Last boxes from Maxine’s final shearing • In 7 active carts • Going fast
Maxine's Sheep Wool Dryer Balls (Set of 3)
Maxine's Sheep Wool Dryer Balls (Set of 3)
Dispatched within 1–2 days
90-day money-back guarantee
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Maxine's Sheep Wool Dryer Balls (Set of 3)
Felted on a sheep farm in South Canterbury
Three of her ewes, felted into dryer balls you’ll use for years.
Solid wool from Maxine Pettigrew’s own Suffolk-cross flock, felted from the centre out, with a black sheep face needled in by hand. Toss three in with a wet load instead of a dryer sheet – and leave them in for the next one.
Final run · last two shearings“I made them look like what was standing in my shed.” — Maxine
Made by hand on the Pettigrew farm
In 2009 the wool cheque came back smaller than the shearers’ bill, and the plan was to burn the fleeces. Maxine carried them into her kitchen instead. She washed them in a stockpot, rolled them into tight balls and felted them in the washing machine until they bounced. Her six-year-old granddaughter asked for faces like the sheep – so every ball has had one since.
Seventeen years and roughly 30,000 boxes later, the 90 hectares of leased paddocks her flock has run on since 1979 have been sold to a forestry company planting pines for carbon credits, and her lease runs out on 31 December. Fourteen hectares of her own will carry maybe twenty ewes. What you can order now is the wool from the last two shearings, already felted and boxed. When it’s gone, there is no more.
Her daughter Leanne packs every order between her school bus runs and writes the card that goes inside. “If you’re going to give somebody a box with my sheep on it,” Maxine says, “it ought to come with a few words from us.”
Maxine Pettigrew
Sheep farmer · Waimate, South Canterbury
What arrives at your door
- 3 wool dryer ballsEach about the size of a tennis ball, each with its own hand-needled sheep face.
- A window gift boxReady to give as it is – the three faces look out through the window.
- A handwritten cardWritten by Maxine’s daughter Leanne for every single order.
How to use them
- Load the dryer as usual and drop three balls in with the wet laundry. For big loads of towels or bedding, use six.
- Skip the dryer sheet and fabric softener. The balls do their work by tumbling, not by coating your fabric.
- Dry on your normal setting. Check the load a little earlier than you’re used to the first few times – many people find it’s done sooner.
- Leave them in the drum for the next load. Want a scent? Add two or three drops of essential oil to one ball and let it soak in before use.
Six things that make these different
Felted solid, no core
No stuffing, no plastic centre, no yarn wound round the outside. Felted from the middle out, so there is nothing to unravel in your dryer.
Wool from one flock
Every fleece grew in the Pettigrew paddocks and was washed in Maxine’s kitchen. Nothing is bought in.
Faces needled by hand
The black face is wool too, worked into the ball with a felting needle – a few hundred jabs each. Not printed, not glued.
Nothing added
No added fragrance and no softening coating. They smell like clean wool, which is to say almost nothing.
Load after load
They go back in the drum instead of in the bin. Maxine’s own first set from 2009 is still working.
Fluffier towels, less cling
By keeping the load apart while it tumbles, they help towels come out loose instead of stiff and cut down on static cling.
Dryer sheets vs. Maxine’s wool balls
| Dryer sheet | Maxine’s wool balls | |
|---|---|---|
| How long it lasts | One load, then the bin | Years of loads |
| How it softens | Leaves a thin coating on fabric | Tumbles the load apart, nothing left behind |
| On towels | Many towel makers advise against it | Made for towel loads |
| Scent | Built-in perfume | None added – your choice of oil |
| Where it comes from | A factory, by the box | One flock, one kitchen, one family |
From someone who handles a lot of wool
“The quality difference in dryer balls is almost all in the felting. A ball that’s felted solid through holds its shape and keeps working for years. One that’s just yarn wrapped over a core starts coming apart in months. Maxine’s are the dense kind – you can tell by the bounce.”
— Murray Halliday, retired wool classer, South Canterbury
Quality you can check yourself
Three things to try the day your box arrives
- Squeeze it. A solid-felted ball barely gives under your thumb. A yarn-wrapped one feels spongy, because there is loose stuffing or a core under the surface.
- Drop it on a hard floor. Maxine’s bounce back up. That bounce is the density, and the density is what keeps them working for years instead of months.
- Look at the edge of the face. The black wool runs into the white without a line, a seam or a glue edge. You can’t peel it off, because there is nothing to peel.
What you get with every box
- Wool from one flock on one South Canterbury farm, washed and felted in one farmhouse kitchen
- A sheep face needled in by hand on every ball – three in every box
- A handwritten card from Leanne, not a printed insert
- Free shipping NZ-wide with tracking, dispatched within 1–2 working days
- 90 days to try them in your own dryer, with your money back if they’re not for you
Perfect for
Good to know
- Each face is needled by hand, so no two are exactly alike.
- You will hear a soft thump in the drum. Most people stop noticing after a few loads.
- They get greyer and fuzzier over time. That’s normal and doesn’t change how they work.
- Every batch is washed twice in hot water before boxing. If you’re cautious, start them with a dark load.
- For tumble dryers. Results vary with your dryer, load size and fabrics.
90-day money-back guarantee
Use them for three months. If they don’t earn their spot in your dryer, send them back and you get your money back. “Somebody else will want them,” as Maxine puts it.
Orders are dispatched within 1–2 working days.
Care: If they start to feel flat after a long time, wash them on hot with a load of towels and dry on high – that tightens the felt again. Store them dry between uses.
Essential oils: Let the oil soak fully into the wool before the next load so it doesn’t touch damp fabric directly.
Product details
| Contents | 3 wool dryer balls in a window gift box, handwritten card |
| Material | Felted sheep’s wool, solid (no core); faces in black wool |
| Size | About the size of a tennis ball each |
| Fragrance | None added |
| Use | Tumble dryers; 3 per normal load, 6 for large loads |
| Made by | Maxine Pettigrew · near Waimate, South Canterbury |
| Shipping | Dispatched within 1–2 working days |
| Guarantee | 90 days, money back |
The Last Shearing
The Last Shearing
A note from the farm:
Maxine Pettigrew has run Suffolk-cross sheep on a farm inland from Waimate, South Canterbury, since 1979. In 2009 the wool cheque came back smaller than the shearers’ bill, so instead of burning the fleeces she felted them into dryer balls at her kitchen table and gave each one a face like her ewes. Seventeen years and roughly 30,000 boxes later, the paddocks her flock runs on have been sold for pine plantings and her lease runs out on 31 December. What is left is the wool from the last two shearings. When these boxes are gone, there will not be more.
Free Shipping
Free Shipping
Free shipping across New Zealand
- Dispatched within 1–2 working days
- Delivery time: 7–14 working days
- Every box is packed by hand with a handwritten card
- 90-day money-back guarantee — just email info@craft-folk.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
My daughter Leanne and I personally respond to every single email — as fast as we possibly can. Whether you have a question about your order or just want a yarn about sheep, we're here.
You can reach us:
- Mon – Fri: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (NZT)
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (NZT)
Email: info@craft-folk.com
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Of course. We stand behind everything on Craft Folk 100%. If you're not happy, neither are we. Just shoot us an email within 90 days and we'll make it right — no hassle, no headaches.
How are your products made?
How are your products made?
Every single product on Craft Folk is 100% handmade — crafted by hand, using only premium quality materials. We're proud to carry on a tradition of craftsmanship that has been passed down through generations.