As an animal lover, I'm always on the lookout for more animal-friendly accessories for my home. I want to talk about a lovely farm called Auchenstroan which sells handmade fleece accessories that are totally unique and lovely.
A bit about the brand- run by Nicole and Adrian Doyle, the brand offers a range of handmade felted fleece rugs which are “sheep-friendly” and "vegetarian" because no animals are harmed in the process of making their products. The farm is a smallholder, which means that the brand's focus is on keeping their animals happy and giving them the best possible life whilst still earning a living from the land in order to be sustainable.
What I love about Auchenstroan is their amazing range of products. They launched a sheepskin print collection recently, but what really caught my eye at the beginning was their felted fleece rugs and felted fleece cushions. Felted fleece is something that you really should consider if you're looking for something unique and comfortable for your home.
What exactly is felted fleece? Felted fleece are essentially sheep wool that are made from clipped fleeces. Sheep are clipped or sheared each summer to keep them cool. The warm fleece that kept them warm all winter would be too hot and heavy to keep on during the summer. The rugs and pillowcases are made by adding a wool backing to the fleeces. The end result is a rug or pillowcase that looks like a traditional sheep skin rug, but contains no skin, just wool.
Take a look below at what I got from the farm, which was lovingly made by Nicole. She's so easy to talk to and super friendly, so if you need anything from the farm you simply have to drop her an email!
The felted fleece cushion that I got is lovely and came in a beautifully wrapped package. The shipping was fast and the fleece pillowcase was beautiful. You can see how detailed the front and back are. The front features felted fleece in a creamy white color, and I can see how carefully the wool was made, meticulously rolled together by hand. The linen back is super cute too, and it's soft and cuddly.
The texture of the felted fleece is nothing like I've ever seen before. It feels more substantial than processed sheepskin, and much thicker and softer. I feel like it has a lot more depth and texture to it. I really can't imagine going back to "processed" sheepskin after trying these felted fleece products. It's not the same! It also smells lovely and natural- I feel like I'm getting a really natural, eco-friendly product. Best of all, the cushion looks fantastic on my bed! It's definitely a staple piece and many of my friends have asked me where I got this from.
Nicole kindly included washing instructions and a little card, which makes the parcel very personalised and it touched my heart. I really love the rest of their cushions in the collection, and Nicole makes rugs and cushions whenever she can which means that each of them is completely unique, different and one-of-a-kind.
Perhaps the best thing about buying felted fleece products is the ethics involved. Cushions are made using leftover wool from rugs which means nothing is wasted. Making these cushions and rugs are very much in keeping with what the brand is trying to achieve as a smallholder business- a sustainable living. All of the proceeds from the sales helps pay for the farm's flock’s winter feed, sheep nuts, straw and anything else they need, which means that it's not only eco-friendly but super self-sustaining indeed. I really admire how the farm produces these gorgeous, high-quality items by hand.
Overall, please do check out Auchenstroan if you're looking for a unique touch for your home. I am so impressed with their felted fleece products and can't recommend them enough!
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