Market Day

Market day has never been so much fun as it was yesterday. Christmas creeps up and the last few days is upon us. We setup shop and got the sheepskin products moving...

Here's my bro and I, for those that haven't met me I'm the one on the left wearing one of my fathers RAF jackets, an Irving.

I'm glad to say that I think we made a good impression yesterday with the quality of our sheepskin products. People really don't realise the vast difference in sheepskin and the various products, especially when they are hand made like ours. Has China brain washed everyone?!? As soon as they run their hands through the rug I see faces light up. I think we'll have take a sheep or perhaps even a lamb as a bit of a crowd pleaser one day. 

Here's the lovely Nicole all snug and looking amazing!

And of course just like all the silly men in our family there's always one that has to give it a try.

It was a very long day for us in the end as we started at 5:00 and finished at 23:49. So glad we started early as due to a little error on the logistics front or should I just say Range Rover are a little bit over careful with their security we almost didn't make it. We left the house all packed at 6:20 and arrived in Sidcup petrol station a little while later. Nicole ran in to grab some brekkie and I stuck £40 in the gas guzzler. I should have realised a problem in the force when their payment machine needed a reboot. When I had finally paid the key no longer switched off the immobiliser. What a disaster! We couldn't start the car! Aparantly such connections can be interfered with by satellites and telephone poles? Has anyone heard this ? Luckily my bro had kindly offered his help the previous day so he was able to bring us the spare car  key and follow us from there. With a freshly cooked Burger King (to say thank you) in his hand we were off. The very kind guys at Camden market let us in after the close. Personally, I know how difficult it is to say no to Nicole.

We had a great day and met loads of lovely people.

You guys Rock at Camden Lock!

From us a British Sheepskin we salute you! 

Handmade Sheepskin Cushion

Handmade Sheepskin Cushion

To create that great first impression in any room what better way than to have a sheepskin cushion, it literally jumps out at the eye when people see it.

Large Natural Sheepskin Cushion / Pillow

Our British Sheepskin cushions are made from the very best material and as you can see by the picture the hair is long and thick. We stuff our sheepskin cushions with sheepskin off cuts which give that extra softness. Nothing but pure comfort and luxury…

On the Reverse side we have a sewn a sturdy zip so the cushions can be easily washed if necessary. See one of our previous posts about washing natural sheepskin (Click here to view). With this easy easy zip you are also able to change the inside of the cushion by adding more or less depending on your own comfort preferences. We personally fill them up to the softness we prefer. See the picture below to get a better understanding of the British Sheepskin Cushion.

Large Sheepskin Cushion by British Sheepskin

You can see by the picture that it has a suede back which is what you would expect from such a luxury item. Each cushion is priced at £59.99 and you won't be disappointed by the quality that you are getting. This product will last you for many, many years, we have had the same product in our home for over 15 years and we expect them to last another 15.

When you think to buy Sheepskin products remember it’s about the quality and durability that goes with it. Think British Sheepskin.

The Cossack / Russian Style Hat

The Cossack / Russian Style Sheepskin Hat

All our sheepskin products are handmade at British Sheepskin and this one is in particular another family favourite. Yes it's true all the boys as well as the girls wear them in our house but only at particular times which just happens to be when we have all had a skinful. We seem to get into one of those, 

"Let's all wear a silly hat!"

Our Cossack / Russian hats aren't normally described as silly but when a room of fully grown men put them on believe me the atmosphere changes. Empowering and simply fabulous... Well that's what we think in any case.

The word or name Cossack actually refers to certain groups of people that lived in Eastern Europe and Russia during the 16 to 18th century. They were military in nature and many served as border control for various towns and valuable trading posts. Due to the cold weather they needed to keep warm hence the fur hat. At British Sheepskin we actually use sheep instead of fur as with a sheep the entirety is used for various purposes. Nothing goes to waste with a sheep.

A Cossack wearing a Cossack / Russian style hat

As you can see by the picture above a lot has changed but the same design is still there. When you buy a Cossack / Russian hat from British Sheepskin and put in on your head you instantly feel like it will be keeping you nice and warm.

These type of hats don't normally come in many sizes especially when they are made out of sheepskin. The nature of sheepskin is to stretch to fit your head perfectly. The size starts around 23" but once you wear it it stretches to become a nice snug fit.

British Sheepskin Cossack / Russian hat

So When did the Cossack / Russian hat come into fashion?

It was actually Look magazine that was allowed to go into Russia in 1967 to photograph the fashion and what was there but the fashionable Cossack hat. Many different furs were used for these glorious hats. See her Royal highness below wearing a fox Cossack / Russian hat click here to see more on NIBS blog.

Queen Elizabeth II wearing a Fox Cossack / Russian Hat

We pride ourselves on quality and using the very best material so you can feel comfortable when you buy from British Sheepskin.

