Chat
12-17-2013, 08:15 AM
I've made and owned quite a few blankets over the years, and my suggestion is to line it with something other than fleece. The fleece likes to create static buildup which makes the blanket cling to the goat, reducing its insulating properties and making it uncomfortable to wear. The poor goat gets shocked every time the blanket is removed, and it bunches up in places because it can't slide over the fur. Plus, it's impossible to get loose hair out of it. I suggest a nylon liner with an insulating fill between that and your gore-tex shell.
I've made a few blankets myself, and between cost of materials, time, mistakes, and broken needles, it's cheaper for me just to buy one. I'm not a good enough seamstress to whip one up in an hour. Plus, I'm lousy at making contoured hips and shoulder gussets. I buy the blankets and save my sewing skills for making alterations, repairing tears and broken straps, re-sewing loose stitching, etc. Unless your goat runs under barbed wire fences, a good blanket should last for many years with care. I prefer to buy miniature horse blankets because these are nearly always heavier-duty than anything made for goats.
I've made a few blankets myself, and between cost of materials, time, mistakes, and broken needles, it's cheaper for me just to buy one. I'm not a good enough seamstress to whip one up in an hour. Plus, I'm lousy at making contoured hips and shoulder gussets. I buy the blankets and save my sewing skills for making alterations, repairing tears and broken straps, re-sewing loose stitching, etc. Unless your goat runs under barbed wire fences, a good blanket should last for many years with care. I prefer to buy miniature horse blankets because these are nearly always heavier-duty than anything made for goats.