Saikhan
Mongolia
Production Process:
(i) Purchase and Dyeing - Begins with the purchase of processed wool (i.e. washed with hair/oil/dirt removed), which are then sent to a dyeing factory for coloring. Our dye supplier's customers include the top cashmere companies in Mongolia. Some of our products are not dyed - those that are labelled as white, natural dark brown and natural light brown.
(ii) Carding - Prior to felting the wool, the wool goes through a series of combing steps called carding. Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganized clumps of fiber and aligns the individual fibers so that the fibers run in the same direction. Both hand carders and hand-cranked drum carders are used in this process. We use the drum carders for this process. (link to a video to show how to use such carders)
FELT, a non-woven cloth, is an eco-friendly, natural material. It is said to be one of the oldest cloth made by human beings.
It is durable and heat resistant, and is a popular material used for lifestyle products. The surface is a bit wrinkled, soft and comfortable.
All products are made of 100% fine-medium Mongolian sheep wool (~20 microns). All products are handmade and therefore each product may have slight variation.
CARE/WASHING - gentle hand wash with lukewarm water is recommended. No machine wash. Using liquid soap made for wool products is preferred. Do not use stain remover or bleach. Remove excess water squeezing gently by hand, and lay it flat to dry. To speed up the drying and flatten it out nicely, iron using the setting for wool.
(iii) Wet Felting - After approximately one to two hours of continuous hand “rubbing” of the wool, the wool is matted together. This produces a piece of approximately 170cm in length and 100cm in width. The fibers are further tightened by rolling the matted sheet a few hundred times (For this process, the traditional felt making will include tying the sheet behind the horses and rolled around the fields for a few hours to a full day). Subsequently, warm water is used to remove the soapy water, and the welt felt fabric is then cooled and dried.
(iv) Sewing - Once the wool is felted, it is ready for the next stage of the production – cutting and sewing (by hand for most of the products), before the final products are packed for delivery.
To support the Mongolian economy, we try to source most of our materials locally.