bethd Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 Hi - I was reading a discussion of wool batts, and am currently having some of my alpaca's fleece processed into crib-sized batts. Wondering how to market them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagecl Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 That is wonderful. I am a spinner too (one can't have too many hobbies besides quilting:D) and love to spin alpaca in to yarn. I currently have a few too many fleeces :D It is warmer than wool and probably lighter too. As for marketing your batts...I am not the best person to answer that question. May be one way is to get a booth at a quilt show, such as MQX, MQS, Houston or another larger show. Have a few quilted samples with a few being washed. Of course, have a supply of batts to sell. Others will probably come up with better ideas. Also, try Keepsake Quilting and/or Connecting Threads as their catalogs reach many quilters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 Cheryl good suggestions. You also might want to post it under the For Sale section of the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 Hi bethd, I visited Alpacapalooza (great name!) this year--a gathering of all things alpaca here in Washington. The critters are so sweet looking, but shy and definitely herd animals. You must have a pair at least, I guess, or they will not thrive. I purchased alpaca yarn and there were wonderful felted items as well as sweaters for sale. One person had fleece but not for sale--just a sample. It was weightless! With the specialty fleece available--silk, bamboo, wool--alpaca may have a market. Have you thought of perhaps a blend with cotton? Then it would have some body without weight. Good luck with your endeavors. There are lots of adventuresome quilters here if you want to offer alpaca batting for sale.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 Wonderful idea! I love alpaca & cotton blend even though it is very seedy. I can't seem to get it here very easily at the mo. It is a good idea to blend it so it behaves more robustly in the wash... what if it got blended with some of the new "green" fibres like maize or bamboo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWBowser Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 I hope you can get it marketed. I would be interested. I love the feel of wool and it is very easy to hand quilt too, which will make it highly desirable. Good luck. Charlotte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crafty Unicorn Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 Beth, I don't know about marketing them, but you should be able to sell them if you just respond to any requests. I tried to get information from the "big name" alpaca batting producer and never heard a thing after several tries. I did finally get some through a friend who is an alpaca breeder. It is cotton blend or wool blend and quilts beautifully. I haven't tried my washing tests yet. I am thinking it would be great for quilted jackets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 There is a gal not too far from me in WA who raises alpacas and sells the raw fiber at this time of the year, right after shearing. Then after she has put that on sale for a while, she has the rest made up into quilt bats. As far as marketing, she has an on-line quilt store and so sells it on her website. I can't wait to try some after she gets the batts made. She doesn't have any batts listed right now, so I can't tell you what is mixed with the alpaca fiber. Some of you may already have ordered fabric from her. The site is http://www.overrainbow.com. BTW, she has great prices on fabric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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