Guess what happened when I took a piece of this fabric and dripped about a teaspoon of water on it? If you chose "the water balled up and rolled around on top of the fabric until it finally rolled off," you'd be right. (If you chose "you need to find a better way to spend your time than testing water absorption on various fabrics," you'd also be right. But I digress.)

I'm not claiming that this fabric is waterproof, as it's difficult for an organic fabric to be completely waterproof. Indeed, when I put more water on the fabric and used my thumb to push it into the weave, water went through to the other side. (Interestingly, though, when I took a towel and wiped off the now-wet back side of the wool, it was almost dry very quickly.) I do feel fairly confident in saying the material is moisture-resistant ... hence the oh-so-creative "moisture barrier" name.

This is a sturdy material -- although it isn't overly scratchy, it's definitely not as soft as some of our previous wool melton fabrics. It is, however, far far nicer than the nasty itchy wools I remember from my childhood!

I would absolutely love a cape made from this fabric, even though I suspect it's "designed" to be used primarily for mattress and futon makers. But I can't be the person who sees the beauty of a wool cape from which most of the rain just rolls off, can I? I'd also try it for jackets, scarves, making or lining snowgear, and so much more.

Eighty-four inches wide, which is a nice bonus -- it's almost like getting extra fabric for the same price. At 34 ounces per linear yard, the fine wool melton moisture barrier weighs approximately 14.5 ounces per square yard.

Woven in the US, from US-produced organic wool. Organic wool is so much better for the sheep and for the environment -- I just can't imagine choosing anything else!

Individual rolls can have different properties -- slightly different weights, feels, etc.