Price of blankets

[Twodogs]

Hello all ,,,,,

Is it my imagination or is the price of good earth colour blankets that tend to be of military origin going up .

Blankets that were £17 to £20 are now £25 ,,, that's before you start looking at Italian and Dutch blankets that are just mad money

I buy blankets for my Wool shirts in bulk but thay wont last forever .....

Is it a case of we are running of good wool blankets ??? Aid agency etc must be using up loads , Armys don't use blankets anymore ...


Any views ??

Twodogs

 

[British Red]

£20 was always cheap, far less than a new blanket of similar weight would cost. When word gets out, and supplies diminish, the price goes up.

 

[Twodogs]

Yep looks like you have hit the nail on the head Red ,,,,,

 

[nephilim]

There is an army navy surplus store near me, they do blankets for around £15, but not sure if they'll ship it

 

[tombear]

Shame you need bulk and certain colours, the charity shops seam to have plenty at the moment. I've been actually turning my nose up at top quality plain off white blankets , I no longer bother with yellow/orange/pink even if they are as new Whitneys. In Ramsbottom on Thursday I didn't buy a excellent double, as new, just because it was 8 quid and I'd just bought a lovely natural colours plaid single one in Accrington for £3. In the next charity shop in Rammy a little old lady was buying 2 white singles for £2 a pop for dog blankets just a I was coming in. Those I would have snapped up.

I don't know if is this cold snap has ad a effect on what stock they are putting out.

None of this helps you looking for bushy coloured stuff in bulk but I thought I'd mention it if other folk want just one.

ill get my capote...

Tom

 

[ozzy1977]

Its nearly impossible to get blankets in charity shops around here, they just don't get them donated any more

 

[Twodogs]

All good stuff Gents

There isn't many in the charity shops around here ...

The problem I have if I have to pay to much for blankets my shirts go up in price and people wont pay it even though many hours go into making them ,,, Its the way it is ...

Twodogs

 

[Toddy]

Get thee to the reenactors markets (near Warwick) and speak to Bernie the Bolt or even Anne Laverick (she's more expensive and a bit more limited, but Bernie carries a range of weights and colours and he'll even arrange to sell you a bolt dyed to order) or Hert's fabrics (Ali's not allowed to sell wool at A.L.'s shows since she does that, but he does have some superb wools in stock)
Some truly excellent woollens out there and at very reasonable prices.
I buy for bushshirts and cloaks as well as for reenactors stuff.

The other places that I would recommend that are very well worth your while opening a dialogue, are Yorkshire Fabrics (very helpful and lovely people to deal with; quality), Maggie's Fabrics (amazing prices for really lovely wools, just not always bolt loads but I bought wool flannel from them that lined bush shirts beautifully, made them windproof and didn't add much to the weight either) and for utterly superb wools of the very best uniform quality, speak to Hainsworth's.

Failing that, why not contact Kev at Endicott's and tell him what you're doing ? You can work round a tear or a snag in a blanket that he would have to sell as thirds let alone seconds, and you might get some really good deals from him.
Good people to work with

Best of luck with it
M

 

[Twodogs]

Cheers Mary that's food for thought ..

Cliff

 

[Coldfeet]

Probably the time of year/cold snap we are having that is also effecting stock levels; although I have to admit that I can't ever remember seeing wool blankets in charity shops around these parts, regardless of the time of year.

 

[cranmere]

There are very few blankets in the charity shops around here (Bristol). I don't mind what colour they are because if they are wool or mostly wool they dye very easily although then you have to factor in the cost of the dye.

 

[Toddy]

Up front Cliff, I won't make them to sell at the price you do. I know how much work goes into making them, and I know how much decent blankets cost. You're most certainly not ripping anyone off at the price you charge I hope folks appreciate that.

It would do my head in to make so many of the same thing though. Making redcoats for Ian's growing army is as much as I can thole of the one after the other type sewing

I rarely use blankets, but good ones do make very good shirts/jackets, just that 'good' is sometimes relative. I tried sewing one of the heavyweight Dutch blankets …..my forearms ached with the weight. If you're up for it, good on you

M

 

[Twodogs]

I don't mind making them to be honest I work a spilt shift so it fills the hours constructively..

But I can see it coming to an end when this batch of blankets have gone ..

As you say good blankets make good shirts the yugos are good and will be hard to beat , Dutch and Italian have gone by the look of it .

Maybe time to look at something else .

Again thank you for your input

Cliff

 

[Tengu]

Kev at Endicotts was very helpful when I said I wanted half a blanket to make a Lukha; he had a damaged one it, was £8...

(you cant get my friend out of the Lukha now...)

 

[mrcharly]

Those prices seem high. See http://www.profabrics.co.uk/products/outdoor-/mid-weight-wool/0001730.html

158cm wide, £5.99 + vat per metre for new cloth with DWR and fire retardant.

They say ex MOD but I reckon that's fireman's uniform fabric. Would make a good bush shirt or smock.

 

[Toddy]

It's a nice find mrcharly, but that's a lighter weight wool….the stuff uniform jackets are made from, not the heavy weight stuff that greatcoats are made from.

Would make really good woollen trousers though.

Thank you for the link

M

 

[John Fenna]

I had a look on the site - and saw they have 8oz canvas and rip stop cotton...
I may not want the wool but this thread has cost me money again!

 

[Hibrion]

Prices are deifinitely going up on the old military ones. Being limited to buying online, and having to pay extra postage, it actually worked out better value to buy a new handwoven blanket than, for example, an italian military version and spend the time airing and washing it. But i was also happy to buy from a craftsperson.

If you need to put your prices up, you should. You can't work for nothing and it seems to me like you're making a quality product from all the happy customers about.

You could always source some british made fabrics and market your stuff as all british made. There is a market and plenty of people willing to spend a few quid extra to make sure the money stays as local as possible.

 

[Toddy]

I know a source for the most beautiful Welsh grown, shorn, spun and woven wool cloths….but they come in at a starting price of £65 a metre at 48" wide.
Superb though
It's from the fellow who owns the farm that the Tudor Farm programme was based on.

M

 

[Badger74]

You could try SIDTRIM in Leeds if they are still about. I picked up wool that must have been used for Guards greatcoats for about £6m. admittedly it was about 4 years ago.