Good work Eric
Just finished a similar hooded tunic using a blanket, enjoyed making it and my mrs even likes it!
Just finished a similar hooded tunic using a blanket, enjoyed making it and my mrs even likes it!
Blanket Coat (Capote)
- Thread starter Eric_Methven
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Fantastic. Wheres the lightsabre?
Ill have to make one of those...First find a blanket.
They wear things like that a lot in the Himalayas...I read an account of a `Swiss` (German speaking...this was the thirties and you can see the enormity of that) geologist in N India,
He was minded to join the pilgrimage around Kalias, so he disguised himself as a Lama, he wore his boots and a coat like that, made from sheepskin with the wool inside, and little else.
Even though it was early march he was quite warm.
Ill have to make one of those...First find a blanket.
They wear things like that a lot in the Himalayas...I read an account of a `Swiss` (German speaking...this was the thirties and you can see the enormity of that) geologist in N India,
He was minded to join the pilgrimage around Kalias, so he disguised himself as a Lama, he wore his boots and a coat like that, made from sheepskin with the wool inside, and little else.
Even though it was early march he was quite warm.
am i riight that the dark stripes on the whitney are something to do with how many beaver pelts the indians had to supply to trade for a blanket?
I read some place else that if an indian wanted to trade for a flintlock rifle then he had to pile pelts as high as as the barrel tip off ground, and that enterprising traders hurriedly developed a rifle much longer than was the norm, and set about convicing the indians that the extra length was what made it accurate
I read some place else that if an indian wanted to trade for a flintlock rifle then he had to pile pelts as high as as the barrel tip off ground, and that enterprising traders hurriedly developed a rifle much longer than was the norm, and set about convicing the indians that the extra length was what made it accurate
Not quite.
In the point system, a blanket of higher point value would supposedly be larger and warmer. A common misconception is that each point indicated a quantity of beaver pelts or Hudson's Bay Company money. Blankets varied in colour and design.
From the Hudson's Bay Company website
Each blanket was graded as to weight and size using a point system. Points were identified by the indigo lines woven into the side of each blanket. A full point measured 4 - 5.5 in.; a half point measured half that length. The standard measurements for a pair of 1 point blankets was: 2 ft. 8 in. wide by 8 ft. in length; with a weight of 3 lb. 1 oz. each. Points ranged from 1 to 6, increasing by halves depending upon the size and weight of the blanket. The number of points represented the overall finished size of the blanket, not its value in terms of beaver pelts as is sometimes believed.
Current use
Point blankets, made in England from 100% wool, are available at the Bay to the present day in three and a half-, four-, six-, and eight-point sizes corresponding respectively to a twin-, double-, queen-, or king-sized bed. Solid colours are available, as is the famous "classic" pattern featuring green, red, yellow, and indigo stripes against a white background. For a limited time a new colour is available. Depending on size and colour, newly made blankets retail at between $275 and $475 USD.
Today the point blankets are made in England by John Atkinson & Sons, a division of A. W. Hainsworth & Sons Ltd.
Eric
Love it! Quality work again Eric.
I'm leaning toward the plainer one though, perfect winter clobber.
I'm leaning toward the plainer one though, perfect winter clobber.
Mostly urban myth - on both accounts.
As Eric said, the point markings were a simple designation of size/weight. And that size/weight varied by the company making the blankets. So every batch of blankets that a trader out at a frontier post could end up being from different manufacturers back in Europe, and of different sizes and markings.
The other thing to remember is that after the initial contact the Indians had with Europeans and their trade goods, they became very good at ... trading. And very ... picky ... consumers. They already knew all about trading from their own history of inter-tribal trading. They just needed to get past that initial shock/impression of seeing European style goods. Then they started driving "hard bargains". The fur trade records/journals have lots of entries where the Indians complained about the quality of the goods being offered, and several instances of the Indians refusing to trade for certain items because of their "quality".
There have been over 20 different companies that have made wool blankets for the Hudson Bay Company over the years. One of the last major ones was Earlys of Witney. But they closed up a little over a year ago.
And the earliest documentation anyone so far has found for that multi-stripe or candi-stripe blanket is 1795. It mostly became a common trade blanket in the 1820's and 1830's - and continued to be popular well into the 1900's. And now the Hudson Bay Company has officially registered that particular style of blanket as their "trademark" - based upon their long history with it. Even though a bunch of other companies have made similar blankets for years, now only the HBC can have them made and offer them for sale.
Years ago, I made two similar capotes - one from gray wool fabric and one from a tan with brown stripe wool blanket. They are great for setting or standing around the fire. But the wind can blow right through that loose weave of a wool blanket. That is why so many of the original capotes were made from wool MATERIAL. It generally had a tighter weave - that helped block the wind and rain. Just comare a wool blanket with the wool from a Navy Peacoat, or to the wool fabric in a suit coat or overcoat. There's quite a difference in the tightness of weave, thickness of the individual threads, and heaviness of the final fabric. Yes, many blankets were cut up to make into coats/capotes. The British military even issued regs against their soldiers cutting up their blankets to make coats/capotes! It was that much of a problem. But in the end you are better off starting with wool fabric instead of a blanket - or to "full" that blanket before you start cutting (shrink/felt/tighten it up).
Just a few humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
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