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Original poster

I really like Welsh Blankets. Do you have a Welsh Blanket?

60 replies

DynamicK · 22/09/2023 13:01

I've hankered after one ever since I stayed in a cottage in Wales and they had Welsh blankets on the beds.
Aren't they gorgeous?
I'm going to treat myself to one but how do I choose just one??!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Witchbitch20 · 22/09/2023 13:03

If you like vintage I can give you details of a fabulous shop with a wide range of styles. She does have some modern/new as well.

GeraltsBathtub · 22/09/2023 13:04

Hard disagree. They look nice but wool is such a horrible itchy substance it’s banned from my house!

Original poster
DynamicK · 22/09/2023 13:05

@Witchbitch20 please pass on. It doesn't hurt to take a look.

@GeraltsBathtub your post made me sad

OP posts:

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Home improvement
KnickerlessParsons · 22/09/2023 13:08

Witchbitch20 · 22/09/2023 13:03

If you like vintage I can give you details of a fabulous shop with a wide range of styles. She does have some modern/new as well.

Are they any cheaper? I'd love a Welsh blanket but they are £££

LibertyLily · 22/09/2023 13:12

I'm not a fan - partly because of the itchy wool factor (I'm so sensitive even slightly textured bedding makes me itch 🙄), but also I'm generally not keen on the patterns/style.

MothershipG · 22/09/2023 13:18

I have 2 I inherited from my Mum, we don't use them & the colours aren't to my taste but I still love them & can't bear to part with them so they just sit in a drawer.

Mariposista · 22/09/2023 13:21

My late gran gave me several. The dog sleeps on one (that wasn't planned but he has commandeered it!) I have a stunning green one in the lounge.

CakesOnAPlane · 22/09/2023 13:22

They are expensive but they are very hard wearing, particularly older ones I think. I bought one on holiday in Wales about 15 years ago. I wasn't looking for one and didn't know anything about them but just saw it in an antiques/bric a brac place we stopped at on the way to where we were staying. I fell in love with the warm autumnal colours. It felt like a lot of money so I left the shop without buying it but couldn't stop thinking about it all week. I rang the shop and made a detour to stop on the way back. I absolutely love it and it has kept me and the cat cosy on the sofa every chilly evening since.
It was the first one. Warning, they are addictive. And more expensive now than they used to be. But you won't regret it.

Original poster
DynamicK · 22/09/2023 13:42

I'm really drawn to blue ones... I'm loving them but some are so expensive

OP posts:
FunnysInLaJardin · 22/09/2023 13:49

We have got some ancient welsh blankets inherited from my mum.

I had them on my bed as a child but didn't like them because they were really course and scratchy.

Never knew they were sought after!

CakesOnAPlane · 22/09/2023 14:08

Sometimes damaged blankets with holes or stains are sold cheaper on eBay. Then you can make cushions with the good bits. Not quite as glorious as draping yourself or your bed in yards of delicious Welsh pattern but you can still enjoy it. And having the pattern on a smaller scale feels a bit like framing a picture, you really focus in on the detail.

peachescariad · 22/09/2023 14:14

I love mine - but I am Welsh. It was the first thing I bought after I got a bit of inheritance as I'd wanted one for years but couldn't justify the price. Every now and then I give it a little hug and a sniff - no one else is allowed to touch it 😆

Emmaemmeline · 22/09/2023 14:28

Plan a little holiday , and visit here
https://museum.wales/wool/about/

i have 4 😊blankets , 2 inherited from my grandmothers , a beautiful teal blue and green one from the shop at the above museum and a neutral brown and grey ( sounds awful , but it’s lovely ) from here
https://melintregwynt.co.uk/collections/madison

Highlights - National Wool Museum

Nicknamed The Huddersfield of Wales, the picturesque village of Dre-fach Felindre in the beautiful Teifi valley was once the centre of a thriving woollen industry

https://museum.wales/wool/about/

DMCWelshcakes · 22/09/2023 14:40

Absolutely love them. I've got 2 on their way to me when my DPs downsize/depart that have been in the family for generations.

They are slightly scratchy, but as long as you cwtch under them so they don't get onto bare skin they're fab.

CakesOnAPlane · 22/09/2023 14:43

We've got three in the house now. I love them all and they cheer my heart every time I see them. I love the colours and the intricate geometric patterns and the history and tradition behind them. And the fact that they come from the sheep that have roamed the green hills of this country for centuries. Not a plastic fibre to be seen.

They are so, so warm. Look upon the cost as what you might save on your heating bill, OP! As they are reversible I turn the ones on the beds over to the lighter side in summer and fold them down to the foot of the bed.

I wash them very gently and very occasionally in the machine with liquid handwash and hang them to dry outside. They will outlast me that's for sure.

I may be slightly obsessed.

Scruffington · 22/09/2023 14:45

The designs can be lovely but the scratchy texture means I know I'd never actually use them. I have a few 95% merino/5% cashmere throws that are really soft and cosy.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 22/09/2023 14:47

Thanks a bunch, OP Angry. Something expensive that I didn't know I really really wanted until I saw your thread Grin. I had never heard of Welsh blankets, even though I'm into woolly crafts and making blankets (knitted and crocheted though, not woven). They are gorgeous! I like those portcullis-type designs <checks bank balance>.

Mykittensmittens · 22/09/2023 14:48

We are lucky to have several in my family. This one I inherited which is relatively modern - maybe 25 years old - but I loved it and was lucky to be given it. The colours are so nice. It’s folded about 4 times and would cover a bed easily. I think new it was over £400. It was woven at the Brynkir mill which is now sadly closed.

I really like Welsh Blankets. Do you have a Welsh Blanket?
PurpleChrayne · 22/09/2023 15:01

They're hideous!

runs away

CakesOnAPlane · 22/09/2023 15:03

Melin Tregwynt is definitely worth a visit. You can see the huge deafening looms in action and buy the fabric by the metre in the shop. I think they do mail order too.

Solva Mill near St David's is also very interesting. On a much smaller scale and I think they only produce floor rugs now but they are beautiful things and the dark cavernous weaving shed feels like it hasn't changed in a hundred years.

piscofrisco · 22/09/2023 15:06

Godammit I didn't even know what a Welsh blanket was before clicking on this thread (and I'm half Welsh to boot) and now I want one.

Sweatybettysboobs · 22/09/2023 15:09

We inherited a couple of heirloom blankets from elderly welsh relatives and have been to the wool mills in west wales to see them in action. The design is doublesided, they're timeless and warm but can be a bit itchy.

AutumnFroglets · 22/09/2023 15:14

I didn't know what a Welsh blanket was either so clicked out of curiosity. Thanks to the above link I was transported back to my grandmothers house and her very scratchy but warm blanket 😳

SchadenfreudeIstMeinMittelname · 22/09/2023 15:15

I had one, but got rid of it because it was hard and scratchy. I don't think there's much point in a blanket if it isn't soft and comfortable to the touch.