FHW Blankets

[jhmanahan]

So I've been looking for a good confederate blanket and have recently been checking out the FHW website and their offerings. I have seen that they offer a number of different patterns in a twin size (approx 70"x90") which is all fine and well ... but I noticed that they are listed as "cotton/acrylic" in nature. Is that OK? I keep hearing reference to good FHW blankets for a confederate impression, but I cannot find exactly what has been referenced on here on the FHW website. Below is the link to the FHW page I'm referring to. Any help is appreciated!

FHW Site Link:

http://www.familyheirloomweavers.com/blankets.pweb

Thanks again,
Logan Metesh

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: FHW Blankets

Logan,

What is listed on the FHW website is all their home decor and ingrain carpet product lines. They have not produced CW era blankets for the retail market for about five years. Every indication Pat Kline has given me is that he does not plan to do any more runs of blankets save for commission jobs like our CS blanket, with another party incurring the cost. The long and the short of it is that if you want one of their civilian blankets you will need to find it on the second hand market.

Hope this clears things up a bit.

[jhmanahan]

Re: FHW Blankets

Thanks for the info Dan!

[Garrett Silliman]

Re: FHW Blankets

Dan may be too modest to promote his own goods but if you are looking for a CS blanket I would check out his site for a very nice one. If he has none left, then check out EJ Thomas who had some of the same run.

[Dbackfed]

Re: FHW Blankets

Anyone know how to find ingrain carpet for a CS blanket. FHW has the stuff but i cant seem to justify spending a minimun of $400 on carpet for a blanket

[Spinster]

Re: FHW Blankets

An additional alternative in the FHW site is to mine down through their coverlets pages to 'dry clean only' coverlets.

These are the traditional wool and cotton coverlets--available as a finished Queen-sized coverlet---or, if you read the fine print, as YARDAGE.

Purchase the amount you need and hem the ends yourself for an excellent three season civilian blankie.

It's also worthwhile to check occassionally for ingrain remanents. You don't get to choose your pattern, but as a soldier you didn't then either.

[PieBoy96]

Re: FHW Blankets

The FHW repro carpet is very expensive, no matter how you look at it. There is a shop in downtown Gettysburg that actually carries only FHW products, but as stated before, it's for the general market and most items have acrylic content. However, the store does carry some repro carpet in various sizes, but I am not sure how the prices are and what their content is. I'm terribly sorry I can't remember the name of the store, but I know it is on York St, the first block east of the Square on the north side of the street. Google Street-view isn't helping either.

You might be able to drop FHW an email and ask if they have any carpet remnants. I remember many years ago he had some odd pieces left over from doing a special run for a historic building.

[ScottCross]

Re: FHW Blankets

Anyone know how to find ingrain carpet for a CS blanket. FHW has the stuff but i cant seem to justify spending a minimun of $400 on carpet for a blanket

Check the antique stores and flea markets for an original carpet runner. You can still pick them up cheaply (if the seller doesn't know wht they've got). Of course, you'd then be trashing an original carpet.
Note: ingrain carpets were made well into the 20th century and the design patterns changed over time. Check out the Book: Floor Coverings For Historic Buildings by Helene Von Rosenstiel, to find the correct period patterns.

[Spinster]

Re: FHW Blankets

WOW.......just wow.

So, I came back over here today to read this thread again, since a couple of fellers are up in my email, castigating me for recommending FWH coverlets, and the Authentic Campaigner in general for not being right on top of vendors.

Being sometimes forgetful, I looked to make sure what I'd said. Once again, I saw illustrated that Reading is Fundamental.

Seems both of these fellers had gone to the Gettysburg reseller of Family Heirloom Weavers decorator line, picked up a decorator grade coverlet, saw the cotton/acrylic label, and decided that obviously nobody knew squat but them.

So, first, I'll reiterate what I said up thread: that one needs to go to the website and look in the 'dry clean only' section. Since I'm on a real computer today and not a cell phone, I can spoon feed a link:

http://www.familyheirloomweavers.com/user_images/1/cms/drycleancoverlets.cms

Following this link will take one to the overshot coverlets available with wool weft on a cotton warp. They are available as finished coverlets or as yardage. It says dry clean only because they are wool--and FHW home decorator line is not wool, it is cotton/acrylic and designed to machine wash.

The wool coverlets ain't cheap. They are quality. I've woven overshot by hand and foot. FWH has power looms. I buy from them every time I have a need.

FHW's decorator line is there because they need to make a living too. Modern fibers and ease of care with a traditional look is a popular thing. But don't expect those materials to be the same price as period materials. Or to perform the same way in the field as period materials.

Up thread, a contributor 'did the math' of what it takes to buy an ingrain pattern carpet of choice off the same site. Another suggested that occassionally FHW has scraps. And, once again, somebody is up in my email complaining at the price quoted when he called about a scrap---and that price was less than half the normal retail for ingrain. If I needed another piece of ingrain and could afford it, I'd be on the phone. As it is, I've got a little more work to do on the ingrain chair seat I'm finishing.

Yes folks, its Saturday morning. Its raining like Noah's Vision here, so I can't even get out and start taking apart these trees that are down. I'd rather be in the field than anything I can think of--except the family duty I'm doing. And I certainly acknowledge that this is an official up on the soapbox RANT.

Quality costs. Materials cost. Labor costs. Vendors step out on a limb and commission runs of specialty reproduction items that may or may not sell, in part because of Hard Times. But sometimes because folks seem to think things should cost the same price as a blankie or bathrug from Wally World.

Maybe I should hunt up that picture Young Nathan took of me up on a soapboax here lately, and change my avatar......:wink_smil