Thursday, May 17th, 2012

+ Hello Again, My Old Friend

the blanket

I’m talking about the blanket—again.  This is a fun story so don’t slam your computer shut on me yet. Quick recap: The owners of this cabin purchased the blanket at an antique store.  I posted some photos of my projects on Houzz, this being one of them.  People went a little bit crazy over this old blanket…

 Above, spools of wool line an entire wall of a conference room at the Faribault Woolen Mill Company.

I kept getting messages from readers wanting to know where the blanket was made and how they could get their hands on  one. I found the excitement to be highly entertaining, but then the cheering turned into a mini-uprising and the homeowners were kind enough to dig around for the tag.  It turns out it was made right here in Minnesota at  the Faribault Woolen Mill Company.  Originally a wool carding company, FWMC has been around since 1865.  One blanket enthusiast emailed the Mill and asked if they had heard about the “hubbub” (hee hee) surrounding the photo and could they please bring the blanket pattern back to life.

Shortly after that, I connected with the operators of the Mill and learned that they were in the midst of a revival after having been boarded up for two years.  They had just reopened with a stunning loft-like, industrial retail space, so  I took a drive down there this week to have a look and took these shots to show you.

 

If you’re here in Minnesota, it’s a 45 minute trip from the twin cities to this historic brick building nestled alongside the Cannon River in Faribault. Here is a peek behind the scenes.

           

Since 1865, the Faribault Woolen Mill Company has held an important place in American history, which includes mass producing 100,000 Army blankets for troops during World War I and then 250,000 during World War II.  Their website timelines their story and I think you ought to have a look…and then have a shop.

You kids have a good weekend.  Behave yourselves.

Thanks!

-Michelle

   

Posted by Michelle Fries  at  9:08 PM  0 comments

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