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How to Buy the BEST Wool or Cashmere Blend Blanket

Posted on January 18 2021

How to Buy the BEST Wool or Cashmere Blend Blanket

Choosing the perfect blanket in 3 steps:

1. Pick Your Fabric

 

Ah. The quest for the perfect blanket. If you are looking for a cashmere blanket or a cashmere throw, we suggest a cashmere blend. Ideally, a woven blend of natural fibers, chosen for durability warmth and softness, or “hand feel.”

Most of the best blends are milled at one of oldest mills in England, and are very rare. Blending cashmere and lambswool is limited to special mills, and requires a long history of milling. Look for older, established mills to find well done cashmere woven blends. Keep in mind your ideal cashmere blanket is made stronger, weightier, and warmer with a blend of the softest wool a sheep will ever give: lambswool. Lambswool is sheep baby hair! Soft as baby hair, because that is what it is - our blend is 85% lambswool and 15% cashmere. Lambswool is the first shearing of the merino lambs, only given during the first year of the sheep’s life. The cashmere blanket is made better with the lambswool weight, but remains nearly as soft. 

 

2. Pick Your Color

Heirloom blankets are investments, and should compliment whatever bedding and bedroom colors you already have. Whether choosing a cashmere throw, a King size merino blanket, a lambswool Queen, or even a real fur blanket, choose a color that works within your existing color scheme. It’s like that designer pair of pants - don’t buy them if they don’t fit. Your new, luxury blanket should be your “right now” fit, not tomorrow’s color scheme. Our colors are milled to delight for generations of blanket lovers.

Champagne is a beige/taupe hue, less pink but a great color that works in most bedrooms.

Our throws and blankets in white are more of a winter white, less cream.

Black is a rare blanket color, and so these are dyed just for JG SWITZER blankets. It is a bold statement color and adds to any black and white theme room.

Bark is a warm, eggplant brown pairing with wood or natural colors. 
Champagne
Winter White
Bark
Raven Black
 Camel
Available In:
Lauren
Available In:
The JG Classic
Whitney
Henry
Emilie
Now Voyager
Available In:
Henry

Available In:

The JG Classic
Henry 
Emilie
Now Voyager
Blanket Stitch 
Available In:
The JG Classic
Available In:
The JG Classic

 

 

3. Which blanket is the right fit?

What kind of bed do you have?

If you have a platform bed or plan to tuck your blanket, then silk mitered corners on a cashmere or merino blanket might not be needed, as they will be tucked inside and under your bed.  Look for a blanket that has the top in silk or perhaps top and bottom so you can switch out the sides.  It’s blanket insurance! If anything happens to your silk blanket topside you can switch it for the bottom side. The silk on a blanket feels wonderful nestled next to your skin.

If you plan to use as a coverlet, and drape your bedding, consider a real fur blanket or silk framed blanket. You can always finish the bed with a cashmere throw or a real fur throw. 

Platform Bed
Coverlet

Great for Platform Beds:

Lauren

Whitney

Henry

Great for Coverlets: 

Hollywood Ava

Emilie

Now Voyager

  

If you are considering a luxury blanket, cashmere blanket, or fur blanket but still not sure, ask for fabric swatches. Swatches will give you a true “hand feel” and color match. Finding the ideal cashmere blanket, merino blanket, silk blanket or fur blanket is hard to do online, but a swatch will help you make a more informed choice and most manufacturers offer swatches. At JG SWITZER you can request up to 3 swatches for our luxury throws, cashmere blend throws, or fur bedding. 

Click here to order your swatches.

LEGENDS BLANKETS

  • Queen measures 90”x100” and can be tucked or draped.
  • King measures 100”x110” and can be tucked or draped; this should be plenty for a CA King, but please take your measurements before ordering to be sure since not all beds are created equally.
  • Traveller Throws typically measure min 45”x70” unless otherwise specified
  • Silk Pillow Slip Standard/Queen 31.5”x19.5"
  • Silk Pillow Slip King 39.5”x20.5”

UNFORBIDDEN FUR

  • Throws and blankets are in various sizes and can be used as rugs, large throws or partial coverage.

LITHUANIAN LINEN

  • Queen Ashley Duvet Cover: 91”x91” fits standard Queen
  • King and CA KING Ashley Duvet Cover: 104”x91”
  • Ashley pillow cases: Standard/Queen 21”x30” and King cases 21”x40”

WOOL

JG Switzer Blankets, Throws, and Pillows

CARE:  We recommend Dry Cleaning Only for our wool and fur blankets, pillows and throws.

MAINTENANCE: Being a natural fiber, wool is wonderful at keeping itself clean and does not need to be cleaned frequently.

Wool

To stay moth free, wool blankets can be regularly shaken and hung to air, especially before and after being stored. We recommend using lavender sachets or making a combination of three essential oils: rosemary, lavender and lemon and then using a dropper, add a few drops every month or so to a cotton ball or two and store it close to your wool. Lavender is a natural moth repellant. We can not, in good conscience, recommend moth balls due to contents and odor.

Keeping everything clean is essential. Many stains can be removed by gently removing excess dirt with a soft brush (usually sold at fabric stores), rinsing the stain with cold water – spot cleaning and airing to dry. Use gentle and mild soap to spot clean, such as Eucalan, Zero or Woolite, and a little goes a long way

STORAGE: Before storing blankets, give them a good shake to rid them of any excess particles or dust and have them professionally dry cleaned. Store in a cool, dry place. Wool does NOT like damp or overly hot storage. Blankets should be folded with no weight on top of them.

FORBIDDEN FUR BLANKETS & PILLOWS

CARE: Fur blankets must be cleaned by a fur specialist or a dry cleaner that has expertise in fur. Ideally, bring all fur to a furrier who knows how to properly clean a fur blanket. For stains or spot treatments, use a soft sponge or clothe and wipecarefully using a small amount of gentle detergent such as Zero, Eucalan or Woolite. Air dry the damp spot.

MAINTENANCE: Shake occasionally to remove particles and excess dirt. Do not vacuum or brush fur. Avoid direct sunlight as much as possible since too much light can cause fur to oxidize and change color.

STORAGE: If six months or more, it is best to store at a furrier for the best humidity and temperature. At home, find a dry, cool place. Hang on wooden hangers or store in a cotton or linen breathable storage container.

JG Switzer pieces are lasting, welcome gifts for many special occasions: weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and are more exciting than a dozen roses as a “morning after” thank you. We will do our utmost to package any gift with thematic tissues and a special note from the sender.  We currently can offer a miniature dried floral arrangement of lavender for all special occasion gifts and if possible, will wrap the item as a gift accordingly, as you wish. Please choose Gift Message option and we will include your note in shipped pieces.

Special Occasion Gifting can include:

  • Wedding gifts
  • New Home
  • Anniversary
  • Birthday
  • Morning After gift - Flowers are so…yesterday
  • Valentine’s Day
  • Mother’s Day
  • Special Occasions
  • New Baby