armel – Patchwork Sheep

Beautiful Felted Sheepskin Rug ‘Sprite’

Lucy_G — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 21:30:06 +0000

Beautiful Felted Sheepskin Rug ‘Sprite’ – Handcrafted in Wales

Made with the fleece of a teeny tiny sheep called Sprite who is a Gotland cross Shetland/Leicester Longwool sheep. This beautiful felted sheepskin fleece is very pretty and soft and very versatile. It is a very good example of a felted fleece rug. Made with the whole of Sprite’s fleece in the natural shape. A good even size with thick warm felt on the underside. The felt features a unique pretty design created from handspun wool yarn that colplements Sprite’s pretty fleece and features her name needle felted into the felt.

The rug: This fleece is one of my favourite’s it is wonderfully pretty and a grown by a very special little sheep. Handcrafted using the whole of her fleece and backed with wool from other sheep in the flock. This is a medium-weight fleece. The rug itself is a medium/big size natural shape. The backing felt is wonderfully thick and features a unique design made from handspun yarn. This design is carefully created prior to felting so it becomes one with the fleece during the felting process. Sprite’s name was needle felted on as a finishing touch. The fleece itself is soft with tighter curls down the centre and very pretty wavy locks on the rear and front of the fleece. It has a lot of the characteristics of a Gotland fleece like the loose wavy curls and beautiful glossy shine. This fleece will make a special luxurious rug but equally, it would be wonderful to place on a bed or a sofa or large chair to sit upon. This is a very versitile fleece it is naturally minimal moulting thanks to the quality of Sprite’s fleece and so suitable for a variey of uses.

The sheep: Sprite is a tiny little thing shes very sweet and loves a cuddle. Her mum is Frieda a pure Gotland sheep and her dad is Shamrock who is a mixed breed of Shetland/Soay/Gotland/Leicester Longwool. Sprite was the teeny little runt of triplet girls and her sisters Sprite and Campion live here too. When she was born she was very weak and tiny and needed a bit of help to survive and thrive.

The process: This rug has been made with the whole of Sprite’s fleece. Sprite may be tiny but her fleece is big in comparison to her! Carded wool from some of our other sheep including Tawny, Marmalade and Clover’s mum Frieda is placed on the back and then the swirly yarn pattern is arranged upon this. Everything is then felted by hand to become one. It is made with a lot of care and time entirely by hand. Working the felt slowly like this makes for a much stronger even smooth felt. No felting machines or rollers are used to speed up the process nor washing machines or driers. This is a completely handmade product every element has been created by my hands and the flock at our farm in Wales – from shearing the sheep to washing and carding and spinning the wool to the felting process itself. Made as naturally and as nature-friendly as possible. The sale of this item directly sustains the sheep it pays for their feed and upkeep of the land and barns enabling the flock to live long happy lives here munching away and growing wonderful wool.

Details:

Size: Measurements taken on the fluffy fleece side. The rug is a natural irregular shape it measures approx 120-130cm in length and 80-105cm in width with the narrowest measurements at the neck and places where the fleece draws in and the widest parts being across the middle and rear leg area.

Wool texture: The feel of this fleece is soft and silky. Sprite’s fleece has many of the characteristics of a Gotland fleece but it is a little longer and more wild-looking. The backing felt is lovely and soft but may feel a little prickly in places where the roots of the fleece poke through the felt, this is normal and shows how well the two halves (fleece and carded backing wool) have become one.

Colour: Natural warm cream and pale greys. Predominantly pale grey and browns on the backing felt. Please see all photos of the rug in different lighting conditions.

Hair loss: Minimal – there is a little loss of hair which is normal. Sprite’s fleece is a particularly good minimal moulting fleece due to the type of wool. All felted fleeces moult or shed to some degree some more than others. Moulting typically lessens over time.

VM(aka hay/grass seeds etc): As always you may find the odd wisp of hay or grass seed from the Welsh Hillside within the fleece and felt I have done my best to remove the ones I came across. There may be the odd bit of hay deep in the spine/center curls of Sprite’s fleece but they are few and far between. This is a natural item gently made by hand and sheep. There is a whole story behind it! The wool it is made from has spent a whole year outside growing on a sheep. It’s been through a lot, it’s seen a lot, it’s kept a sheep warm and dry and even cool at times.. its probably been dragged through a hedge (or two!), splattered with mud at some point, sprinkled with hay at another and rolled around in the spring clover as it naturally started to rise and break away from its 4 legged creator and I got my shears out – all that and the wool still looks beautiful.. none the worse for wear.. isn’t wool amazing!

