales of  old time, they even have that smell about them!, minus the wool..





The numbers are our different birthdays and the brands are all brands that used to be stencilled onto the bales in the old days.  Now days they use a marker pen and hand write them.  The old bales used to be made of jute-which is like the burlap now.  (just out of interest these are actually old feed sacks given to me by my sister in-law)

BIN-is a bale of wool made up of all left over wool from different lines.
EWE- this is ewe (female sheep) wool.
LBS-this is lambs (Baby sheep) wool.
PCS-this is pieces-made up of the dirty bits of wool taken from the edge of the fleece.
HGT-this is hogget wool (that is basically a teenage sheep)

Well I am off to milk some cows, so I hope you all have a great weekend, Michelle.

4 comments:

  1. A great project full of family history Michelle.

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  2. Cool! I have always loved the smell of woolsheds.....call me strange but I have fond memories hanging out in them after a hunt (horses & hounds )for hot soup.

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  3. I love your post michelle - yes I too love old woolsheds & the smells and the memories they evoke. Your cushions look wonderful, you have done a great job. Hope you have a great Sunday, Julie :-)

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  4. Lovely cushions and great post. I remember sleeping in a wool shed on a large bale of wool as a teenager and waking up feeling all greasy!!

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