Plaid blanket

[RNMCSA]

Re: Plaid blanket

For those still interested. I found this site that has some original coverlets etc. The colors and patterns are astounding. Let me be clear I am not advocating we all run out and purchase fancy coverlets, I simply find the variety interesting. Over the past couple of weeks I have been reading through many period news paper articles etc. I have found many instances of all sorts of Govt. officials imploring the people to donate, blankets, coverlets, comforts, carpet, etc. Also listed in some have been numbers of such recieved and given to the troops in this manner. I am unsure of copy rites with them and a lot of them have been scanned documents (my eyes hurt) so I did not copy directly to here. Some that have been useful are from Athens Ga., Richmond Va, etc. a google search of news paper archives of most any area of interest will turn up a lot. One of the issues I have run into as far as pictures of originals is there does not seem to be many. So if anyone has such doccumentation or pictures etc. please share. Here is the link I mentioned.

http://www.historic-american.com/WovenCoverlets.html

[RNMCSA]

Re: Plaid blanket

I hope this link works, it is a short past thread on the AC that is relavent to our disscussion here.

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?21690-Interesting-Quote-on-Blankets-in-the-ANV

[MissMia]

Re: Plaid blanket

Going back to prisoner blankies, check this guy's out: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource...b12674/?co=cwp

Excellent photo!
I certainly have gleaned some great info from this thread--it's right on time and is a good help for my impression.

[Mutt]

Re: Plaid blanket

Going back to prisoner blankies, check this guy's out: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource...b12674/?co=cwp

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Plaid blanket

Hallo!

Being overly brief...

Much of natural dyes and dyestuffs such as plants, leaves, nuts, barks, and roots (aka vegetable dyes) is part of a complicated craft. There are two types of dyestuffs: substantive and adjective. "Substantive' is a dyestuff that imparts color witbout the use of a (chemical) mordant. For example. lichens, tree bark, or say Black Walnuts. An adjective dyestuff requires the additionn of a mordant to intentisfy a color and to set it or make it "permanent."

And one did not have to wait until the Industrial Revolution. The craft of dyeing was already centuries/milennia old, with mordanting chemicals not known as "chemicals." Pick some.. Alum is aluminum potassium sulfate. Blue Vitriol is copper sulfate. Chrome is potassium dichromate. Glauber's Salts is sodium sulphate. Urine is uric acid.

Again being overly brief, these should not be confused with post Perkins era "aniline" dyes. But yes, they are chemicals.

On the Sliding Scale of Imperfection...

Yes, we do allow for "psychological standards" and compromises at times. A psychological standard is one that is in the mind, where osmething that to the unaided human eye, sort of a microscope, chemcial analysis, or metalurgical testing we cannot see it as anything diffect.

Two commonly accepted psych standards are the use of steel for iron, or say the use of aniline blue dye for "vegetable' indigo dyed uniforms.

Here on the AC, and in this community we strive for the so-called "Gold Standard:"

1. Period raw materials
2. Period models, patterns, or forms.
3. Period methods of construction or manufacture.

And, unless one's impression IS the researched and documeted to person, time, and place portrayal, focusing on the rare and the exceptions distorts history and can come to inaccurately present and and represent or portray the exceptions as the norm or universal "truth."

The mods have so far kept this thread open because it morphed into being of value in finding historically accurate or correct blankets.

Please keep it that way. Thanks.

Curt
Dabbler Dyer Mess

[Hank Trent]

Re: Plaid blanket

What does this matter? Seriously - what bearing does this have on whether it's appropriate or not? Folks continue to argue natural vs. modern dye, but fundamentally fail to understand that chemically compounded dyes had been in use on a commercial production level for some 20 yrs.

Period chemical dyes aren't the same as modern chemical dyes. I agree that I think it's lower priority than more obvious things. The vast majority of cotton calico used in reenacting is modern dyed for example, and if we eliminated all of it, our recreated 1860s world would look strange.

But chemical dyes have changed quite a bit since the days of William Perkins. About 15 years ago, when I was looking for some actual mauve fabric, no one knew of any or knew how to make it. Don't know if things have changed since then, but at that time, natural dyes or modern dyes were the only choices, since there were some hobbyists and dealers using/selling natural dyes, but no one cared about coal-tar.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Plaid blanket

First, is it a natural or modern dye?

What does this matter? Seriously - what bearing does this have on whether it's appropriate or not? Folks continue to argue natural vs. modern dye, but fundamentally fail to understand that chemically compounded dyes had been in use on a commercial production level for some 20 yrs. I don't mean to say that small operations/ local production or domestic treatments didn't emplore the use of naturally derived dyes, but to ask whether the blanket uses natural vs. modern dyes doesn't not support the resolution to the question.

Second, what's your impression? In my second question the point is how would a soldier in your primary impression have received such a blanket. Not likely an issue item. Then you're down that slippery slope of "sent from home." If it was sent from home, how did it get there in the first place? If it's a Tennessee impression, you've got ever increasing swaths of the state which are behind Federal lines. This means that the odds of something like this being found at home are small and sent from home even smaller.

