I think I found a reasonably priced and local source of loom-woven, 100% virgin wool point blankets to make an 18th century capote coatβ¦ incredibly noted and it will be a project Iβll be excited fo make! Gotta finish my wedding outfits first.
From the early days of the North American fur trade, both indigenous peoples and European Canadian settlers fashioned wool blankets into "capotes" as a means of coping with harsh winters. The garments served as winter outerwear for First Nations, the habitants and voyageurs of New France, the MΓ©tis of the Red River Colony, and the British settlers, traders, and trappers of British North America.
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) sold capotes, called blanket coats, made out of the company's "point" blankets. These were sold at HBC trading posts starting the early 18th-century, and were popular among traders for their "wrap" style, which was easy to move and hunt in.
Itβs a coat I can wear on my woodland hikes, for outdoor rituals, and it looks cool!! And a part of my heritage :)
