I think I got a good deal on it. I got it off Ebay before I was making my own quilt, to use in my grandmother's DWR top. It was only $6.50 a pound, already washed, carded, and put into batts. The batts weigh 3lbs 10oz, 3lbs 7oz, and I got a remnant of bat that was a pound so I could have something to play with while I was learning. It's Cotswold wool, from the purebred, coated sheep named Rambo, Titch, and Haggis. The lady was going out of the sheep hobby, and said she was selling by the pound for just what it cost to card and put into the batts. I won a pound, and she sold me all she had left at that price.

The batts are two feet wide, and thick. She thought I'd need to kinda pull them out sideways to my quilt width, but not cut them crossways across the fibers. I haven't opened the two whole batts, because she layered them so nicely with tissue paper and zip tied them inside two black plastic bags.

My play piece has fibers mostly 4 to 7 inches. It's incredibly soft, pure off white. I thought it would be scratchy like a wool sweater, but it's NOT. I tried to felt a small piece, but I couldn't get that to work. I gave that piece to my cat, who also LOVES it in his little bed.

I have a Grace hand quilting frame, the no baste kind. Another place that sold batts made from "waste" fibers not suitable for spinning suggested sewing their bats inside a pellen type material to prevent bearding of the wool through the quilt top.

Now, in looking a my play piece, it's clear that the fibers actually run crossways. It's pretty easy to pull it and make it longer, but difficult to pull it to make it wider. To make it wider, I have to space my hands over seven inches apart and tug pretty hard.

What the h- e- double toothpicks should I do???

I had given up on trying to use mime, and I have half price Cotton Blossom batts from JoAnne's (from Mountain Mist), and a full size 95% cotton 5% wool bat weighs one pound and two ounces.

I'm thinking for straight wool, I may have six batts instead of two. I don't know what pellen is, but I figure it's some kind of synthetic interfacing stuff. Yuck. It seems like with the nice fiber length I have, I could quilt it every two inches and be very safe from shifting and most bearding.

I also thought about stretching two very thin batts and turning one ninety degrees so I have fibers running both ways.

I know this is a loooong post, but I could really use some advice!