When we were selecting blankets to carry at Beadboard I wanted the following: They had to be beautifully made, unique, washable, and of a quality that would be passed down from one generation to the next. The other criteria was this: They had to be made in a place where it is COLD.
It is cold in Maine. And, in my opinion,Brahms Mount in Hallowell Maine makes the best blankets there or anywhere else in the US. They are unique because they have thick threads and are made on old looms from the 1930's. Much of today's technology can't handle the sheer weight of the thick cotton, linen, and alpaca they use. Besides I didn't want to say our blankets were made in someplace hot like Miami...
Each loom has to be hand set for a different pattern. Shown here is the ticking weave in black and natural.
Above is their 100% linen blanket. Look at the texture.......Don't you just want to wrap up in this??????? They also make linen towels.....
This is a cotton throw with the hand tied knots. It almost has a nautical feel to it.
100% white cotton in the Checkmate pattern. When Claudia Brahms and Noel Mount, the designers and founders of the company, select the weaves and patterns they always hit the mark. This checkmate pattern is also available in the most awesome crib blankets.
My favorite pattern is Starry Nights. We had this throw in the shop as a blanket on a bed in the front of the shop. Snowy white. A gentleman was considering purchasing it and left to ponder.
The next day a customer came in with a "to go" box from the restaurant next door. Evidently she had had capellini with tomato sauce for lunch because as she was looking at something else in the shop the sauce poured out in a stream on the snowy white blanket in a diagonal across the corner. Uh Oh. I saw it after the fact and snatched up the blanket and socked it with Orange Clean and water. I threw it to Robespierre, who prompty hustled home and washed it in cold water in La Blanc Towel wash and stuck it in the dryer. It turned out perfect. And of course the gentleman came back the following day and decided he wanted the blanket. So I confessed and told him I could order him one and spilled the beans about the episode. He was amazed. He asked me "that happened to THIS blanket?" I replied "YUP".
Then he said, " No I want THIS one."
A favorite of the shop the Ribbed in Natural.
No wonder they named this pattern "Starry Nights"......
Sweet Dreams.....
ZZZZZZZZZ..
Nope, Begonias are not part of the wildflowers of Texas. These are in a wonderful floral stand where the 290 loops around Brenham across from K=Bob's Steak House on the way to Round Top.
More from the flower stand......We got some for the shop all orange.......
Bougainvilla gobs of it.........
And then I went up the road to the 237 and the La Bahia Antiques fair on my annual search for European Linens from Touch of Europe. Mimi and Peter always have a great selection and fabulous prices. I shop ahead and they are nice enough to bring my pre selected items out for me....But I like the "Hunt" so I enjoy poking for a few things for moi. They are always bringing out new boxes of merchandise so pickings are always fresh.....
For those who love the French red toile here is a delightful display....
Vintage linen sheets, beautifully monogrammed. Get a plain linen sheet for the bottom and make a duvet.........
Napkins, tea towels and glass cloth.....Feedsacks are in the mix too. This was a whole container load of new merchandise. Whoopee!!!!!
Shams are separated into pairs, and singles and by size.....
And baskets of French soaps.... Always delightful . La Bahia also has home made food by locals, beer, Blue Bell Ice Cream.......
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