Civilian Saddle Blanket

[Doughboy]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

While I am sure I could never afford one, I applaud your work, dedication and spirit and can't wait to see the finished product!

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

This woman is a genius. We need more of her type, and I heartily applaud her effort. And from reading this thread, I'm convinced don't get in her way. She's going to do this. I don't know who, but somebody is getting a Spanish moss saddle blanket. Start your bidding boys.

[The Egyptian Homeguard]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

My guess is Paul is getting a new saddleblanket... Unless Cyndi keeps it for herself and lets Paul borrow it time to time... ;)

[Philip cav]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

Well whoever gets it is one lucky person.

[Mrs Paul L Muller]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

This woman is a genius. We need more of her type, and I heartily applaud her effort. And from reading this thread, I'm convinced don't get in her way. She's going to do this. I don't know who, but somebody is getting a Spanish moss saddle blanket. Start your bidding boys.

Thank you most kindly, Matt, for your generous words of encouragement.

Two more bobbins tonight. Total of 170 yards. I figure I'll need at least 2,000 yards for this ... we'll see. When I get to 1,000 yards, I'll start warping the loom.

As for WHO will be getting the finished saddle pad, it is already decided. Nope ... it won't be Paul, he's getting a hand spun, hand woven wool saddle blanket. When it is finished, it will be a gift to Old-South (Jeff Gibson). After all, it was Jeff that had the worse part of this process. He fought a-many a red-bug (mites) as he gathered all this moss (their bites are nasty!). Then made room for six 30-gallon garbage bags of the stuff when he went to Shiloh.

Both Paul & I agree that this will go to Jeff.

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(Jeff, um ... do you mind paying for shipping?)

[Ken Knopp]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

Fantastic!! I am amazed! Cyndi, is this "yankee"-retted and ginned moss? I never doubted your ingenuity but considering the climate, etc. I would love to know the processes you used and the time frames for the retting and ginning. What kind of man (er, woman) hours will you expect to have in the final product? I am sure its significant but, I am thinking more along the lines of ways to speed up the processes, drive down the costs and make them more plentiful and affordable. Have you thought that far ahead? What do you need to make this happen? Maybe some of us can help.

Cudos and congrats! This is wonderful.

Ken R KNopp

[Mrs Paul L Muller]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

This is FL moss that was yankee retted & ginned. Of the various processes I used, just a simple compost pile, sufficiently wet, then covered with black plastic to retain heat, turned about once a week yielded the fastest retting. Of course, you have to remember, we've had a very hot spring & summer.

I started the week after Shiloh, then got distracted by gardening & weeding. I have an earlier post when I put half of it out to dry. I planned on getting started last weekend (06/30) but the 100* plus heat kept me inside.

As for speeding up the process, the biggest time consumers so far have been carding (ginning) & spinning. I doubt we could find a fiber mill willing to card & spin this. It will dirty up their equipment something awful with VM (vegetative matter) which we fiber spinners don't want in our wool and protein fibers. There may be bast fiber mills out there, but I don't know of any.

To be authentic, it would have to be done by hand. A larger, coarse drum carder would help. Hand spinning is just that ... spinning on a wheel.

My hope is that my process will be published in Spin-Off and a new interest resurfaces. If my article is published, I do plan on mentioning where the spinner/weaver can go to sell finished products ... whether it is ginned moss, spun moss or saddle pads & blankets. Spin-Off does have a forum to make this happen.

[Old-South]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

Cyndi and Paul,
WOW! I am floored! I would be HONORED to field test it. If I can swing Perryville, I will bring more. Keep up the great work! PM sent.

[Philip cav]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

Cyndi, did the woman who was the one making SM pads before. Did she ever talk to you? Just was wondering about that.

[Mark Choate]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

Listen at Jeff try to sound genuinely surprised................

Like he didn't have the deal set all along that if he brought the moss to Shiloh, he would get the blanket, ha. Oh, and all of the sympathy that he tried to conjure up from others at all of that hard work!!

Masterfully played, Bro. Jeff! :wink_smil

Mark "just kidding" Choate

[Old-South]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

Ya cut me deep, Bro. Mark! Cut me deep!

[Mrs Paul L Muller]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

For anyone keeping a tally, I'm up to 7 skeins totally 300 yards of spun spanish moss.

Paul has offered to try to make a larger drum carder but all I want is to have the new windows in my loom room caulked & trimmed before I'm ready to start weaving so I can put my loom room back together.

For the benefit of any future spinner that wants to take on this project, after I carded (ginned) the Sp.Moss, I spritzed the batt with water & glycerin, then stripped it into roving & pre-drafted. I find it easier to spin when damp much like other bast fibers. I added the glycerin to the water because it helps keep the fiber moist.

(In case anyone wants to make an issue about me using glycerin in my spritz water as not being authentic, let me assure you that glycerin is water soluble and is a by-product of hand made soap, which probably would have been used to wash the fiber after it was spun into yarn.)

[Doughboy]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

Ms Muller, I don't think anyone would make an issue about anything you are doing with this project.
If they did they would have most of the authentic Cav community putting a price on their head!

[Mark Choate]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

Ms Muller, I don't think anyone would make an issue about anything you are doing with this project.
If they did they would have most of the authentic Cav community putting a price on their head!

Amen, Chris.........Amen!

Mark

[Ken Knopp]

Re: Civilian Saddle Blanket

C, my guess is that "they" (our ancestors) likely used lard for this purpose. Also on another note, I remember Dawn Klug telling me that she learned the hard way that you must weave in some thread (perhaps she meant it was spun in the thread? - I am not sure). Anyway, that insures strength and a bit of elasticity too. Issues that became clear to us in the early stages of the blankets and when she made belts. Most, if not all of Dawn's SM pads and blankets now in the field have been made this way. However, I am certain it cannot be easily detected.
Originals? While I am sure from my remaining samples that there is no thread in the yarn of original SP blankets, I am not sure about the weave. More importantly, we cannot be sure that this was done at all "back then" without seeing a complete sample (I no longer have a complete piece at my disposal). Perhaps it was done in a different manner? Regardless, strength and durability are paramount. Just something to think about.

Ken R Knopp

Whew!! Grammer NEVER has been good to me but now, my fingers cain't spell anymore! I had to edit it waaay too much...."after" I posted. Musta been drunk....or
maybe shoulda been. Sorry