The Coats

To make the coats for sheep, I first take a nice sturdy cotton material like canvas or denim. I measure my sheep (not each time, but the first time). I take their back (neck to rump)measurement and I measure how big around they are from one side to the other. I add a little bit (about 2") to that measurment so their fleece has room to grow. I take a neck measurment and add quite a bit to it so I can get the coat over their head. I transfer all of my measurments to the canvas and commence cutting the rectangle, don't forget to make it longer so you can sew X and X together to make a hole for the neck. You can take the neck cut-out, trim it down, and use it for the tail flap. I use binding on all of the edges so they do not unravel and I sew (tack) triangles into all of the inside corners and tripple sew the neck area (any place where there may be a lot of stress).

I know this sounds complicated, but it really is not. It is just a rectangle with an oval cut out of one end and moved to the other end.

After I am done with that, I sew thick elastic to the two rear corners about 3" from each side. I make sure I set them into the rectangle at least 2 inches and sew them down good. They will be pulled on quite a bit. Do not make the elastic too long or it will slip, don't make it too short or it will pull on the sheep all of the time. Slip your arm in the hole up to your bicept and it should fit slightly loose.

Ram coats are a little different if they have horns. I add at least 1 foot to the lenghth of the neck flaps and then I sew D rings on and a nylon strap so I can put the coat on the ram and then close the neck area. It is like a wrap in front.

You can also purchase coats from Powell Sheep Company (760) 789-1758. They will be nicer than this design, but they both work well. It would be a good idea to get one (torn and used is fine) and use it for a pattern like I did. I bought a terribly used one at a wool show for $4.

Good luck!

For those who wonder why I and many others coat their sheep, it is to keep the wool clean. Studies have shown that not only is the wool cleaner, it also gets slightly longer. The coats do not make the sheep hot, unless you are wrapping them in something that does not breathe. If they get wet, they keep the wool drier and they dry faster than the wool would dry. Coated fleeces cost more money because of the extra labor involved (they need to be changed every so often), but they are much easier to process. There have been reports that coated sheep do not suffer as many attacks from predators as uncoated sheep, perhaps the sound of the material or the look of it diverts the predators to more "normal" looking prey.