Wool Blankets Tranformed into Wool Shirts

Our wool blankets are being made into warm clothing, thanks to
Carol Colburn of Minnesota.

Boys & Girls Wool Blanket Coats.  Photos by Scott Pederson

 

Carol teaches a two day class called
Nature's Insulator: Sew Your Own Wool Blanket Shirt. 

Students personalize the basic pattern for their preferences, then they cut and sew them in the two days.  Some are beginners at sewing; it is a pretty easy project to start on.  Often they leave the buttons and trim until they are back home.  Many learn to make the shirts in the class using the Blackstone Valley Collection from Northwest Woolen Mills, and then they go home and make the shirts out of used blankets that they wash and prepare for sewing. The two little boys in one of the photos are wearing shirts made for them out of old camp blankets.

The blanket shirts are great for the cool and often damp weather of Northern Minnesota, and I have had students from Canada making these shirts too.

Made in America

I am happy to share this awesome list of Made in America companies and their products.

List of Made in America companies



Join me in supporting these companies!
Given a choice, would you "buy American"?

Wool Blankets for Camps and the Outdoors



Swimming dock at Camp Wiquanuppek

Summer Camp Memories

I started swimming laps in my pool this week.  Every summer I my endurance seems to pick up where it left off, and I can swim for a really long time.
As I was swimming back and forth last night, I thought of the endless lap swimming I had done at summer camp for seven seasons, and was thankful for this skill that has stayed with me.
Camp Wiquanuppek was on Lake Kanawuake in Bear Mountain, N.Y.  We swam twice daily, honing our skills to achieve the various award levels in the American Red Cross Swimming system.  Swimming laps from the wooden dock to the float seemed far away; it felt like I could swim forever without having to turn around and change direction.

I have shipped out wool blankets to several summer camps this season, and my mind always drifts to happy memories while I'm on the phone or emailing these seasonal customers.  It makes me happy to think of all the boys and girls having outdoor experiences.  I know they are sleeping well under our warm and cozy wool blankets!
What camp memories do you have?

Enjoy the summer,
Paulette
Northwest Woolen Mills

Wool felt products...who knew?

There are so many items we use everyday, and never give a thought about
how or where they are made.
Author: Paulette Butler

 

Bouckaert Industrial Textiles (BIT) is a sister company to Northwest Woolen Mills.  BIT products are made in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

 

 

Industrial felt is used for stamp pads, highlighter nibs and cosmetic applicators.

 

 

 

Wool felt is used for automotive applications like gaskets and soundproofing in the
hood of our cars.

 

 

 

 

Wool felt and synthetic felt are manufactured and made in saddle pads, keeping the
horse and rider comfortable.

 

B.I.T. manufactures the felt hammers for pianos, the little felt strips on chalkboard erasers, the felt on the bottom of revolving doors and the seals for clothes dryers.  Who knew? 

 

Have a great day,
Paulette

 

 

 

 

Wool and Baseballs?

Northwest Woolen Mills, a division of The Brickle Group, manufactures the three styles of yarn used for the production of Major League baseballs.
Author: Paulette Butler

 

We are proud to be a supplier for America's summertime sport...Play Ball!

How Baseballs Are Made/Video

 

 

Enjoy the game!

Paulette

Northwest Woolen Mills

 

Disaster Supplies and GSA Advantage

While at the VEMEC Conference  in Washington D.C. recently, I had the pleasure of meeting wonderful and dedicated people focused on helping others during disaster relief situations.
Author: Paulette Butler

The consensus was the Federal Gov’t is not efficient at handling large scale disasters.  The major suggestion was that States, Counties and Cities can serve their local population much better than various departments in Washington.

One topic in the forum was the task of finding reliable and qualified vendors for various supplies.

GSA Advantage is an internet portal with pre qualified vendors offering a wide range of supplies.  Federal agencies can order directly from this website.  Local governments can order products and services under the Disaster Recovery & Cooperative Purchasing Program.  Go to GSA Advantage . Scroll to the bottom and click on State & Local Governments to see the details.

If you need items and it is not a declared emergency, simply entering an item in the Search field can provide all the information needed to contact the appropriate company.  For example, a search for “wool blankets” brings up several vendors and styles of blankets.  A search for “Northwest Woolen Mills” shows all the items available from our company.

I hope this is helpful, let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Northwest Woolen Mills and GSA Advantage

Wool Military Blankets

 Wool Military blankets are hot! 

It seems lots of people want them lately for a variety of reasons.
Author: Paulette Butler

Northwest Woolen Mills is the prime contractor for the U.S. Dept of Defense.  We manufacture the olive green blankets with the U.S. logo and the Caduceus medical logo.

The blankets are made to military specification Commercial Item Description A-A-55188A.
The wool content is of 95% minimum.  The wool requirement is Grade B; new wool and reprocessed wool blend.  The reprocessed portion cannot be more than 35% of the blanket blend.  Both blankets are Type I  (Twill weave).

The blanket with the US logo reflects the requirements of the National Stock Number 7210-00-282-7950 and the Caduceus NSN is 7210-00-715-7985.

I hope this information is helpful!
View our site for more wool blanket information
Northwest Woolen Mills

Wool Military blanket made by Northwest Woolen Mills on display at the Smithsonian American History museum.