Appledore Heirloom Blankets
Lovingly made entirely in Devon from local fibre, these blankets are a truly special, 100% British-made quality product that celebrates our local textiles heritage, as well as our efforts to keep making beautiful products on our trusty old machines. We have been so excited about these here at the mill and are so proud to be able show them off to you all! They are everything we had hoped for – strong yet soft, bright yet subtle and interesting, and super cosy (even Sonja’s cat agrees – she’s been using one for her naps ever since they arrived!)
A true celebration of British fibre, these cosy blankets are made from 100% Devon Wool sourced locally via the British Wool Marketing Board. The yarn is spun at our mill in South Molton, and the blankets woven at Spencer & Bates Weavers near Honiton, in East Devon. All other fibre processing and finishing was done in Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders, so these are 100% British-made blankets, lovingly created using vintage machinery by small scale processors in limited run batches. Woven from our Appledore DK yarn and gently finished for extra softness, these blankets are hardy enough for homewares that will last a lifetime while still maintaining the beautiful woven pattern definition and heathered colours of the yarn. The large throw size makes them perfect for snuggling up on the sofa, or for a little extra warmth on your bed for those extra cold winter nights.
Spencer & Bates Weavers are brothers Thomas and Daniel Bates, and their partner Rex Spencer. They collectively inherited the business from their dads, who started out rescuing vintage looms and machinery years ago, just like our Mr Arbon! They first met John when they all worked out of nearby Coldharbour Mill, before moving on to set up their own mills nearby. They have woven these beautiful heirloom blankets for us on a vintage 1950s broad-width Hattersley ‘Standard’ shuttle loom in a large check pattern on a twill weave structure. The three colours used combine to make nine different patch variations creating an interesting and pleasing interplay of shades.
These beautiful heritage blankets are made with love, with local wool, spun at our mill, woven by Devon artisans, to last a lifetime.
Spencer and Bates
Spencer & Bates is a family run weaving company, specialising in the manufacture of quality flatwoven rugs, runners, and blankets. Over 35 years ago, Colin Bates and Rex Spencer began restoring old shuttle looms with the aim of returning them to their former glory, and producing high-quality, woven cloth, in traditional methods. Today, their sons Thomas, Daniel, and Rex, keep the heritage alive, working together as two families interwoven through a shared passion in traditional weaving crafts.
With a lineage of weaving history stretching back four generations, they continue to hold true to the ethics and production techniques established by their fathers in the late 80‘s, which, in fact, have barely changed since the dawn of the industrial revolution.
Specification
Woven in Appledore DK yarn – 40% Devon Closewool, 40% Exmoor Blueface, 20% Romney, in a checked twill pattern with fringed edges.
Blue colourway: Tom Putt, Billy Down Pippin, & Sheep’s Nose
Pink colourway: Pig Snout, Slack Ma Girdle, & Quench
Size: 150cm x 125cm (not including fringe on short ends)
Weight: 1-1.1kg approx.