Sheepskin Rug Test

Sheepskin rug test

When comparing sheepskin rugs there are many different types out there so it’s good to have a little knowledge of what to buy. Here are a few pointers to guide you along with a direct comparison.

Here are two of my own, both have their uses and neither are thin haired.

The Pile

Sheepskin pile basically means how many fibres are in a square inch and the thickness of each fibre. It depends what you are looking for and I think long pile looks great and is extremely soft but if you are walking on it everyday it will likely get tangled and will need to be brushed out. So if you are looking for something which is going to get a lot of usage then you should look to buy short pile.

Short Pile (as shown above) is good for sitting on
Long (as shown above) is good for lying on, having as a rug, or draping over something like a bed or back of a sofa.

I mentioned earlier that you should also be aware of thick and thin fibres. This comes down to the quality and how the skin was treated. Good quality will have a thick lushness to it, a good test is to see how many hairs you can hold it up by. The better quality the less hairs you will need to elevate the rug before they are pulled out (Of course I’m not suggesting you go round the shops pulling out chunks of wool).

Both Sheepskin rugs you can see are both used on a daily basis in my home so I apologise on the colour of the short haired one as this is the one I use on my office chair. I picked up the yellow sheepskin from a shop in Suffolk for £20 he sold this to me as it wasn’t a good shape and neither was it a very nice colour. It suits me for the purpose.

You can see the density of the fibers and the short length.

The other sheepskin rug is much bigger, fuller shape with longer hairs and is sold for £119.99. This is my personal favourite as I love the long hairs which gives it an extra softness.

Extra Large Sheepskin Rug with long hairs, full shape and very soft.

When making your choice be careful not to buy the thin haired as it will likely not last very long. It should last for a very long time, so buy sheepskin rugs right, do the test.

Sheepskin Christmas Traditions

Around this time of year we love to hear about different family traditions and the things that bring loved ones together at this special time of year. I was absolutely delighted when one of our customers shared some details of her traditional Christmas experiences in Italy. Did you know that sheepskin plays key role in the traditions in the wonderful land of gelato and gnocchi ? 

Zampognari are  shepherds who live in the mountains . We have been told that they are usually strong mountain men that live very rich and wholesome lives in some of the most beautiful places in Italy. Zampognari  come to the towns at Christmas time to  see members of their family and spread Christmas cheer in a unique way. You see, Zampognari are often skilled musicians and they play a whole range of instruments including a special kind of bag pipe which is made partly out of sheepskin. We love the homemade musical stick played here - check out this video: 

As you can see the traditional clothing is a shaggy sheepskin vest- no doubt these keep the Zampognari feeling warm and fuzzy just like wearing our Sheepskin accessories or snuggling up on a sheepskin rug.  

Here are British Sheepskin we love a bit of festive music. One of our favourite traditions is to gather around our fire (the best spot is of course the extra large British sheepskin rug in the middle ;-) and enjoy each other's company with some drinks and nibbles - Bauble or Bing usually playing in the background. Once our bellies are full of mulled cider and mulled wine or hot chocolate for the children we all put on our sheepskin hats and mittens before braving the cold to attend our local carol service :-) . As we are still mastering the art of all singing in tune we think we will leave the bagpipes and other instruments to the skilled Zampgnari, but we would love to join them one year . Check out one our family favourites, you know you love it: 

How to wash a sheepskin rug

How to wash a sheepskin rug

Please note that this only applies to natural sheepskin rugs and any dyed sheepskin should be taken to a professional dry cleaners and we suggest only using one that has experience with these sort of products. Sheepskin should be handled with the correct care in order to maintain the natural softness.

Natural Sheepskin Washing Process

A natural British Sheepskin rug can be hand or machine washed at 30 celsius or less and even cold water. You must use a very gentle detergent such as Nikwax Wool Wash or similar. You should NEVER use bleach, Woolite or laundry detergents like ‘Persil’ on your sheepskin rug. These are harsh detergents for your sheepskin and will strip off the softness from your wool and also make the leather underside hard. If you put your sheepskin on a machine wash use the gentle cycle. You will need to get rid of any excess water and we suggest using the spin cycle. The next step is to stretch out the sheepskin rug to its original shape while it’s still damp and pliable. This is a VERY important step and can only be done at this time, after all you want the sheepskin rug to be the same shape as it was before the cleaning process.  

Natural Sheepskin Drying Process

Never ever put your British Sheepskin rug in a tumble dryer or iron it. Sheepskin rugs should ONLY be air dried by lying flat or hanging on a line. Never put them in direct sunlight and you must never use artificial heat of any kind as this can and most likely will damage your sheepskin rug.

Restoring the Sheepskin Look and Feel

Once you have washed your British Sheepskin rug the wool might be curly and flat like it is on the sheep. The British Sheepskin Rug was straightened at the tanning process. To restore the sheepskins fluffyness you simply need to brush it out with either a wire brush or comb. We find a dog brush works well. The best method is to brush at three stages of the cleaning process. First when wet, then when damp and finally when dry.

