Alpaca / Wool Pressing Mats

/ quiltinggail

One of the fantastic products I received in my July Island Batik boxes is the Alpaca/Wool Pressing mat from Prairie Spirit Alpacas.

I absolutely LOVE this mat! When I use it, all of my seams come out crisp and perfect! (provided I’ve sewn with an accurate 1/4″ seam! LOL!)

As well, when I was pressing the fabric for my September project, the creases came out without the need for any spray! (Sorry, I can’t show all the fabrics to you!)

My friend, Carmen owns the alpaca farm and I wrote a post about it HERE. There is also a slide show where you can see several of the alpacas. Carmen LOVES each one and has lovingly given each a name. When you are with her, she can tell you the parentage of each alpaca.

Let me tell you a bit about the mats: The  alpaca fleece is combined with wool from Alberta.   The fleece/wool is sent to Mississauga, Ontario where it is felted and cut into mats. So, they are totally 100% Canadian made!

I find that there is very little, if any, “wet dog” smell! I’m allergic to wool and the mat does not make me sneeze or make my skin itchy if I touch it!

Many pressing mats (usually made in China) will tell you that you can use the mats directly on furniture! I find this an erroneous statement as I know that the heat can go through the mats and can ruin the finish on furniture. I use my mat on my ironing board or on a protective surface.

Commercial sprays (like Best Press or Terial Magic) can make the mats dirty. I use a cover on my mat if I’m going to be using anything besides water. Using a fine spray of water on the mat enhances the pressing wonder!

If you are interested in a mat, you can purchase one at Prairie Spirit Alpacas. While you are there, browse through the website. The socks are fantastic! (I’m always COLD and the socks keep my feet warm and toasty! I can’t live without them in the winter time! The yarn is soft and easy to knit with! And the dryer balls! Perfect for the drier! No need to use commercial dryer sheets – they make the clothes come out soft and shorten drying time!

And, just an FYI: I do not receive any money for your purchase. I am just a thrilled customer!

I was Featured

My Tree of Life Quilt was featured by Susan of Quilt Fabrication , Jennifer of Inquiring Quilter and Kelly of My Quilt Infatuation. You can read about it HERE.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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14 thoughts on “Alpaca / Wool Pressing Mats”

  1. I love my mat as well and wouldn’t think of sewing without it. I too only use mine on an ironing board and never ever spray anything but water anywhere near it. Thanks for sharing your tips on Wednesday Wait Loss.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Alpaca wool is wonderful to work with. I’ve got a wool mat although I suspect it is sheep’s wool. I don’t use it all the time but I do like it. Congrats on being featured for your tree of life quilt. (I’m assuming you used the new die from Accuquilt?)

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    • Hi Bonnie,
      Yes, your mat is likely from sheep’s wool and likely was made in China (even though the wool may have come from somewhere else.) There are very few alpaca mats out there. And yes, I did use the Accuquilt die! It made the process very easy! 🙂

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  5. I love my mat too, Gail! It really was great pressing all those little seams open on the Tree of Life block! When you use a cover, is it just a cotton pressing sheet or do you use something else? I’m so happy Island Batik partnered with Prairie Spirit Alpacas this year!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hi Brenda,
      I just use a pressing cloth when I’m spraying Best Press or Terial Magic. The rest of the time, I press straight on the mat. I have considered making an “envelope” cover for it, but I so rarely use anything besides water that the pressing cloth is enough.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Congrats on getting featured (again) for another of your stunning quilts. I so agree with you about the Prairie Spirit mats. I had a very creased fabric in my scrap bin that was the perfect bit for a project. I dropped it on my mat, gave it a little spritz of water and it came out perfectly. It also is just the perfect size 12” x 18” so it sits on both my regular ironing board at home or my little ironing board when I’m travelling. 😉

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