Fleeces-to-Go

10/09/2026

What a teaching experience we had at the MAPACA educational weekend! I was asked to help at the fleece show and had to bite my tongue when I saw lovely fleeces that weren’t really skirted well. When I saw an incredible D Class fleece fawn fleece judged that had the cream colored edges on it, as I rolled it back up I spoke up and said “I bet this fleece would score higher if I skirted it. AOA Judge Helen Testa looked up at me and said “ Let’s do it!”

So the fleece superintendent contacted the fleece owner and got permission for me to use the fleece as a teaching fleece and for Helen to do an informal re- judging. This was after the fleece show judging was completed. The score received prior to re skirting had to stand for that show.
I took that lovely fleece and laid it out in front of the skirting class and we as a class skirted off all of the cream colored edges and hairy bits. We also flipped the fleece and bounced out more dirt and picked out more hay and stray fiber bits.

We re-rolled the fleece and re-weighed it. Yes, we lost a little fleece weight and thus 1.5 points. Then Helen re-judged the fleece in front of the group and explained why the score was higher. She pulled out some of the pieces we skirted off and explained how that dragged down the original score.
Points were gained in several areas including uniformity of color, uniformity of micron, fibers over 30 micron. Over all the fleece netted 6 more points!
The point is, fleece weight is not the ultimate goal. Skirt your fleece to be the most uniform it can be.
Thank you so much to the fleece owner who remained anonymous for agreeing to let us learn from your beautiful fleece. I hope the fleece is entered in the next upcoming fleece show.

09/23/2026

I will be teaching a hands on fleece skirting class for the KY Alpaca Association on Oct. 24th. I will focus on learning to do a quick skirt for mill. The basics of skirting are the same for show or mill. Let’s get the fleece out of the barn and turn it into an income stream. Bring a fleece!!

09/23/2026

I will be teaching a down and dirty hands on skirting classes in on Oct. 3 at the MAPACA Sensational Seminar & Fleece Show at Black Barn Alpacas in Finksburg, MD.
It’s a packed weekend of education and well worth the drive.

08/27/2026

It’s a feather in my cap! 😂Found this while skirting suri fleece today.

07/04/2026

I just realized I may not have ever posted this information here before. This is not aimed at anyone.

Rules for submitting fleeces for skirting to Fleeces-to-Go

1. Please clean off your alpacas that have show fleeces before shearing just like you would before entering the show ring. Wand them down, use a micro fiber cloth or even a shopac. Never use a leaf blower as it destroys the structure of the fleece and blows all the fine dirt to the skin tip which is where the judge is trying to evaluate your fleece.
2. Fleeces must be noodled at shearing. I recommend brown paper which allows a fleece to wick out moisture. You can tape the noodle tightly or even use trash can sized rubber bands. Fleece rolled up and shoved into a bag are not on the same playing field as noodled fleeces. Due to my workload and time constraints, I cannot accept un-noodled fleece.
3. Please evaluate your fleeces. Check to make sure they are not tender, especially Juvenile fleeces which get stress breaks from weaning.
4. Make sure older fleeces have a 3-inch staple as required by AOA rules. Fleeces with a shorter staple can be DQ’d by the judge per AOA rules.
5. Make sure your fleeces are identified. I prefer that fleeces are already entered in the show and fleece tags are with the fleece.
6. Please include your payment. I don’t have cash apps so I ask for a check payable to Happy Tails Alpaca Farm. Currently the fee is $40 per fleece. I do email receipts/invoices for your tax records. It will happen after the AOA show.
7. I recommend using Pirateship.com for discounted shipping. Use a sturdy box, not the thin foreign made cardboard. Amazon and chewy boxes are ok but need to be undamaged and reinforced.
8. Please reinforce every single seam of your box with multiple pieces of packing tape, especially the bottom! Suri fleeces, please put all of your fleeces inside a larger bag and secure it. Fleece have fallen out of a busted box and were never found. Larger, heavier boxes need several bands of tape or shrink wrap around the middle to survive the rigors of shipping. Cut your box down to make it smaller if needed.
9. I skirt fleeces by arrival date. I prefer all fleeces be to me by June 1st. I realize a few clients shear later and they communicate that information to me.

10. Please reach out to me to make an RSVP for your fleeces each year. I do try to manage my workload. Having unexpected boxes of fleece arrive puts a little extra panic into my life. I can be reached by IM, email or phone.

I appreciate each and every one of my clients and truly love seeing fleeces from all over this country.

Send a message to learn more

06/19/2026

Let’s talk about what I call scruff/dander in your fleece. I see it in a few fleeces every year. I do let the owner know because now it the time to treat your alpaca. The fiber grows through this waxy feeling substance and doesn’t pick out. So I just snip it off if it’s right at the tips.
This is one reason why you need to take a look at your fleece as it comes off your alpaca.

So what seems to be the best thing you have found to treat this condition?

06/17/2026

Who loves a spotty appy fleece?

06/07/2026

A lovely fawn fleece from my girl Zaria. I’m not showing it as she has an unusual patchwork of medium fawn and light fawn throughout her fleece- almost like a multi but too close in color. I like the level of fineness, the crimp style and brightness in this fleece.

05/27/2026

It’s skirting season! I’m loving this white fleece that just glows !

04/23/2026

It’s that time of year again. For those that want me to skirt your fleeces, please get them shipped ASAP after shearing. The USPS is instituting an 8% shipping fee on 4/26. I recommend using PirateShip.com. Always use extra packing tape to seal your box at all edges. If it’s really heavy (suri people!) put a girdle of shrink wrap around it. Also suri - pack them within a bag in a box incase your bag splits so the fleece doesn’t fall out. Those boxes get dropped, tossed and really beat up.

If you haven’t already reached out to reserve a space for your fleece, let me know so I can manage my workload.