Disclaimer

Due to the delicate nature of Sheepskin and that we cannot supervise the washing process, we in no way guarantee the result. This includes customers who buy a British Sheepskin rug.

The story of Conkers the Sheep

Conkers

We like to encourage our followers on Twitter to name our sheep here at British Sheepskin. Sometimes we like to create a little story to go along with it just for a bit of fun. Here is the story of Conkers from Little Conkers.

There is a well known fact about Conkers, he simply loves to be scratched behind his right ear. And unlike other sheep he makes the strangest little cheerful sound when you get it just right. One sunny Spring day farmer Giles came to visit just happened to be at the same time when Conkers was getting his daily scratch.

In a croaky Cornish accent farmer Giles said, “Thaat’s tha strangist sound I’ve herrd from any sheeeep but how laavely”

What farmer Giles didn't realise was Conkers was a bit of a special little fellow and loved getting some attention. It was of course humorous for the tickler or scratcher depending on your style due to the lovely little sound he made. Now being that Conkers was indeed a special little sheep we decided to take him into the farmhouse and domesticate him. If anyone was upset they could scratch behind his ear, Conkers would make that little noise and all would be made better.

For many years Conkers lived in the farmhouse and for many years he brought lots of joy to the family, he even had his own knitted sweater with his name conkers written on it.

To name one of our sheep and have a story written about him please follow us on Twitter and we at British Sheepskin will do our best to deliver what we promise.

How to buy a quality sheepskin rug

I’m looking to buy a sheepskin rug, what qualities should I look for?

Sheepskin comes in all sorts of different hair types, just like human hair. Now we are not simply talking about colour but thickness and how it’s been kept. An important part is also the tanning process which is basically how they treat the sheepskin and make it into the lovely rugs and products we have today. All these things have their part to play…

1. The sheepskin rug should be thick with hair in other words dense. A good rug should have many hairs like the one’s at British Sheepskin. We source only the best sheep which all have many hairs per square inch. 

2. It should feel really soft when you run your hands through the sheepskin rug. Almost as if you are swimming through a cloud. Here at British Sheepskin we hand test each and every rug to make sure it scores highly on the fluffy scale.

3. The tanning process is important to sheepskin rugs. Now of course we don’t want to bore you but there are certain ways to do this which speed up the process. Especially with today’s mentality a lot of manufacturers use a speedy process, here at British Sheepskin we make sure we do it the right way. Takes longer but ensures a better product.

4. One of the tests to see the quality of the sheepskin rug is by how many hairs you can hold it up by. Here at British Sheepskin we would take the Pepsi challenge against many rugs out there. Take one of the faux (fake) sheepskin rugs or even a low quality rug and hold it up by a pinch and you will see for yourself.

Without going into too much detail at this stage this should put you in good shape to buy a sheepskin rug. You can be sure that all our rugs at British Sheepskin are of the highest quality out there. Our family has been doing this for over 25 years.

What makes the best slipper?

Let’s have a look…

When you get into your house / flat / apartment / shed / or wherever you reside what’s the first thing you do? This of course is after the dog has come bounding towards you all excited that you are home. So after the licks and love from the canine and saying your hello’s my first thing to do is to take off my shoes and change immediately into my cosy sheepskin slippers.

This of course brings me immediate comfort and an unconscious knowledge that I’m home.

So I think we have the first item on the list.

1. Owning a pair of slippers preferably sheepskin.

Did you know that sheepskin actually moulds to your feet? Unlike faux fur it also helps your feet to breathe. So have we found another good point of what makes the best slipper.

2. A slipper should mould to your feet.

And yes we have another… My feet are always hot, so when I take off my shoes I need them to breathe.

3. A slipper should keep your feet at the right temperature and let them breathe.

I personally spend more time in my sheepskin slippers than any other footwear. So they must be machine washable.

4. A slipper must be machine washable.

I find that one tends to get rather close to the possessions they use the most. How terrible would it be for something you love only to last a week or so. I know I’ve bought clothes from certain (no name mentioned) budget department shops worn it once, bung it in the wash only to find the damn thing ruined and never to be worn again.

5. A good slipper must last.

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas

Father Christmas comes to visit us at British Sheepskin. He loves everything sheepskin and he has all our handmade sheepskin products like the slippers, Cossack / Russian Hat like the one he is wearing in this video.

He keeps his and Mrs Claus’ feet warm with our handmade sheepskin slippers which by the way mould to your feet. Being Father Christmas he was the first one to say our slippers are and I quote
‘Ho ho ho… these are sippers with a soft soul… ho ho ho’

He also uses our sheepskin rugs for his sleigh,

‘Ho ho ho… I wouldn’t ride without it, it’s so soft and snug…ho ho ho’

Check out our website www.britishsheepskin.com