After many hours of research and more
emails than I can count, we are finally able to offer this very fine reproduction
of an English made, Confederate import blanket. We were very fortunate to have
had the opportunity to examine detailed images of extant originals, view one in
person, and stumble across a fourth in a private collection that is similar to but
slightly different from our model. (We hope to do a run of the variant in the
future.)
Our blanket measures out to 80" in
length and 58" in width (it features a four inch wide black stripe). We
chose this final size based upon dimensions of a blanket bale annotated on an
import manifest. After comparing the sizes of the existing originals to those
of the different bales listed, we ran several rigorous shrinkage tests on a few
of our samples. We ultimately found that they experienced about a once inch loss
on the black stripe, a roughly 6-9 inch loss in the overall length, and an
approximately 1-3 inch loss on the width. The shrinkage compares favorably to
the estimated starting dimensions and the extant blankets’ present condition.
This reproduction is made on antique looms by a weaver with an
extensive knowledge of historic textiles. They are woven with a proper return selvage. The custom spun yarn is
100% wool and even includes the kemp (or sheep's hair), which are the brittle
white fibers found in many Nineteenth-Century blankets. You can choose to have
an "NC" stitched in or we will include the yarn for you to do it
yourself. Please note that not all of these blankets were purchased or solely
imported by North Carolina.
Shipping on this blanket is FREE. You will also
receive a 10% OFF coupon for a Confederate kepi or Federal forage cap of your
choice!
Please take the time to read:
-Fred Gaede, "Three NC Blankets,"
Journal of the Company of Military
Historians, vol. 41, no. 3 (Fall 1989).
-C. L. Webster III, Entrepot: Government Imports into the
Confederate States (Roseville, MN: Edinborough Press, 2009).
A special thanks to all those who
went to great lengths in helping us with this project!