Merle’s last cushions • In 12 active carts • 18 left
Merle's Hand-Stitched Wool Animal Cushion
Merle's Hand-Stitched Wool Animal Cushion
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Merle's Hand-Stitched Wool Animal Cushion
Hand-stitched in an old shearers’ cookhouse near Ross, Tasmania
Merle Kerslake, seventy-two. A Tasmanian grazier’s wife who has stitched raised-wool animals onto cushions since 1982 — about 3,400 of them. Her right hand has started to shake, and these 186 are the last.
“I made three sheep so a little boy wouldn’t miss shearing. Forty-four years later I’m still making them. I’d rather a hundred families use one than one collector hang it on a wall.”
Merle Kerslake · Ross, Tasmania
What arrives at your door
Four things 44 years taught her
The wool is built up from behind in layers, so each animal stands about a centimetre off the cushion. You feel the fleece before you see it.
About eleven small stitches to every inch, set by hand. That is what keeps the wool on through years of kids, dogs and couches.
A heavy, natural linen-look cloth underneath. It holds the shape and does not sag, even with a dog asleep on it.
Fits any standard 45 cm (18-inch) insert. Swap the design on your couch or take the cover off to wash it in a minute.
Four animals from one Tasmanian back road
Made for
What you are actually getting
- Wool you can feel. The animals stand up off the cloth, not printed flat onto it.
- Built for everyday use. Made to be sat on, slept on and dragged round the house.
- Heavy linen-look cloth. Keeps its shape on the couch year after year.
- Easy to care for. Hidden zip, cover comes off in seconds.
- 186 in total. Across all four designs. Merle has put her needle down, so there is no restock.
If it doesn’t feel right on your couch, send it back within thirty days for a full refund. One short email is all it takes. Merle would rather it went to someone who loves it.
This is the cushion cover without the inner insert. It fits any standard 45 × 45 cm (18 × 18 in) insert. Because the wool is laid by hand, every animal looks very slightly different — no two sheep have quite the same curls.
Product details
| Designs | Sheep Trio, Highland Cow & Calf, Alpaca Trio, Llama Trio |
| Size | About 45 × 45 cm (18 × 18 in) |
| Front | Raised wool relief on a natural linen-look cloth |
| Closure | Hidden zip along the bottom edge |
| Contents | Cushion cover only, insert not included |
| Care | Cool gentle wash inside out, dry flat |
| Made by | Merle Kerslake, Ross, Tasmania |
| Remaining | 186 across all four designs — no restock |
The Last Cushions
The Last Cushions
A note from the cookhouse:
Merle Kerslake stitched her first wool sheep in the winter of 1982, for her six-year-old son, who was stuck in bed with a broken leg and cried because he was missing shearing. Forty-four years and about 3,400 cushions later, a tremor in her right hand means she can no longer set the tiny stitches on a sheep’s face. These 186 are the last ones from the old shearers’ cookhouse near Ross, Tasmania. When they are gone, there will be no more.
Free Australia-Wide Shipping
Free Australia-Wide Shipping
Free shipping anywhere in Australia
- Delivery time: 5–8 business days
- Every cushion cover is wrapped by hand in brown paper with a handwritten card and sent with tracking
- Size: about 45 × 45 cm (18 × 18 in), fits a standard cushion insert
- Cover only, cushion insert not included
- Hidden zip along the bottom edge, cool gentle wash inside out
- 30-day money-back guarantee — one email is all it takes
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (Sydney time). Whether it’s about your order, which design to choose or which cushion insert fits — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Put it on your couch for a week, and if it isn’t right for you, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and shipping within Australia is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Merle draws the animal on the cloth first. Then she lays washed wool on from behind, a little at a time, until the fleece stands about a centimetre off the cushion. Hundreds of small stitches, about eleven to the inch, hold it all in place. The black faces of the sheep take longest. One cushion takes her about ten hours over three or four nights. Each one is wrapped in brown paper with a handwritten card.