Swans Island Blankets Studio In Maine
Posted on | July 30, 2009 | 6 Comments
Just up the road from Windsor Chairmakers is Swans Island Blankets in Northport. On a rainy Thursday morning we were warmly greeted to tour their new gallery space and studio. I’ve read about Swans Island blankets a hundred times. When I saw the price tag I would gasp. Truthfully, once you see the quality and care that goes into each and every piece you realize it’s well worth every penny.
Each blanket is handmade by a talented weaver using only natural dyes. My mom and I found the indigo fascinating. “The dye, called Indican, is produced as the leaves of the plant are fermented, exuding a rich paste which turns blue when exposed to air.” Fascinating. The wool is harvested from super soft sheep raised in Maine. A cute photo of a few cuddled up in the rain above.
Blankets and throws are available in summer and winter weights. The check style available in a winter weight—a weave of two layers of wool for warmth—was my favorite. Natural grey throws are woven from the fleece of Corriedale sheep.
Wander back into the studio to see yarn being dyed in large buckets and blankets being woven by hand on large looms. When I first went away to college I studied textile design with a concentration in weaving. I can tell you from experience setting up a loom is a total bitch. I was horrible at it. All the yarns have to be hand pulled one at a time through each tiny needle. So painful and time consuming.
Check out Swans Island’s website for more info on the weaving process and history. The lighting on a rainy day made shooting in the gallery a bit difficult. Take a hop over to their site for detailed photographs of their stunning blankets, swansislandblankets.com.
p.s. martha went to Swans Island Blankets just a few days before me and blogged about her visit today too!
Swans Island Blankets
Rt 1
Northport, Maine
207-338-9691
swansislandblankets.com
Related Posts:
Windsor Chairmakers in Lincolnville, Maine
The High Tide Inn: Camden, Maine
Posted on | July 29, 2009 | 11 Comments
My mom a Midwest girl married my New England father in hopes that someday she could stay in a cottage by the sea. Small little cottages dot the rocky coastline all the way up Route One. My dad being a grumpy New Englander referred to them as, Tourist Traps. My dad’s dead now but my mom finally did get her wish forty years later.
We stayed at a cute little place just outside Camden for about $100 a night (we negotiated the price). The cottage looked out to a rolling wildflower field that tumbled it’s way down to the ocean. We took a stroll on the rocky beach before the black flies hit at sunset. Further north in Acadia National Park they have signs saying, “Don’t Take Our Rocks!”. They are pretty seducing rocks. I stuck a few in my pockets to remember our trip.
That night, we could hear the waves crashing on the beach. The sky was so clear you could see the streaks and stars of the Milky Way Galaxy. I woke up around 2 am thinking I could hearing someone having sex in a nearby cottage. Turns out it was only an owl. Not that I’ve ever known a hooter but it was an odd sound to hear.
The High Tide Inn
Rt 1
Camden, Maine
(207) 236-3724
Windsor Chairmakers in Lincolnville, Maine
Posted on | July 28, 2009 | 4 Comments
One of my favorite stops on our Maine road trip was Windsor Chairmakers located in Lincolnville, Maine. Beautiful handcrafted furniture made one at time. Tour an entire house filled with windsor chairs, tables, dressers, and highboys. The pictures just don’t do them justice. Every piece is jaw dropping gorgeous representing stunning examples of wood. My favorite was anything with Tiger Maple. Above a photo of a dining table paired with windsor chairs and a highboy displaying an amazing example of Tiger Maple wood.
In the back part of the main house is a whole gallery dedicated to Shaker style furniture. Chairs, benches, and stools glowed on the gallery floor. I was dreaming of where I could fit such a gorgeous bench in my house. A shot of a group of stools perfect for a kitchen island or a desk.
After you walk through the main house you’re invited to the workshop on the back of the property. The workshop was huge and so clean! I could probably make some pretty cool things in there. (I made a small table once!) I meet with the chief chairmaker who happen to be the nicest guy in the world. He showed me some chairs he was working on for a customer. Could he make me something?
All the furniture made by Windsor Chairmakers can be customized. While I wandered through the galleries that morning I had thoughts of a tiger maple table with queen anne legs in my head. Similar to the photo at the very top of the post. How cool would it be to know the person who actually made my table?
Check out the site for full ordering info: windsorchair.com.
Windsor Chairmakers
Rt 1
Lincolnville, Maine (just north of Camden)
(800) 789-5188
windsorchair.com
Related Posts:
Old Windsor Chairs at Walker Creek Furniture
Thonet Bentwood Chairs
Sites I Love: Shaker Workshops
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