Cozy & cool Canadiana: Hudson Bay Point Blanket

When I was flipping through the December 2010 issue of House & Home, the ottoman in this room caught my eye:

Sweet! An ottoman upholstered in a Hudson Bay point blanket – how’s that for the ultimate piece of Canadiana furniture?!

Hudson Bay point blankets have been an iconic symbol of Canada for a few centuries. Germain Maugenest suggested to the Hudson Bay Company’s London Committee in 1779 that they could improve the growing inland trade from Fort Albany along the west coast of James Bay by selling "pointed" blankets. By December 1779, the sample blankets had been received by the Committee and an order was issued for 500 pairs of "pointed" blankets. Although blankets had been a staple of the fur trade to the natives and Hudson's Bay Company men in the 1600s, it wasn’t until the first shipment of  to Fort Albany in the spring of that 1780 that they were shipped to the posts on a regular basis.

Image via Dann-Online

The "point" system had been invented by French weavers in the mid 18th century as a way to indicate the finished overall size of a blanket. The word “point” comes from the French word empointer, meaning "to make threaded stitches on cloth". The number of points on a Hudson Bay point blanket represents the overall finished size of the blanket.

Image vie Rocky Mountain Cabin Decor

The point blanket has been available in indigo, scarlet, green and light blue. The popular white blankets with blue, green, red, and yellow stripes are known as multistripes, and are sometimes referred to as "chief's blankets”. These blankets are believed to have been introduced around 1800.

Point blankets on display at the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon
Image via Wikipedia

Hudson Bay point blankets have always been made from wool that is a blend of varieties from Britain and New Zealand. Each type of wool is selected for its special qualities that make the blanket water resistant, soft, warm, and strong.

Image via Tumblr

The wool is dyed before it’s spun, then air and sun dried to brighten the colours. The blankets are woven 50% larger than their final finished size.Unknown source

Point blankets have also been used as coats, either pre-made and sold by the Hudson's Bay Company, or recut into garments. The Plains Indians often wore the blankets instead of buffalo robes and used them to make coats. The Métis turned the blanket into a wrap coat called a “capote” with hood and fringing. Today, point blankets are available at selected Bay Stores across Canada.

Image via Final Fashion

Hudson Bay point blankets can also be made into bags…

Rebecca Ray Design

And cushions…

Image via Final Fashion

Even canoes! Hahaha! OK, not really – but this canoe looks pretty sharp dressed up in the point blanket’s blue, green, yellow, and red stripes.

Canoe by Langford

The Cancon Chair by Terence Cooke…

  
Images via Moco Loco

And how about a can of popcorn :-)

Doesn’t the Hudson Bay point blanket look like the perfect cozy blanket for snuggling up in front of a roaring fireplace on a cold winter day? :-) I don’t have a Hudson Bay point blanket, but I’d love to get one someday. Do you have one?

If you want your home to reflect who you are and what you love, drop me a line for an in-person or online consultation.

Information from Hudson Bay Company