Research help: blankets

[liadethornegge]

Question for the knowledgeable: what shape, size and form would a medieval blanket (swe: filt) have? By blanket here I mean woolen, woven, used for keeping warm. What type of weave and what colours can be documented? Can any be?

I can my own self conclude without having to do much checking that thick woolen cloth was woven and used pretty much throughout - but was it used as blankets? How were the edges finished? Do we see any of the now standard fringes? Was it fulled? How heavily fulled?

I tried a couple of google searches but didn't find anything specific. I'm looking for references from pretty much any time frame.

ETA: Book references

A History of the County of Oxford XIV - Witney and its Townships p70-80~
Townley, Simon (editor), Boydell and Brewer, Woodbridge, 2004
- a comprehensive and detailed illustrated history of the Witney area in the Victoria County History series, contains chapters dealing specifically with the wool, cloth and blanket trade from its beginnings through to its decline and provides the context to this. Full references and footnotes are provided on each page to the numerous primary and secondary documentary sources that were used to research it.

Oxfordshire p164~
Steane, John, Pimlico, London, 1996
- a narrative history of the county of Oxfordshire, including a section on the Witney blanket industry.

Comments

[aeddie.livejournal.com]

http://www.florilegium.org/

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reminding me about the Florilegium, however, checking the headings and trying the most likely ones I find nothing at all talking about blankets. I find loads on fulling etc, but nothing speaking to bedlinens or blankets :(

If you had any specific message in mind there could you direct me further, pretty please?

[aeddie.livejournal.com]

If you search on "houndstooth" you can find a number of files including raingear and Scottish-clothing referencing that pattern. The weaving files might also have links.

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

ooh-err! There's a search feature!

Heh, I'd missed that. Thanks again for the help.

[(Anonymous)]

vackra fluffiga sängryor är väl så rätt historiskt det kan bli här uppe i norden?

/m

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

Jag tycker att man kan tänka sig det, men finns belägg nånstans? Teknikerna och mönstren finns, men användes det på samma sätt? Det är liksom frågan :)

[bippimalin.livejournal.com]

There is plenty of german 15th-16th century "scottish striped" bedlinen depicted in images. (I can mail you pictures of what I mean.) The blankets over seem to be just about any type of fabric possible. From solid coloured to brocade to what is most likely embroidery.
I can look though my images and zip up a file for you. :)

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

Yes, absolutely, I would love that! Thank you so much.

I ask because my mother found a pattern in one of her weaving magazines on a 'medieval blanket' using a hound's tooth pattern - so if you see some of that going on that would be perfect!

[folo1.livejournal.com]

What period are you wondering about?

I'm certain that I read something about Viking wool (vadsmal) blankets , but I can't find. I was certain it was in Jesse Byock, but it's not indexed, and I can't find it :(
http://www.witneyblanketstory.org.uk/WBP.asp?navigationPage=Bibliography concentrates on the witney blanket nd has some valuable bibliographic information about the medieval woolen industry. There is a timeline at http://www.witneyblanketstory.org.uk/WBP.asp?navigationPage=Brief%20history

http://users.easystreet.com/rafaella/kingdom_AS/blanket.pdf is just one source I've found for medieval blnkets, and many seem to date from the 15th centuryu.

\A lot of wool in the 18th century was so thick that edges weren't even hemmed. That was probably not a recent development. The Hudson Bay Point Blanket dates from the 18th century and might be of interest. The HBC blanket history may be found at http://www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/blanket/his

You might also look for coverlets or a similar term. I hope some of this is of help.

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

Ideally looking for my main persona time of ~1400, but any will do.

I found both the Witney Blanket site and the quilt documentation on my own first search. The doco is nice enough, but she was looking for information on sewing quilts while I am looking for woven examples so most of her information is no good to me. Maybe a more careful reading will shake out some tidbit I can use.

The Witney and HBP sites are both more concerned with post 18th Century, but Witney did have a few points.

I will try to think up some more terms, though, good plan!

Thanks for the assistance, I appreciate it!

[ciorstan.livejournal.com]

I have a Hudson Bay blanket that was my late stepfather's childhood blanket; it was woven in the same manner trade blankets have been made for almost 200 years (which is incredibly ancient by American standards...;P). It is tan with a black stripe paralleling the upper edges, finished with a blanket-stitch overcasting, and is a 1/3 twill. It has the HB four-stripe 'points' on one side, which, IIRC, was a way to designate its worth in trade goods when traded to the locals by the French prior to the French-and-Indian War.

If I hadn't read under the covers with a bare bulb as a teenager and let one of my early-teen ratties chew on it, it would be in perfect condition still. It's presently on my daughter's bed.

Um. For what it's worth. I babble. IIRC off the top of my head, Icelandic wadmal was usually a 2/2 or 2/1 twill, woven on a warp-weighted loom. If you remind me, I can peruse my copy of Hoffman's "The Warp Weighted Loom" later on tonight; I also have a copy of Textiles & Cordage by Penelope Walton, which has a lot of color pictures of bits of Anglo-Saxon and medieval textiles therein.

[ciorstan.livejournal.com]

Hee! I looked at the HB site; I didn't know that the points indicated size, not trade good worth. Mine is a 'camel' blanket and it's at least 55, maybe 60 years old.

[folo1.livejournal.com]

"The Witney and HBP sites are both more concerned with post 18th Century, but Witney did have a few points."

LOL. I get it!

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

*facepalm* I didn't at the time of posting :P

[ciorstan.livejournal.com]

*smirk* I thought that was deliberate...

[dame-eleanor.livejournal.com]

If you can get your hands on a copy of "Textile Manufactures in Early Modern England" by Eric Kerridge, Manchester University Press, ISBN 0-7190-1767-X, he has a fair bit about blankets throughout. Although he does not give perhaps the kind of specifics you may be seeking, he does mention a lot of different qualities and types from various areas, from finely finished soft broadcloths to linsey woolsey types, or those with a strong fine warp and a lot of thick weft with noils and such, and weavings in plain tabby and twills, with brushed finishes. Some were woven and left white, others dyed either in the wool, or in the cloth, or overdyed in blues, and reds, and other colors, or shades of colors. He mentions a range of at least 5 shades of blue from indigo and woad, and the use of stripes similar to trade blankets. He also mentions the repute of Spanish woolens. So one can't make too many broad statements, as it seems there were many sorts of weaves, finishes and qualities to be had. There were too many mentions for me to read them all just now, but it would seem to bear a good look. Good luck! I can see that this is something I want to look into more closely myself! Thanks for sparking a new line of research for me!