vintage blankets

When I was growing up, every household had woollen blankets made from our own wool here in NZ. We have always had a great reputation as a country for producing high quality wool blankets and other products. As we continue to move manufacturing to cheaper places off shore we are losing some of the great traditions that we have had. We can dismiss the importance of the blankets as they seem so familiar and ordinary but they are a part of our proud heritage.

So with this passion for vintage NZ wool blankets, I bought a beautiful, green blanket from Mrs Jones in Warkworth. I was drawn to it's colour. It's such a lovely green. Plain blankets are also getting harder to find.... and it was in great condition! So I snapped it up to recreate in various forms. These are the results of my blanket craft projects.....

Firstly, I made lots of heart decorations, incorporating buttons and blanket stitch, for friends for Christmas. I love using blanket stitch on a blanket, seems so right!!



Then I made some cushions featuring the vintage Rotorua pennant I bought from Let's Go Retro and a badge I made from the label on the blanket. More blanket stitch on blankets!! I love the label "Robinwul" proudly stating that it's made from pure NZ wool - a Canterbury fabric.

And so I'll carry on celebrating the beauty of vintage NZ wool blankets, giving them new life, forms and uses.......