Fleeces naturally get washed during the felting process and then they all get a proper wash or two after they are felted so they are thoroughly clean and smell divine. They are left to dry in the open air or sometimes draped beside the stove in winter. I am passionate about keeping things natural and energy use to a minimum when making my woollen crafts. Hence I do not wash fleeces in a washing machine or use a tumble drier to dry and fluff them up.

If you have any questions or queries at all please send me a message I will be happy to help.

You can meet Sprite and read more about her and her pals here.

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A lot of time, care and love go into all my items. They are all individually crafted one at a time by my hands and sheep – from caring for and shearing the sheep, washing the wool and crafting an item to the packaging and posting – hand (and sheep) made in the truest sense of the word.

Any questions just send me a message I will always do my best to help.

Postage is via Next Day Courier usually Parcelforce or UPS and dispatched within 1-5 working days. If you require different postage or are an overseas buyer please contact me before purchasing to arrange.

Combined Postage I do combine postage on multiple items if it is not done automatically at checkout I will refund you any overcharges after checkout.

Post Packaging In an effort to be more eco-friendly most of the outer post packaging I send items in is reused aka recycled packaging that we have received parcels in ourselves or that has been gifted to me to put to good use.

OVERSEAS BUYERS The shop is currently set to UK customers only. Please contact me if you are overseas and I will arrange the purchase for you. You will incur an extra postage charge which may vary depending on location, plus any taxes or customs charges your country places upon the parcel. Please note I cannot currently ship to EU countries or the US I do apologise but due to new regulations it is not possible for me to post to these places at the current time.

RETURNS If you are unhappy with your item please contact me within 5 days of receiving it to discuss. All items must be returned in their original unused condition and buyer pays return postage.

If you have any problems with your order please contact me and I will do my best to help.

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We keep a well-loved, high welfare flock of pet and rescue sheep on the Llyn Peninsular in North Wales. Our sheep are a part of the family and each is known by name. All our wool and makes are vegetarian-friendly as we do not breed or sell sheep for the meat market and our sheep live out their natural lives with us. I am a full-time mum and shepherdess. In my (none existent!) free time I make things from wool from the sheep in order to sustain them.

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The post Beautiful Felted Sheepskin Rug ‘Sprite’ appeared first on Patchwork Sheep.

Curly Cream Felted Fleece Rug ‘Clover’

Lucy_G — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 20:30:52 +0000

Curly Cream Felted Fleece Rug ‘Clover’ – Handcrafted in Wales

Made with the fleece of a little sheep called Clover. She is a Gotland cross Shetland/Leicester Longwool sheep. This curly cream felted fleece is very pretty and soft and very versatile. It is a very good example of a felted fleece rug. Made with the whole of Clover’s fleece in the natural shape. A good large size with thick warm felt on the underside. The felt features a unique pretty design created from handspun wool yarn and Clover’s name needle felted into the felt.

The rug: A very pretty cream colour with some pale grey patches along the edges. Handcrafted using the whole fleece from Clover and backed with wool from other sheep in the flock. This is a medium-weight fleece. The rug itself is a large size natural shape. The backing felt is wonderfully thick and features a unique design made from handspun yarn. This design is carefully created prior to felting so it becomes one with the fleece during the felting process. Clover’s name was needle felted on as a finishing touch. The fleece itself is soft with wavy with tighter waves down the centre and loose wavy locks on the rear and front of the fleece. It has a lot of the characteristics of a Gotland fleece like the loose wavy curls and beautiful glossy shine. This fleece will make a special luxurious rug but equally, it would be wonderful to place on a bed or a sofa or large chair to sit upon. This is a very versitile fleece it is naturally minimal moulting thanks to the quality of Clover’s fleece and so suitable for a variey of uses.

The sheep: Clover is a pretty little Gotland crossbreed sheep. Her mum is Frieda a pure Gotland sheep and her dad is Shamrock who is a mixed breed of Shetland/Soay/Gotland/Leicester Longwool. Clover was one of triplet girls and her sisters Sprite and Campion live here too. Clover and Campion take their names from the rabbits in the book Watership Down.

