{"id":13384,"date":"2022-07-29T11:00:58","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=33306"},"modified":"2022-07-29T11:49:11","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T09:49:11","slug":"collecting-welsh-blankets","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/collecting-welsh-blankets\/","title":{"rendered":"Collecting Welsh blankets"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Rosanna Morris\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 29 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Fringed, plaid, striped, tapestry \u2013 old Welsh blankets once made in the hills and valleys of Carmarthenshire or Ceredigion come in a variety of styles, patterns, colours and sizes. The most iconic and distinctive of them all, however, is the tapestry (or double-weave \u2013 a double cloth blanket made by weaving two layers of material together so it is reversible) with its dominant repeat pattern.<\/p>\n

Earlier examples from the 19th century were monochrome and usually black and cream or brown and cream, while later mid-century versions were made in bright, lurid colours. Patterns include the chequerboard, the St David\u2019s Cross, and the Caernarfon (or Portcullis). \u2018We also call some \u2018snowflakes\u2019. There are all sorts as some mills had their own unique patterns,\u2019 says Jen.<\/p>\n

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Collector and dealer Jen Jones sells a wide choice of antique and vintage Welsh blankets and tapestries, from pastels to bolder block colours<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Illustrated tapestry blankets with motifs woven in colours such as grey and red or ochre and terracotta<\/a> on a narrow loom are among the rarest and most expensive blankets. Some from the late 19th and early 20th centuries depicted settings such as Caernarfon Castle. These can sell for around \u00a3800-\u00a31,000. Others featured leeks and daffodils. \u2018You hardly see early illustrated tapestry blankets but they were made until the 1970s,\u2019 Jen adds. Other Welsh blankets were fringed top and bottom. A true carthen or fringed quilt was used as a bedspread as well as a blanket, and surrounded by fringing on all sides. Honeycomb or waffle blankets were also made in the Welsh mills and designed to be warmer.<\/p>\n

Some people like to collect the early striped blankets dyed using natural dyes such as indigo or cochineal. These 19th-century blankets tend to be coarser as the mountain conditions and an irregular diet meant sheep indigenous to Wales produced a rough fleece. Older blankets are also easy to identify because they would have been made on single or narrow looms (the double loom was introduced around 1900) and would have been sewn together to make larger blankets so feature a seam up the middle.<\/p>\n

Blankets can also be dated by their colours. \u2018Earlier plaids, woven around the turn of the century on narrow looms, were almost invariably strong, dark colours against a natural cream field,\u2019 says Jen. \u2018Later plaids, from 1930 to about 1980, used many more colours within each blanket, and there was a great love for pastels. Utility or wartime blankets can be picked out by their specific label (if it\u2019s still attached) and some are surprisingly bright colours.\u2019<\/p>\n

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This double-weave red-and-black tapestry blanket is from the 1930s<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

How to choose a Welsh blanket<\/h2>\n

When it comes to buying the right blanket for the right price, condition is key. Look for moth damage in particular. \u2018I always pull a blanket over my head and go to a window to look for holes,\u2019 says Jen. \u2018Tapestry blankets are hard to repair because of the two different sides. If the blanket is badly damaged and not a good example, we suggest cutting it up for cushions. We sell 20th-century picnic blankets with the odd darn. People don\u2019t mind a neat repair but don\u2019t like stains.\u2019<\/p>\n

Size, age and rarity also affect price. \u2018We mainly see blankets from the 20th century when a lot of mills were still operating \u2013 sadly only half a dozen remain as they have folded one by one since the 1970s.\u2019 Jen says prices can vary from \u00a380-\u00a3500 depending on the type and rarity of the blanket, and considerably more for a 19th-century example in good condition. Some tapestry blankets can be found in a pristine state. \u2018They were given as wedding presents<\/a> and often stayed in a drawer wrapped in brown paper.\u2019<\/p>\n

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King size c1950s Welsh tapestry blanket in good condition was priced at \u00a3295 from Cooling & Cooling.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Where to buy a Welsh blanket<\/h2>\n