Behind Factory Doors: The Making of a Matelasse Throw - The Loving Embrace

This is why we’ve decided to launch a brand new series of monthly blog posts entitled “Behind Factory Doors: The Making of a Style.” Once a month, we will tell the story of one of our styles from start to finish -- from initial design ideas to the final, heirloom quality products our customers know and love.  

And speaking of love! February’s featured style is our Valentine’s Day special release: The Loving Embrace Matelasse Throw.

 

Many of our designs are authentic reproductions of old Bates patterns.  In the case of the Loving Embrace throw, our lead designer again took inspiration from our history.  Adding his own Valentine's Day twist, the Loving Embrace Throw is a spin off of the Cape Cod Bedspread design, using hearts in the place of scallop shells.

Our Cape Cod Matlasse Bedspread

Loving Embrace Design File

 

Once we had our design, our crew had to prepare one of our looms to run it for each of our three color variations.

Color Swatches: White, Antique, and Reversible Victorian Pink

First, we ran off a few throws with natural colored top and bottom warps. This provided us with the raw stages of our antique and white versions of the throw. Next our team installed a quartz colored bottom warp, which helped us produce our reversible Victorian Pink. This was a brand new weaving experiment for us, as colored warps are most always used on top, with natural on the bottom. This time we did it in reverse (thus creating a reversible throw): colored on bottom, natural on top.  

Weaving

Meanwhile, we had to come up with a fitting name for our new product. Some of the gems from our brainstorming session included Happily Ever After, Forever Yours, Home is Where the Heart is, Juliet’s Choice, Where Love Looms, Where Love is Woven, Loomed for Love, Love Looms, and Woven with Love. Finally we settled upon the “Loving Embrace Throw” because we enjoyed the concept: The Loving Embrace throw provides heartwarming hugs for your sweetheart even when you’re far away.

 

Once the throws were woven and had been properly finished, one of our photographers took one outside for a chilly photo shoot.  

 

These snapshots, along with several other product photos, were placed on our website to showcase the release of the throw. Available just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Homepage Introduction to the Loving Embrace Throw

Stay tuned next month for our 2nd installment of “Behind Factory Doors: The Making of a Style.”  In March, we’ll be taking a closer look at the history and making of the New England Tradition Bedspread from our Terry Collection.