Mackinaw Blanket Coat - PC or not PC?

Flinch Morningwood · March 03, 2008, 01:38:27 PM

I have a mackinaw pattern for a Blanket coat that I got from Northwest traders...I made one from a red Witney blanket I had and, with the double upper body as per pattern, it is VERY warm...almost too warm to do anything but sit a horse or around a fire.

I am thinking about making on just single thickness body from a golden yellow Witney I have but wondered whether this was period correct for the early 1870's look I am going for? Both the pattern and the color of blanket are up for discussion...

I have seen these "type" coats in the River junction catalog but they are much more "finished" in appearance than my home made version....

Steel Horse Bailey · March 03, 2008, 05:47:57 PM

MY OPINION ONLY.

YES!! And very cool - rough looking maybe even better!

Trap · March 03, 2008, 06:57:21 PM

Should be fine as long as you use a wool period blanket to make it. jt

Bull Durham · March 03, 2008, 07:13:06 PM

I think it is fine. I have been wearing mine all day today. It is snowing here in Weatherford, Texas tonight. I got mine from River Junction. Mine is green and black.

St. George · March 03, 2008, 10:58:41 PM

Coats of this nature have been worn since someone first figured out that you could make one from a wool blanket.

Trade blankets were probably most commonly used to provide the needed material - secured with hard rubber buttons or wooden/bone toggles.

Were I making one - I'd go with a Trade blanket, rather than a Civil War Army blanket, since the former would be heavier, and when it's time to wear one - you're gonna want to be warm...

Good Luck.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

Flinch Morningwood · February 02, 2009, 04:16:23 PM

A follow-up...I have worn mine to a couple events and some folks have said I should make a few and put a price tag on them.

I am assuming the solid color/black stripe are okay but would anyone know about the Hudson Bay multi-color...would that be PC for our time frame?

Thanks!

River City John · February 02, 2009, 05:49:39 PM

I'm guessing that four-point is at least around $250.00-$350.00 or so?
By the time you added in the labor costs, etc. may make for a high-end priced blanket coat.

But, when doing projects for yourself, cost is not the issue. We want what we want.

But for production to sell, may want to look for less costly raw material than those Whitney blankets.

RCJ

Ottawa Creek Bill · February 02, 2009, 06:16:19 PM

Quote from: Little Al on February 02, 2009, 04:16:23 PM
A follow-up...I have worn mine to a couple events and some folks have said I should make a few and put a price tag on them.

I am assuming the solid color/black stripe are okay but would anyone know about the Hudson Bay multi-color...would that be PC for our time frame?

Thanks!

Yes.......

Blanket coats have been made from this pattern since the 1600's

Bill

Goatlips · February 02, 2009, 11:28:41 PM

Hey I got one of them blankets - from my gra'mare - where can I get a pattern?

Goatlips

Deadeye Don · February 03, 2009, 06:21:53 AM

In the long run, this might be less expensive and less time consuming.

http://www.riverjunction.com/catalog/ccoats/mackinaw.html

Flinch Morningwood · February 03, 2009, 06:29:21 AM

I have been getiing my blankets off eBay...I can usually get a Witney or Hudson 4 point for $40-60, sometimes cheaper.

The pattern I use is the Mackinaw Coat Pattern from Northwest Traders - Pattern NW-142

http://www.nwtrader.com/patterns.html

The pattern shows a "vest" type addition that they put on the outside...on mine, I built one with this vest inside and one without it at all...gives me cool and COLD weather options.

Dr. Bob · February 03, 2009, 10:50:57 PM

Recent research indicates that the multi stripe blanket was available in the late 18th Century. Certainly available in the period 1865 - 1899! It is VERY period correct. What will be your price for one??

Flinch Morningwood · February 04, 2009, 11:56:43 AM

For cost, I am thinking about $135 for the "vestless," $147 for the "with vest" (plus shipping) and +$10 if the person wants the hard rubber buttons below. The standard button is a plain black round button.

While the pattern calls for hand sewing with yarn, I am machine stitching as it is stronger and more cost effective...although on one of mine, I went over the machine stitching with yarn after it was done...

I made one from a red Witney blanket and one from a gold Witney.

I'll try to get a photo of them up this weekend...

Cactus Rope · February 04, 2009, 08:47:30 PM

The proper term for this coat is Whitney Capote or Hudson Bay Capote (Indian Blanket Coat). As Bill said they have been around a long time. You can find patterns on the web under blanket capote. Hope this will help.

RattlesnakeJack · February 10, 2009, 10:58:40 PM

The "point" blanket, and coats made from it, are iconic in Canadian history (and North American history in general.) Although woolen blankets formed part of the trade goods offered from the 1660's, the familiar "point" blanket was only introduced by the Hudson's Bay Company as an article of trade about 1780, Check out this page on the HBC website, which indicates that the "multistripe" pattern was first introduced around 1800 .....
http://www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/blanket/history/

HBC Governor George Simpson visits Fort St. James, 1824 -

HBC personnel Barston and Ballantyne, 1846 -

HBC Governor Donald Smith and Louis Riel address crowd at Fort Garry, 1870 -

Last dog train leaving Fort Garry, 1909 -

'Yours Truly', circa 1998 -

Although admittedly not the "mackinaw" type of coat originally asked about in this thread, the "capote" style depicted above is arguably more "authentic'. I have occasionally worn the capote shown in the last picture as a lining under my light canvas trail coat - a very effective "warm and waterproof" combination ....

Skeeter Lewis · February 11, 2009, 02:00:42 AM

Interesting post, Rattlesnake. Does 'multi-stripe' include plaid? Are there any examples?

RattlesnakeJack · February 11, 2009, 10:56:49 AM

Sorry ..... forgot that many folks might not be familiar with that term .....

No, "multi-stripe" in reference to Hudson's Bay blankets means the traditional white/off-white blanket with four different colours (green, red, yellow and indigo/black) at each end - see below. A blanket coat made from one of these looks like the one worn by the central figure in the second picture above (Barston and Ballantyne) ...... So far as I am aware, traditional Hudson's Bay "point blankets" were always a solid colour, with a single broad stripe of a different colour at each end, with the exception of the "multi-stripe" with its four coloured stripes ....

Skeeter Lewis · February 11, 2009, 11:19:15 AM

Thanks again, Rattlesnake, for that info. If the same is true for the mackinaw as for the capote, I guess the River Junction patterns aren't PC. What do you reckon?

It would be too bad, cause I kind of like them.

Ottawa Creek Bill · February 11, 2009, 11:40:35 AM

Rattle Snake.......

Don't forget the LaChein (did I spell that right?) blanket pattern, I have two, my personal favorite. I think they were around before the multi stripe.

Bill

RattlesnakeJack · February 11, 2009, 11:51:12 AM

Actually, I really like them too!

I should clarify that my post was from the Canadian/Northern perspective - i.e. where the Hudson's Bay company was the primary - if not the only - supplier of the trade blankets that these coats ended up being made from .... However, other suppliers, particularly in the United States, offered other blanket patterns - including tartan-like patterns of the sort used in River Junction's "Premium" mackinaw coats.

Other historically-minded Scots will know why I intentionally said "tartan" rather than "plaid" .... the first word means the colour pattern (i.e. lines of colours crossing each other at right angles) whereas a "plaid" is a garment, made of tartan cloth .... (For that matter, the correct pronunciation in Gaelic is like "played", rather than the modern corruption "plad" ..... but I digress!)