Blanket help

[coloradoclyde]

I have a wool blanket and the end/whip stitching is missing in spots.
Advice,sugesstions,comments,recommendations?

 

[Stophel]

I hate to be Captain Obvious, but... stitch it back! :haha:

Find a suitable yarn (I don't think it would be called a "thread"... :idunno: ) the right size and stitch away. It is essentially the same as a buttonhole stitch and not hard to do. I've actually got a blanket that I need to redo the stitching on, myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9D1KL8Zza8

Of course, you'll only have one layer of fabric, but you get the picture. And I think she has the cutest voice! :grin:

 

[Johnny Tremain]

When I built my copotes I used nylon yarn from Joann Fabric. Has not lost one whip stitch since 94 when I made it

 

[Jaeger]

"amen" on that voice...and accent., Stophel.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I got side tracked and forgot to say thanks.
great video. :thumbsup:

 

[George]

Did blankets of the day have that stitching?

Spence

 

[Stophel]

It would seem, yes.

Lots of good info here, but scroll down about halfway and you'll finally see an original "Rose blanket" that has (original?) red stitching along the ends. http://www.scribd.com/doc/190090340/Bedding-Blankets

Others appear to have nothing, at least currently, but may or may not have had it originally. :idunno: Some of the thinner American checked blankets have ends that are rolled and hemmed.

Original 18th century blankets are pretty scarce, as one could imagine!

 

[coloradoclyde]

That's pretty awesome Stophel,
and ya gotta love those french artists :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[crockett]

Actually a plain old blanket stitch works pretty good and Joann fabrics was selling some 100% linen thread for a dollar a spool. The thread was rather thick and worked okay on the blanket.
On Capotes- not sure how it was historically done. Paintings show frayed blanket ends in the bottom hem area so maybe nothing was done. When I made my capote I cut out the sections and then sewed "inside out" using a running stitch and then a blanket stitch to hold down the edge.
HBC blankets don't have any stitching along the edge- if I recall- it has been a while since I saw a real HBC blanket but whether that was how the originals were sold- don't know.
One passage of a mountain man diary I read spoke of them having some idle time and sewing up capotes- so probably some wiggle room on pc methods.

 

[Ken Cormier]

Cool read thanks for posting this.

 

[Stophel]

Unhemmed/unstitched wool will hold together better than linen or cotton, which would come unraveled quite quickly if the edge was left unfinished. "Better", but it still will come apart, so the stitching helps keep that from happening. :wink:

 

[tenngun]

I never saw a real old...colonal or later fur trade blanket, but I do have a 130 year old HBC and the edges were either not stiched or were worn off by the time I got it. Had both Witneys and HBC duffle coats and capotes that were worn hard, slept in and kicked about. Had very little fraying, not enough to worry about. Would not make fringe for a riffles men frock. (yes I know they didn't make frocks out of HBC blankets)

 

[Stophel]

Tenngun, how thick/dense/fluffy is that old blanket you have? The better felted/fulled wool is, the better it will hold together (fulled wool clothing often will have raw edges exposed in the seams since it will stay together on its own). A heavily fulled wool cloth like broadcloth almost becomes felt, and will be near impossible to unravel.

I will say also, that the old blankets shown in the link I posted don't look all that thick and fluffy.... They appear fairly thin, coarse, plain, and not very well fulled... I have some old blankets (not THAT old, but 50+ years old), and while some are not all that thick, they are still fulled up at least a little bit and look better than the British army blanket shown! Of course, I wonder also if it has lost all of its nap over the centuries....

 

[tenngun]

It's thicker then a modern wool blanket sold by ml suppliers in the $40 range, but not as thick as the witness I bought in the 1980s. It's about 5 lbs, but don't know how much it lost over the years. It's also 70x90 a little small then a modern 4 point.

 

[smoothshooter]

Not familiar with the term "witness" blanket. What is that?

 

[courdebois]

I use regular sowing thread to hand stitch everything together then go over it with a blanket stitch using a thick black wool for looks and to cover up the modern thread,this also makes the seams stronger as some of my capo,s see a lot of use

 

[Sean Gadhar]

I tried google and I "think" I have an Idea but so far I really only found some "wall art" in Canada :idunno:

 

[Woods Dweller]

My wife bought 3 "Amish blanks" from the Amish back in the late 60's. These blankets were made from the fabric just like the long Johns sleepwear. Long johns were first introduced into England in the 17th century, but they did not become popular as sleepwear until the 18th century. We have been using one of these blanks every winter for many years. It lays over a top sheet and then a quilt over the "Amish blank". In the summer we pack the "Amish blanks" away. I say all this because, I use one of these "Amish blanks" in my bedroll when I camp and it keep's me very warm. I don't know if or were you could get a blanket made from the wool or cotton materiel that long John are made from. A little history.

"Long johns were first introduced into England in the 17th century, but they did not become popular as sleepwear until the 18th century. "