Blanket Town

What Makes A Beacon Blanket ?

There several characteristics that made Beacon Blankets so popular. Most Beacon blankets were made of cotton instead of wool. Softer than wool blankets, they were made of color fast yarn that could be washed. Inspired by Native American design elements, and woven on a Jacquard loom, classic Beacon Blankets featured strong geometric patterns and bright colors.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of a Beacon Blanket was a process known as ombre, where the individual fibers were dyed in gradients of color, from dark to light. It's almost as if each fiber were painted, which gave designers a wide range of hues to choose from, thereby increasing the complexity of the patterns. Beacon was the only blanket manufacturer who was able to achieve this, and keeping an eye out for ombre is one way to identify your collectible blanket as a Beacon. They also designed novelty blankets decorated with popular figures. Often featured as children's blankets, these designs might depict cowboys, animals, popular destinations, or other novelty figures like the Strongman blanket, below.