The process: This rug has been made with the whole of Clover’s fleece. Carded wool from some of our other sheep including Tawny, Marmalade and Clover’s mum Frieda is placed on the back and then the swirly yarn pattern is arranged upon this. Everything is then felted by hand to become one. It is made with a lot of care and time entirely by hand. Working the felt slowly like this makes for a much stronger even smooth felt. No felting machines or rollers are used to speed up the process nor washing machines or driers. This is a completely handmade product every element has been created by my hands and the flock at our farm in Wales – from shearing the sheep to washing and carding and spinning the wool to the felting process itself. Made as naturally and as nature-friendly as possible. The sale of this item directly sustains the sheep it pays for their feed and upkeep of the land and barns enabling the flock to live long happy lives here munching away and growing wonderful wool.

Details:

Size: Measurements taken on the fluffy fleece side. The rug is a natural irregular shape it measures approx 130-140cm in length and 80-100cm in width with the narrowest measurements at the neck and places where the fleece draws in and the widest parts being across the middle and rear leg area.

Wool texture: The feel of this fleece is soft and silky. Clover’s fleece has many of the characteristics of a Gotland fleece. The backing felt is also lovely and soft but may feel a little prickly in places where the roots of the fleece poke through the felt, this is normal and shows how well the two halves (fleece and carded backing wool) have become one.

Colour: Natural warm cream and very pale greys around the edge of the fleece side and predominantly pale grey and browns on the backing felt. Please see all photos of the rug in different lighting conditions.

Hair loss: Minimal – there is a little loss of hair which is normal. Clover’s fleece is a particularly good minimal moulting fleece due to the type of wool. All felted fleeces moult or shed to some degree some more than others. Moulting typically lessens over time.

VM(aka hay/grass seeds etc): As always you may find the odd wisp of hay or grass seed from the Welsh Hillside within the fleece and felt I have done my best to remove the ones I came across. There may be the odd bit of hay deep in the spine/center curls of Clovers fleece but they are few and far between. This is a natural item gently made by hand and sheep. There is a whole story behind it! The wool it is made from has spent a whole year outside growing on a sheep. It’s been through a lot, it’s seen a lot, it’s kept a sheep warm and dry and even cool at times.. its probably been dragged through a hedge (or two!), splattered with mud at some point, sprinkled with hay at another and rolled around in the spring clover as it naturally started to rise and break away from its 4 legged creator and I got my shears out – all that and the wool still looks beautiful.. none the worse for wear.. isn’t wool amazing!

If you have any questions or queries at all please send me a message I will be happy to help.

You can meet Clover and read more about her and her pals here.

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Any questions just send me a message I will always do my best to help.

Combined Postage I do combine postage on multiple items if it is not done automatically at checkout I will refund you any overcharges after checkout.

RETURNS If you are unhappy with your item please contact me within 5 days of receiving it to discuss. All items must be returned in their original unused condition and buyer pays return postage.

If you have any problems with your order please contact me and I will do my best to help.

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The post Curly Cream Felted Fleece Rug ‘Clover’ appeared first on Patchwork Sheep.

Large Gotland Felted Fleece ‘Armel’ – Natural Wool – Handcrafted in Wales

Lucy_G — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 10:21:05 +0000

Large Gotland Felted Fleece ‘Armel’ – Handcrafted in Wales

This large Gotland felted fleece rug has been handcrafted with Armel’s 2023 fleece. A fabulous huge size heavy sheepskin style rug with thick warm felt on the underside. It features a beautiful scrolling design on the felt that is inspired by the myths and legends and magic of it’s native Wales.

The rug: Huge heavy wool rug made with Armel’s gorgeous curly fleece. Handcrafted using the whole fleece from Armel and backed with wool from other sheep in the flock. This is a heavy-weight fleece. The backing felt is wonderfully thick and features a gorgeous design made from handspun yarn and lengths of carded wool. This design is carefully created prior to felting so it becomes one with the fleece during the felting process. Armels name and the bear paw print were needle felted on as a finishing touch. The name Armel can trace its roots back to a Welsh name meaning bear prince. Knowing this I felt inspired by the magic and myths of Wales when I was working on this fleece and the design grew from the colours and swirls within Armels fleece. The fleece itself is beautifully curly and wavy with tighter curls down the centre and loose wavy locks on the rear and front of the fleece. It has a lot of the characteristics of a Gotland fleece including the stormy warm grey colours and beautiful glossy shine. Because of the heaviness, this fleece will make a super rug but equally, it would be wonderful to place on a sofa or large chair to sit upon. This is a very versitile fleece it is naturally minimal moulting thanks to the quality of Armels fleece and so suitable for a variey of uses.

