Ode to a Blanket
A love letter to the wonder of the humble blanket
It has been mighty cold here in Herefordshire this past week. The sort of cold that bites your bones. I have been holing up in the evenings, in bed, buried under my thick woollen Welsh tapestry blanket to try and keep warm. It’s one of favourite textile objects I own, a wedding gift to my grandparents in the late 60s that has been kindly passed on to me. I have long lusted after the gorgeous patterns of welsh tapestry blankets, even before I could weave. I was fascinated by the double cloth and how the pattern appeared on both sides, in a reverse of colours. Now I know that is thanks to Double Cloth, one of my favourite weaving techniques. My love of double cloth in weaving was surely influenced by my fascination with welsh tapestry!
The humble blanket is perhaps the most primitive and the most important textile item, giving warmth and comfort in one form or another since the dawn of mankind. A piece of cloth at its simplest, a work of intricate textile at its finest. Often just a single square or rectangle of cloth with no seams. Made from a variety of materials throughout history, we have been wrapping ourselves in cloth since the start of civillisation. Starting with furs or skins, we then learnt to weave with fibres, opening up a world of possibility. Ancient Egyptians reportedly wove fine blankets in Linen adorned with intricate designs as a reflection of their wealth and power. While in Britain it is thought that the invention of the blanket could be credited to Thomas Blanket, a Flemish weaver based in Bristol in the 14th Century. One cold evening he supposedly threw a length of woollen cloth he had woven over his bed and slept soundly! He grew his weaving business by popularising the use of thick woollen cloth as a blanket. There is some debate over the idea that Thomas blanket was the sole inventor of blankets, especially as we see them in cultures all over the world for centuries. But I do think it is an interesting tale! With the delicate nature of textiles, their history can often be difficult to trace. A lot of artefacts will simply have vanished over time as the materials break down.
From the moment we are born, we are wrapped in a blanket. Often, before we have even had the chance to open our eyes and quiet our cries, we are swathed in cloth. Their soft surfaces embracing and comforting us. When my children were babies, I always had a plethora of blankets to hand and they often served more than just for warmth. Mopping up spit up, an emergency changing mat, lying them under the shade of a tree, blankets are an all purpose object with many uses. Round the campfire - grab a blanket. Off for a picnic? Don’t forget your blanket. Relaxing on the beach? Blanket essential! They are there for all of life’s little moments. The joy of a baguette shared between friends, the solace of a good book or late night footsies with your love, all happening in or under the frame of a blanket. They are evocative, storing our memories in their tactile surface.
Blankets might typically be associated with the colder seasons and our search for warmth, but I love to use them all year round. The beauty of a blanket is that they can be made in all sorts of materials: Wool, Cotton, Linen and unfortunately most often these days, polyester. Plain or patterned - the world of blankets is vast! They are a unifying global object, a human essential that exists in every culture. Blankets have seen us through wars and turbulence. In Britain, Witney supplied a vast amount of blankets for the Napoleonic war, World War 1 and World War 2. Heavy, plain woollen blankets sent to soldiers in need around the world. The tiniest sliver of comfort in a terrifying time. Just as blankets join us at birth, blankets often accompany us in death. Burial shrouds have wrapped us in a final embrace for centuries.
Once upon a time, a good quality woollen blanket was an investment, or like my welsh tapestry blanket, a wedding gift. They were valued as heirloom pieces to be passed on and treasured. These days, cheaper polyester blankets are the norm, you will find shelves of them at the supermarket or home store. This attitude of devaluing textiles is not just limited to blankets, with the rise of fast fashion, fast home decor is also an issue. Brands putting out collection after collection of whatever is currently trending in the home decor world. Grey, beige, greige? - who can keep up! But for those of us who do value natural fibres and the quality of a woollen blanket, whose warmth can’t be matched, there are still plenty of options. Companies such as Melin Tregwynt or Trefriw, who are still producing heirloom quality wool blankets in historic mills. Wales’ rich textural heritage is still alive and beating. Or if you’re a weaver you could make your own!
The history and cultural significance of blankets around the world is vast - that would need to be a series here on Substack or even a book! It’s amazing how a modest piece of cloth has brought so much to humans over the course of time. So let’s take a moment to be thankful for the humble blanket, for giving us warmth, comfort and a good nights sleep!