From: conib@peri.gvg.tek.com (Coni Britten)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Re: quarter sheets
Date: 3 Sep 92 02:59:08 GMT
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA

In article <1992Sep2.054842.6096@infonode.ingr.com> blythedr@infonode.ingr.com (Pam) writes:
>In article <1992Aug31.122303.16950@pbs.org> mdresser@pbs.org (Melanie Dresser) writes:

>>What is your Quarter sheet made of?  I notice they usually come in wool or
>>acrylic, which one might be better and why?  And if wool, any idea what kind?
>>How about flannel, or should I avoid cotton?  I really don't ride in the rain,
>>so I don't expect it to get wet.  Does it rub/chaf on the rump?

>to make a custom blanket for foals. However it did state in there
>
>that wool can be abrasive and hard to clean. And cotton will shrink 
>
>in the wash. It recommended using either 100% acrylic, 100% polyester
>
>and vellux, made by Lady Pepperell. I hope that this may have been

If you preshrink the cotton fabric before making the blanket it won't
shrink in the wash (sewer's "trick").  Wash it and dry it as high as
you dare, remembering that colors may fade a bit the hotter the water
and the longer you wash it.

Cotton is an absorbent fiber, but when wet it feels clammy.  Wool is
also very absorbent, but unlike cotton will absorb quite a bit of water
(something like 30% to 50% of its weight) and still feel dry to the touch.
(In fact wool will absorb water up to something like 50% to 80% of its
weight, although it will begin to feel clammy at some point.)

Both cotton and wool breathe.  Wool however will keep you much warmer
than a comparable weave and thickness of cotton, and wool is a much
lighter-weight fiber than cotton.  However, when wet, even the softest
wools (e.g. lambswool or merino) will feel scratchier than when they're
dry.

Woolen fabric can certainly be handwashed (cool to cold water), just
as you might wash a wool pullover sweater, and if you use your washing
machine's spin cycle to get the most water out of it I see no reason not
to hang the blanket to dry.  Use a mild detergent (I like to use Ivory
shampoo on hair-like fibers) and for extra softness I will use Ivory
Conditioner in the (sometimes second) rinse water.

[Before making *anything* with fabric always launder the fabric first,
using the method you will use to launder the final product.]

Acrylic and polyester do not breathe and do not absorb water.  They will
hold in heat and sweat, though.  I personally don't like to wear these fibers
because these characteristics cause them to feel uncomfortable (and I will
*never* wear them as exercise clothes.)  So I think that using them as a
blanket on an excercising horse might be a mistake.  However, I have no
idea why anyone would even think of manufacturing a product like a quarter
blanket with these fibers and so perhaps there are other issues I'm unaware
of (I suspect cost of manufacture, but perhaps somebody else out there
knows more about this.)

There are some man-made fibers with (sweat) wicking characteristics.  Rayon
is one of these fibers.  But Rayon is the weakest fiber and a blanket made
of it would literally fall apart at first use.  There are other fibers
that I've seen used in sport socks, etc., but they don't seem to be available
(yet) in the fabric stores.

Hope this helps ... I know there's no clear-cut choice out there, but
a decision might be made by weighing ease-of-cleaning, how much use the
blanket will get, how cold the climate really is, etc.  In any case I'd
say use wool in Montana for sure, and cotton in Florida.  :-)


Coni B.
conib@peri.gvg.tek.com