Introducing the Wall Blanket

I have always loved the idea of textiles hung on a wall – there is something so immediately welcoming and approachable in the tactility of the surface. Of course there is a rich and age-old history of hanging fabric in this way - from priceless medieval tapestries to ornate silk wall hangings of the Regency period and twentieth century modernist hangings of the Bauhaus. Folk and vernacular textiles such as pieced quilts and hand-woven rugs are often shown against a wall - the change in perspective somehow elevating them beyond the purely functional whilst losing none of the appealing charm of ‘usefullness’.

I like to think that my East Anglian blankets are just as comfortable on the wall as they are on the bed. The large scale of the patterns lend themselves well to this vertical format. You can fold them in a number of different ways to create different compositions, and the reversible quality of the blankets adds further to the range of possibilities.

I love them thrown over the top of the four poster bed here – creating an instant sense of a headboard.

The scored surface of the blankets allow them to hang beautifully, creating an almost faceted feel at the folds which give the pieces a lovely sense of volume.

If, like me, you don’t have a four poster bed, or you want to hang the blanket in a different space they work equally well thrown over a pole. Below you can see the Thaxted hanging in a hall-way – catching a moment of reflected sunlight.

In these images I have hung the blankets over a hazel pole, suspended off a pair of round brass hooks. I love the mix of materials – the bark of the hazel showing beautifully against the wool.

They would hang equally well off a wooden dowel, a bamboo cane, or a brass rod.

I am working with ceramicist Elliott Denny to develop a bespoke ceramic wall hook – designed specially to hang the blankets. We will have the hooks ready on my online store in the coming weeks.

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