Dotty, my lion's mane is an oval about 30"x35". I can't even imagine tacking down that much wool!

Wow, glad you found a solution. I'd love to see how it turns out.

I used to make costumes. For the lion's mane I used macrame cord in a few shades of beige. I would cut the cord long enough so that I could tack it down in the middle and attach these cords all around the head. Then back-twist the cord so that it untangles and you have seperate strands rather than a wound strand - then brush it with a hair brush. You will get a beautiful thick mane. I don't know if it would wash well, but it sure would look good on the wall.