Seemingly sound advice, stick with the 'issued' impression first - effectively "if it doesn't meet official prescription - run". While we all too often see where poor Billy or poor Johnny attempts to rationalize all the oddities of their kit, by having things sent from home - the real honest to God's truth, is folks used whatever means they had available to be comfortable...often times that meant sending requests home, or liberating desired items from captives, the dead, and civilians. Should the use of a civilian blanket be plausible if you're going to use it...sure, but the advice of not using it may just as likely be equally as great a sin to recommend such.

It's easier to stick with a recognized blanket along the "common, everyday, plain" school of reenacting. Stands out less that way.

Again...not untrue, but what I think this discussion enters into later is that this particular pattern may not have existed...that would seem to indicate this particular 'blanket' as not being correct.

However in the absentia of documentation, are you prepared to say that checked/plaid/striped patterns...etc. as evidenced by some non-approved AC vendors are not "common, everyday, plain"? Should it be the goal not to stand out, when we know that some did?



Paul B.

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Plaid blanket

...Colored blankets are best, and if lined with brown drilling the warmth and durability are doubled, while the protection against dampness from lying on the ground is almost complete.
Never lie or sit down on the grass or bare earth for a moment; rather use your hat — a handkerchief, even, is a great protection. The warmer you are the greater need for this protection, as a damp vapor is immediately generated, to be absorbed by the clothing, and to cool you off too rapidly.
....

Of course...it dependant on time/place/portrayal - it may also be appropriate to just dispense with the use of blankets altogether.

One might also consider searching the word "Comfort" within period texts...appears to be not dissimilar from the concept of our modern "Comforters"...

Paul B.

[Spinster]

Re: Plaid blanket

Jon

The ingrain blankets during the period were made by pulling up panels from household floors. There are a number of appeals in newspapers for such. This means individuals are making out of carpeting at hand, with a good deal of variance.

At minimum, you want two panels, each at least 6 feet long. Having more would be nice, to tuck under your feet. A third panel would make it awfully heavy to march with.

You may or may not match the patterns at the seam line, it depends on what you have. But, lay the long selvedge edges side by side, butted together, not overlapped. Using a stout thread, waxed, and a carpet needle if you have one, stitch in a spiral, making sure the seam does not pucker. Hem the ends by turning under and then turning again so there is no raw edge. A steam iron is helpful at this stage.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Plaid blanket

Hallo!

When I bought my Zelda era blanket from C.J. Wilde, IIRC, she wove at a charge of 3.5 cents a square inch. Later it was 4.5.

:)

Curt

[poilu1917]

Re: Plaid blanket

John,
I was actually considering getting a ingrain carpet from FHW for my confederate impression, but question is how many yards and how were they sewn together? Yeah, basic questions I know but if I am going to do it, I would prefere to do it right.

[Spinster]

Re: Plaid blanket

There's my point Curt.

The secondary used market in CJ Wilde handwoven 18th century household civilian blankets is still more than twice the price, going on three times of the hundred dollar blankies that are common in the CW market.

And fellers still choke at a hundred dollar blanket.

They'll choke even more if they price out reproduction ingrain carpeting.


One good choice for a bit of variety--the lined blanket, made of whatever big length of jean you can lay hands on, and some cotton drill. The directions pop up with the search engine.
After that it's just sewing. Still, it's not as versitile as a good Woodburn blanket.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Plaid blanket

Hallo!

And for the civilian hand-woven type blankets, look to the 18th century community- especially the more authentic so-called "longhunter" folks.

One of the finest was C. J. Wilde. My first blanket from her she wove from her black sheep named Zelda. My "winter blanket" from her was specially woven and quadrupled fulled so as to be functional in Minus Zero Great Lakes weather where the only shelter is a blanket.
Unfortunately, the weaving destroyed her hands and she had to quit.

Rob Stone blankets are said to be nearly as good, but I have never owned or used on.

They are "out there," especially as the longhunter/trekking community ages.

Curt

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Plaid blanket

Long story short, I thought since this is the AC then there must be some good sources out there others may know about to get a quality period correct blanket. My reasoning being that it just would not be very authentic for everyone to have to have the same three or four styles of blanket.

Yes and no. In some scenarios, you really want guys to have one or two styles of blanket. In others, it is more appropriate to have a lot more variety.

There ARE more than three or four sources, but if you're looking to get a blanket "on the cheap", then I would recommend sticking with some of the known vendors, or scouring the used market.

One of the best, but most rarely-seen CS blankets in the hobby is ingrain carpet. So, if you want to "stand out", but be correct (depending upon the scenario for the event-in-question), make the inve$tment in a piece of carpet (http://www.familyheirloomweavers.com...web?pageid=513).

[4VADRUMMER]

Re: Plaid blanket

Got it Mutt! I was replying to Roy in case you didn't read my entire post.... Just saying.....and I noticed it was Ryan who originally posted this thread, that has grown way too big, after I posted. Anyway, I was just giving some advise.