The sheep: Armel is a handsome sweet Gotland crossbreed sheep. His mum is Frieda a pure Gotland sheep and his dad is Bruno. Armel also has a twin sister Ursa who lives here too. The name Armel can trace it’s roots back to the Welsh name Arthmael meaning bear prince. There was something very bear cub like in the looks of Armel and his sister when they were baby lambs, hence the names.

The process: This rug has been made with the whole of Armels fleece. Carded wool from some of our other sheep including Poppy, Daffy and Armel’s mum Frieda is placed on the back and then the swirly pattern is arranged upon this. Everything is then felted by hand to become one. It is made with a lot of care and time entirely by hand. Working the felt slowly like this makes for a much stronger even smooth felt. No felting machines or rollers are used to speed up the process nor washing machines or driers. This is a completely handmade product every element has been created by my hands and the flock at our farm in Wales – from shearing the sheep to washing and carding and spinning the wool to the felting process itself. Made as naturally and as nature-friendly as possible. The sale of this item directly sustains the sheep it pays for their feed and upkeep of the land and barns enabling the flock to live long happy lives here munching away and growing wonderful wool.

Details:

Size: Measurements taken on the fluffy fleece side. The rug is a natural irregular shape it measures approx 140cm in length and 80-110cm in width with the narrowest measurements at the neck and places where the fleece draws in and the widest parts being across the middle and rear leg area.

Wool texture: The feel of this fleece is soft and silky. Armels fleece has many of the characteristics of a Gotland fleece. The backing felt is also soft but may feel a little prickly in places where the roots of the fleece poke through the felt, this is normal and shows how well the two halves (fleece and carded backing wool) have become one.

Colour: Natural warm stormy greys. Please see all photos of the rug in different lighting conditions.

Hair loss: Minimal – there is a little loss of hair which is normal. Armel’s fleece is a particularly good minimal moulting fleece due to the type of wool. All felted fleeces moult or shed to some degree some more than others. Moulting typically lessens over time.

VM(aka hay/grass seeds etc): Few and far between with this item. But as always you may find the odd wisp of hay or grass seed from the Welsh Hillside within the fleece and felt I have done my best to remove the ones I came across. This is a natural item gently made by hand and sheep. There is a whole story behind it! The wool it is made from has spent a whole year outside growing on a sheep. It’s been through a lot, it’s seen a lot, it’s kept a sheep warm and dry and even cool at times.. its probably been dragged through a hedge (or two!), splattered with mud at some point, sprinkled with hay at another and rolled around in the spring clover as it naturally started to rise and break away from its 4 legged creator and I got my shears out – all that and the wool still looks beautiful.. none the worse for wear.. isn’t wool amazing!

If you have any questions or queries at all please send me a message I will be happy to help.

You can meet Armel and read more about him and his pals here.

——————————————————–

A lot of time, care and love goes into all my items they are all individually made one at a time my hands and sheep – from caring for and shearing the sheep, washing the wool and crafting an item to the packaging and posting – hand (and sheep) made in the truest sense of the word.

Any questions just send me a message I will always do my best to help.

Postage for large rugs is with either UPS next day or Parcelforce next day and items are dispatched within 1-5 working days. If you have an issue with either of these couriers or require different postage or are an overseas buyer please contact me before purchasing to arrange.

Combined Postage I do combine postage on multiple items if it is not done automatically at checkout I will refund you any overcharges after checkout.

OVERSEAS BUYERS I do ship worldwide but the shop is currently set to UK customers only. Please contact me if you are overseas and I will arrange the purchase for you. You will incur an extra postage charge which may vary depending on location, plus any taxes or customs charges your country places upon the parcel.

RETURNS If you are unhappy with your item please contact me within 5 days of receiving it. All items must be returned in their original unused condition and buyer pays return postage.

If you have any problems with your order please contact me and I will do my best to help.

———————————————————

The post Large Gotland Felted Fleece ‘Armel’ – Natural Wool – Handcrafted in Wales appeared first on Patchwork Sheep.