Sheepskin & Shearling Hides

Shearling is real sheepskin tanned with the wool still on — one natural hide that gives you a suede back on one side and soft, genuine wool on the other. It is not faux fur bonded to a fabric backing; it's the material faux fur is imitating. That single difference is why shearling throws, rugs, seat covers, and bench pads feel warmer, wear longer, and age better than any synthetic pile.

Carolyn Fabrics stocks three genuine shearling and sheepskin lines, all sold as whole panels or whole natural skins and shipped from High Point, North Carolina:

• Tibetan lambskin shearling panels — the long, silky, curled wool the Tibetan (Mongolian) lamb is famous for, dyed through in 31 stocked colors. Every panel is a uniform 2' × 4' rectangle, so panels sew together cleanly into rugs, bed throws, pillow faces, and wall pieces of any size.
• Shorn Icelandic sheepskin shearling — a whole Icelandic skin sheared to a dense, even short pile. The classic "shearling" look: clean, modern, and practical enough to sit on or walk across daily. Natural White, Ivory, and five dyed colors.
• Long-hair Icelandic sheepskin — the full unsheared fleece, long and lustrous, for a dramatic draped throw, a nursery or photography layer, or a soft floor accent. Natural White plus five dyed colors.

Choosing between them

Pick the Tibetan panels when you're building something to a size — the uniform rectangles are made to be joined. Pick the shorn Icelandic when the piece will see real use: seats, benches, high-traffic floors. Pick the long-hair Icelandic when you want maximum drama and softness in a throw or accent. All three are suede-backed and can be cut and sewn like any upholstery hide.

What to expect from natural sheepskin

No two skins are identical. Whole Icelandic skins run roughly 2' × 3' with the irregular natural edge of a real hide, and dyed colors carry slight variation in tone and pile from skin to skin. That variation is the signature of genuine shearling, not a defect. Because these are natural-hide goods, they are final sale.

Ordering

Everything on this page is in stock and ships in 1–2 business days. Orders over $250 ship free within the US; smaller orders show a flat rate at checkout. Upholstering with leather instead? See our upholstery leather hides. Questions about colors, sizing a rug from panels, or how many skins a project needs — call us at 336-887-3101.