I don't have any tags or anything on it ... it is from my mother's stash and is probably at least 20 years old but in good shape.

Have you priced wool for applique? An 8" square is usually $2. 50 a square. Wash the wool in the hottest water you have, some even boil the wool in water. 100% wool will felt and be the best fabric you ever worked with. Wool blends if at least 95% wool is great too. Felted wool can be laundered, wool felt cannot.

I have made several 100% wool quilts, none of them felted. They are washed in cold water, the same as wool skirts and other clothing. Some are 20 years old and are just fine. Wool does not have to be felted to be used in quilts, you just have to treat it like wool and not like cotten.

You probably don't want to use it as the whole quilt... it would be soooooo heavy. But wool is fabulous to use for applique. You must felt it first... wash and dry in dryer to shrink. It will shrink perhaps as much as 50%. There is a new pattern in the current Keepsake Quilts catalog that is a BOM and all in wool.. it might give you some ideas... if you were thinking of a large quilt. I combine wool and cotton as well... sometimes cotton as the surface on which to applique the wool. :mrgreen: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

I see there are a lot of different ways to work with the wool. I am fortunate to have quite a bit of it. It's a plaid, with grays, blues, maroon. I'm trading some with one person on here for some blue, gray, and purple cotton to build my stash. If anyone else is interestsed, I have plenty to trade. I am going to keep two yards of it but have about 3 left over. Haven't measured it yet but it's way more than double what my arms can hold outstretched.

THANK YOU for all of the suggestions/hints/tips!!

Sharon

Wow, I had no idea it is that pricey! I have a small fortune's worth here (I'm estimating 5-6 yards)

True, but if you are making a quilt as a gift, I would wash the wool in hot water and shrink it first. I'd hate to give a quilt away after spending hundreds of hours making it only to have the person shrink it while washing it & have all the stitching pull loose. Just a thought.

Funny story. Well, not for my friend. She had an old stove and fridge downstairs in a side room off her quilting room. She didn't use them and instead stored several kits and all her wool fabric in the oven. One of her cats loves to sleep on top of the fridge (under the heater vent) and one day he jumped down and his paw hit the dial and turned the oven on. She was asleep at the time and woke to a house full of smoke. (Thank God she woke up!) She turned the oven off & had to throw away all her cotton fabric, but the wool she washed and it survived just fine. In fact, she just used it all to make a gorgeous applique bag. I was amazed at how well the wool held up, even after being cooked. Needless to say, the oven is now unplugged! :lol:

Well, all but two of the 15 to 18 wool quilts I've made over the last 30 years were given as gifts and none were improperly washed by the recipients. Wool quilts are common in this part of the country, I never give any quilt without care instructions, and folks in these parts know how to care for woolen items of all kinds. It is fast, easy and convenient to felt wool before making something with it, but to many who are not so concerned with speed and shortcuts, it no longer has the beauty of the weave, the softness of drape and the loving male kiss of wool. It becomes something else altogether. To each their own.

remember...when you wash your wool...wash in HOT water...rinse in COLD water...then dry in a normal setting dryer...there's something about the hot wash, cold rinse that is an important step.

I too am going to go against what most have said. My grandmother used to make "comforters" out of old suits and the fabric content was usually wool and corduroys. She kept the weights of the fabric more consistent than the content. they were what she called "postcard" quilts, as that's what she used to make the bricks. She would back them with flannel and use a higher loft batting, and they were tied instead of quilted. They were wonderfully cozy in her house in the winter.. we would sleep on feather beds with a couple of those and yes.. they were heavy.. but we stayed toasty even when the space heater was in a different room.
I'm sure those comforters were washed.. probably in her wringer machine, and hung on the line to dry. and probably washed once a year. Have fun with your new found treasures.