Best Package Ever!

Happy mail! This was in my mail when I checked this morning and I am so excited to check it out.

Have you heard of Prairie Spirit Alpacas? This company is 100% Canadian and is a family run business based in Millarville, Alberta. They raise their Huacaya alpacas and produce yarn, socks, insoles, duvets, roving, teddies, kits, patterns, dryer balls and now; pressing mats! I was asked if I wanted to try one out and post about my experience. Needless to say I had to jump on the chance to check out a Canadian product. Carmen Jadick packaged up the mat and mailed it out to me.

I have used other mats so I was very curious to see how this product compared.

First thing I was impressed with is the size of the mat. It’s just over 12” x 18” so is the perfect size for the piecing I enjoy doing. It’s a nice thick mat, with good weight.

It didn’t take me long to get out the fabrics I have for a new squirrel project. I had managed to cut everything while I was at the studio earlier this week.

I spent an enjoyable couple of hours piecing and pressing and I must say, I am so very impressed!

Other cutting mats have an unpleasant odour but this one was quite mild and brought back memories for me. Several years ago I lived in Kelowna during the Okanagan Wildfire. I was fortunate to have a great piece of fenced property and was able to do animal rescue. I accumulated an interesting menagerie of animals which needed new homes and that include two Llamas; Maurice and Hitman. They were popular pets with my family and were such intriguing creatures. They did have a pleasant smell when wet and often came over to the fence for scratches when I was outside. This mat reminded me of these two guys.

I had my mat set up on a table by my machine, but realized I needed to get up and move around so I set up my ironing board and moved the mat over to it. It was fun to see the crisp seams as I added pieces to my blocks.

Do I like this mat? YES!

Would I recommend it to everyone? YES!

I’m also suggesting that you might want to check out all of the other products that they carry. I know some socks and insoles will be on my next order (my feet are always cold so I’m hoping this will be the solution.

While reading the various pages on their Website, I came across the following information, which I found to be of great interest since I do have a problem with a wool allergy. I’m going to try some of their wool to see if I react.

“Alpaca fleece does not have lanolin like sheep and thus can be processed without the use of harsh chemicals and is also very hypoallergenic. Most people that are allergic to wool find they can easily wear soft alpaca yarn.

Alpaca fleece is more than two times warmer than wool, and is antibacterial due to its moisture wicking properties. It is water resistant with only 8% moisture retention vs 30% moisture retention for sheep. 

It is also flame resistant, in fact almost flame retardant”

I wish I had known they offered farm tours. I would have stopped by when I was going through Millarville on a recent trip to Alberta. It would have been fun to see the Alpacas and all of the wonderful products they carry in person. 🤔

Before I end this post, I must say thank you to Gail for thinking of me, and to Carmen from Prairie Spirit Alpaca for the opportunity to check out a great new product and I just have to share a photo from their website of such a cute baby: