I'm Mad About Wool Blankets

[tombear]

Well, I'm one happy bunny today as I lucked out and found two new (one still folded in the crinkly 1970s cellophane, the other had been opened out to be artfully displayed in the window but still had the creases in it...) Witney blankets in a charity shop. Ok they are bright yellow but they are double or maybe kingsized (will compare to our bed later) and Walkers ones so were made on a traditional loom prior to 1980 when they shut down at Witney.

http://witneyblanketstory.org.uk/WB...WBPPERS.MDF&record=Walker, James and Sons Ltd

I've always wanted a green with black stripes Earlys single (to go with the Smoke and Fire capote the wife once splashed out for one birthday) but the price of a new one is horrendous. The capote is a great bit of kit for the cold and dry, especially around a fire. I did once try to make one from a army blanket using a commercial pattern but I made a pigs ear of it, hence the wifes gift.

ATB

Tom

Oh yeah, they were £4 each :-{D)

 

[Tengu]

Whats a capote?

 

[saddle_tramp]

capotes are like those old mountain man coats made out of point blankets. some have got fringed shoulders and exagerated hoods, proper old fur trapper gear

 

[tombear]

Aye, very Grizzly Adams! The wife tends to laugh when I wear it (which may have been why she got it me ;-{D)

http://www.blanketbrigade.com/Witney Capotes.htm

will show you some illustrations of them, or rather some intepretations of them. If I remember right they got to North America via French sailors who started using them in the 17th C.

The two "buttercup" yellow Witneys I picked up are 94" wide on the shortest side so I guess they are king size? I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet. If they weren't so bright I'd have a go at a blanket shirt with one.

ATB

Tom

 

[John Fenna]

The two "buttercup" yellow Witneys I picked up are 94" wide on the shortest side so I guess they are king size? I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet. If they weren't so bright I'd have a go at a blanket shirt with one.

Wool is easy to dye!

 

[tombear]

Thats a excellent thought! Now whats the best stuff for dying wool? I used that in little tubs Dylon stuff years ago...

ATB

Tom

 

[saddle_tramp]

cool link Tom, kinda partial to a plains warshirt now

 

[Mike Ameling]

Whats a capote?

It is an early version of a wool coat. The term started in Canada when it was still called Nouvelle France. Most of them were made from wool clothe instead of from blankets. That wool cloth had a different weave and thickness than blankets, and worked better for clothing. Simple versions were made much like a modern bathrobe. But most of the early ones were made as un-lined versions of the current fashion frock coat. The early ones tended to be pretty well tailored in fit, but without thoses extra finishing touches of formal coats. The Mountainmen of the 1820's through 1890's were when capotes started to generally be made from blankets - and be made in that boxy "bathrobe" shape/style.

If you make a capote out of a good modern wool blanket, they do work well to keep you warm when setting around the campfire. But they allow too much of any wind to blow through that open loose weave in the wool. That's why so many were made from wool clothe. That clothe was woven tighter to help block the wind and shed rain. It was much like the wool clothe used to make the modern naval peacoat. Compare one of them to a wool blanket and you will easily see the difference.

Yes, wool can be dyed. There are good instructions on a number of web sites and in many books. Just follow the instructions. Just remember that it is always easier to dye it a darker color. But some combinations can turn out in weird shades once dried.

My personal advice would be to keep the blankets as-is, and use them as blankets. If you wish to make a wool shirt or coat/capote, then buy wool fabric. Or search the second hand stores for old women's skirts or men's formal overcoats made from good wool. Then cut those up to sew up what you want.

Just my humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[tombear]

Cheers Mike!
sound advice there although since I already have the spare Witney blanket already I'll probably use that for a blanket shirt unless I can swap it for some wool clothe, being rather skint after splashing out on some Evernew pans.

I better continue packing as we are off to the inlaws cottage in the Brecon Beacons for 8 days and the lads all want to do some bushy making and cooking. Shame I don't have a pattern (I need a proper one or it will end in tears ) or I could while away the evenings doing some sewing. I've a Osberg linen havesack kit I'll take instead.

ATB

Tom

 

[Ian_The Outdoor Life]

I must say, a woolen blanket in a bivvy is surprisingly warm
well for me anyway

Ian

 

[big_swede]

Anybody tried washing their blanket in warm water to shrink it and thereby making the weave tighter?

 

[JohnC]

I did with the tunic I made from a blanket, it tightened the weave and felted it a bit..

 

[big_swede]

Another question, bought a new (well, new to me) blanket today, from a surplus store, this blanket is one of those really old stories made from at least 100% wool. Thick and heavy as they should be but all isn't sweet in the land of milk and wool. It smells, hmm, let me correct that, it reaks! It's out in the fresh air now, but I'm afraid the late summer breeze will do little against this beast of a smell. How to clean it without ruining the good wool qualities?

By the way, it was very cheap. And green.

 

[spamel]

Wash it numerous times in the machine with good liquid washing stuff, maybe some fabric conditioner if you don't like the itchy and scratchy! Bang it on the line for a week, or until the smell goes. It may take a time. My two blankets came off of a removals van and stank to high heaven. They're spot on now though.

 

[Mungo]

I dropped by the thrift shop a couple of weeks ago and picked up several used wool blankets for less than ten dollars each. I gave a couple to a friend of mine, who is intending to make a woolen capote out of it. Can't wait to see his handiwork!

Maybe I'll commission him to make one for me... or bite the bullet and make one myself.

Cheers,

Mungo

 

[8thsinner]

First off, sorry for not being here in ages, I have been busy with life and all it's troubles.

Anyway
I saw this thread a few weeks ago and went out and got myself a new army wool blanket today.

As I suspected, a method of wearing it similar to whats posted, is what I will be doing with it which goes as follows.

Take the length of the blanket and place the middle just behind your head, rolling up 5-6 inches worth in your fists before doing so.

Place your wrists half way down the width of the blanket, one each side of course.
Take a piece of para cord 3 metres long, and place on end in your teeth.

Lead the para cord from your teeth, to half way down the remainder of the width of the blanket, essentially at the quarter width mark. On the left side.
Behind your back and up over your right shoulder.
All the above with your right hand.

Now swap hands and grab with your left hand.
Lead the paracord under your right arm crossing the same quarter width marks, across the back and up over your left shoulder.

At this point the paracord crosses itself, tie together with a square knot.

from here, take the two bits of blanket relevant and cross them over the torso. Right side over left.

Now from the square knot follow that blanket down to the right hip, then around your waist two or three times and tie itself off at the front.


Unroll the head covering you originally rolled with your wrists and throw it over your head as a hood if you want.

Using this method over a shemagh will not itch the neck in the slightest, keep you very warm, and well covered.

 

[Aragorn]

Blankets are great bits of kit. When I was a kid it was all I used for sleeping out in.

These days I keep a few in the van and I've turned a couple into ponchos which makes them even more useful.

have you got a pattern to follow gary, or some numpty proof tips atleast i've got a blanket that's iching to be ponchoed

 

[Mike Ameling]

The simple version of wearing a blanket as a coat/wrap is what was historically called a Matchcoat or Watchcoat.

Fold your blanket in about half around a belt or cord/rope. Wrap that around you and cinch it tight. Now take the "outside" half of the blanket and pull it up over and around your shoulders. Let some of it fold back down and adjust the overall length. Now use something to pin it together where it comes together on your chest right below your neck.

There it is ... a Matchcoat. The extra length on top can be left hanging down around your shoulders, and will work like an extra "cape". Or it can be pulled up and over/around your head like a hood - pinned together under your chin as needed.

The other way to put it on is to drape the whole blanket over your head and down your back until you have the bottom edge where you want it for length. Then wrap your belt/sash/rope around your waist to cinch it in place. Now pull the sides together across your chest and beneath your chin till it ... feels right. Pin it together right there.

You can pin it together with a classic blanket pin, a sewing awl, or even a long thorn. Some people have even attached little leather thongs at the right places to tie it shut. If your blanket is wide enough, you can even tuck the upper ends down into your closed belt to help hold it in place. Your blanket will wrap around your arms naturally, and form wide sleeves.

A very common size for a Matchcoat was around 65 by 60 inches - to fit a person of average build about 5 foot 10 inches tall. I am 6 foot tall, and a tick wider round the middle/chest/shoulders. I tend to use a standard military wool bunk blanket, but I also tend to have about 18 to 24 inches of extra length folded back on the top as an extra cape layer.

The other big benefit of this method is that you have an extra wool blanket to use with your bedroll at night. And you don't have to cut/sew anything.

Hope this simple description helps. If you do a web search for Wilde Weavery, they have pictures of how to put on and wear a Matchcoat or Watchcoat on their web site.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[andy_e]

Was interested by your post Mikey, so went a-hunting - quickly found this page with a couple of useful photos

http://dirttime.com/matchcoat.html

Thanks

 

[Mike Ameling]

Making a poncho out of a wool blanket is pretty simple. You just make a T shaped slit in it for your head to go through as it drapes over your shoulders.

But a few tips:

Don't make that T shaped slit in the exact middle of the blanket. Make it a little more towards one end. Otherwise your poncho will be a little longer in front and shorter in back. That offset slit allows extra material in back to compensate for your shoulders.

Don't make your T slit too wide or long at first. It is too easy to make it wider and longer than necessary. You can always cut more, but if it is too wide/long, then you have to sew to close it up a bit.

A lot of people will sew reinforcing patches at the ends of the cuts - to help keep them from tearing out farther. And some sew a triangular piece of blanket/fabric at each end of the top slit - to help smooth/round out the neck opening across the shoulders. A square piece of blanket/fabric folded in half diagonally works well for this.

If you cut the long leg of the T slit a little longer, it helps putting the poncho on. And it also helps you regulate heat. But then you should probably add a couple ties so that you can tie it shut when necessary.

Bind the cut edges. Most modern blankets will want to continue unraveling on the cut edges. So either bind them with some tape/ribbon, or whip-stitch around them with thread or yarn.

Hope this helps.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands