What is PLA?
PLA stands for polylactic acid which is a bioplastic lofting agent made from corn starch or sugar cane. PLA is an eco-friendly and effective alternative to polyester fibres. Combining a proportion of PLA with the wool makes a more light and lofty material. The added loftiness provides extra insulating properties without adding weight.
Why is wool a good material to use for projects and crafting?
Wool is fantastic for use in projects and crafting. It is the warmest and most environmentally friendly type of wadding you can use.
The wool in this wadding is washed which smooths the wool fibres making them more pleasant to the touch and to work with. Although this wadding is lightweight, fine and malleable, wool is a strong fibre which ensures the wadding doesn’t beard or migrate as you work with it; In fact, wool fibres are able to resist tearing and are able to be bent back on themselves over 20,000 times without breaking (basically, it is very forgiving when working with it!).
Wool is a great material for wadding in quilts and coats because of lots of naturally occurring properties. One of its main properties is that it is hygroscopic. This means that as the humidity of the surrounding air rises and falls, the fibre absorbs and releases water vapour. Heat is generated and retained during the absorption phase, which makes wool multi-climatic and trans-seasonal. When it needs to be, it is a natural insulator, reacting to changes in body temperature. This capacity to absorb and release moisture also makes it naturally breathable and odour resistant (releasing sweat into the air before bacteria has a chance to develop and produce unpleasant body odour). As we mentioned earlier, wool is also very resilient which means when using it in garments and blankets, compared to synthetic alternatives it is able to retain its shape in the long term without wrinkling or sagging.
Can I wash this wadding
Unlike some other quilting waddings, our range has not undergone any artificial processing such as chlorination, acid stripping or plastic coating which is often used in the production of ‘superwash’ and machine washable wool.
We do not recommend that you wash this wadding before use. Once your project is finished it can be washed - treat it like your favourite woolly jumper - gentle wash and dry flat. If it is a hand stitched project handwashing is best.
Jolly good stuff...
-
Eco-Friendly Yarn
Our yarns are made from left-over textiles, sourced from mills and factories. Saved from landfill, the cotton is spun into our macrame cords, or cut into strips for t-shirt yarn.
-
We sell UK wool
We buy A LOT of Herdwick wool from local farmers, around 30 tons a year. Our other wool products are made in the UK using UK wool.
-
Sustainability
We're passionate about the environment! Our premises are run on renewables, we use recycled materials for our packaging, and 10% of all our profit goes to buying land and planting trees in Cumbria.
