British Sheepskin provides the very best sheepskin products, they are all handmade you can buy sheepskin slippers, pillows hats and of course rugs.
We are a family run business so happy to help in anyway we can.
Showing posts with label Celtic Sheepskin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celtic Sheepskin. Show all posts
Here at British Sheepskin we believe that there is a Cossack Hat for everyone... We already know it looks fab on you. Here are some happy customers from the market.
It's such a joy to see people's faces light up when they walk over and feel the fluffy real sheepskin before they even try it one. All our products are handmade from the very best sheepskin so of course they last and last. And in my best northern accent, "Quality..." I have roots in Yorkshire.
They can be brushed to maintain their fluffy appeal or left to go curly and back to their original state.
My father made my mother a Cossack hat many years ago and we've since been making them for other people.
When you wear one of our British Sheepskin Cossack Hats people will ask you where you bought it from.
To really get to know your customers I highly recommend trading on a market. This doesn't only help you see how your product is received to the public but it also is a great way to do some PR.
Our market stuff, two people and four bags.
So we take to the road with our market stuff and head to setup for the day. We get to Greenwich market for about 8:30 where the market manager decides where we go.
Setup in progress
Setup process takes about two hours and of course it has to be right. After all this is the way you introduce yourself to new customers. We all know what they say about first impressions.
The skirt is attached along with a smart table cloth.
A trusty mascot is non essential but goes with our charm. It's a sweet little lamb called Corky.
Signs are important and make sure you maximise the space.
You're amongst other market traders setting up while the atmosphere is full of anticipation.
Other traders lend their support and help just like a family unit.
Please note the cup of tea. Very important on an early cold morning.
Our market stall is finally ready.
Bring on the customers.
It's tiring but at the same time so satisfying. We speak to many people during the day about our sheepskin products which we really love and care about. I would highly recommend it to every and all small businesses.
If you would like to buy directly from our website please visit British Sheepskin
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
