Celebrating Local Wool & Talent
Introducing our Limited Edition Crofter’s Blanket, celebrating locally sourced wool and the preservation of hand skills. This unique design was completed at our dedicated sewing facility, Makers Croft, using repurposed century-old Singer sewing machines originally crafted in Scotland. Inaugurated this year, Makers Croft allows us to nurture and expand our sewing expertise here in the UK.
BEHIND THE BLANKET
Crafted entirely from 100% British Wool, the Crofter’s Blanket takes inspiration from traditional stone buildings, rust-tinged rooftops and earthy Scottish landscapes. We used Bluefaced Leicester fleece, spun in the UK, to weave the Crofter’s Blanket at our Elgin mill before adding our signature blanket-stitched edge at Makers Croft.
CELEBRATING BRITISH WOOL
We first worked with Bluefaced Leicester to mark the 10th anniversary of HM King Charles’s Campaign for Wool, followed by the creation of a further Limited Edition blanket last year. The Crofter’s Blanket continues our connection with this warm, lustrous, and durable fibre sourced from Moray and Aberdeenshire for this project.
Campaign for Wool's Chairman, Sir Nicholas Coleridge, said, 'Johnstons of Elgin is one of the truly great British manufacturers. I regard them as nothing less than National Treasures, producing work of the highest quality and taste and always innovating in a creative way. They have been key supporters of HM King Charles III's Campaign for Wool from its inception.'
TREADING LIGHTLY
Makers Croft is our recently launched centre for sewing excellence, nurturing and expanding craft skills and preserving tradition. A hive of artisanal activity from crafting capes and accessories to administering detailed hand finishes, we took the decision to renovate an existing building to make the new facility as sustainable as possible.
Among other initiatives to minimise our footprint, we engaged local contractors to undertake the building work, and building waste from the site was recycled rather than put into landfill. Our employee bicycle shelter, also built by a local company, is made entirely from recyclable materials including wood and metal.
PRESERVING HERITAGE
At Maker’s Croft, we use vintage Singer sewing machines to create our signature Blanket Stitch edging. These antique machines produce a distinctive stitch our customers love. However, original Singers are no longer in production and replacement parts can be difficult to come by. To keep the signature Blanket Stitch finish alive, we create new parts for century-old machines using 3D printing techniques. Our on-site maintenance engineers have also modified heritage equipment to keep our Singers operating.
LIMITED EDITION
A limited number of Crofter’s Blankets are available, each boasting a rustic, home-spun aesthetic. More than just a cosy throw, the Crofter’s Blanket tells a story of local wool, skilled craftsmanship and heritage preservation.
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