And we have a winner! Homespun cut on the straight of grain, 2-1/2 & 3" strips, folded in half, fold stitched to the mane area in concentric circles. It's a big area, and homespun is loose enough to curve. Straight stitch down, then a small zigzag over the top. It sheds like crazy the first few washes, but then it stops shedding and is so fuzzy!
I'll have time tomorrow to post a picture of the samples and tell you why you should never cut homespun on the bias!