Oh Canada.

Home to beavers.

To some of the best hockey that you'll ever see.

To Tim Hortons.

To Mounties.

To amazing beer.

And to HBC blankets.

http://jennythelittlethings.wordpress.com

HBC blankets you say?

Originally developed by the Hudson's Bay Company during the 1800s and used as an item that was traded to Native Canadians in exchange for beaver and other fur pelts, the blanket has moved on to hold an almost iconic status within Canada. Basically, what poutine is to French-Canadian food, the HBC blanket is to Canadian design & heritage.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com

The Hudson Bay Company continues to promote and sell these blankets and other items with the iconic prints on them within their stores. They've developed a cache following and have been featured in the likes of Elle Decor and Vogue Living. While many individuals are familiar with the familiar multi-coloured striped blankets, the blankets are also available in an array of other colours.

http://polishedplum.blogspot.com

I'd love to include an HBC blanket in my own home but they don't come cheap. New they range in price from $275-500 CDN. And forget vintage, while pieces randomly do turn up at flea markets and estate sales many vintage pieces have gone for over $600 up to $1300 for pieces produced specifically for the coronation of King George VI in 1937.

http://www.fromtherightbank.com

I'm hoping that at some point I'll stumble across a vintage one that I can refashion into cushions or a rework into a throw...then again, who knows - perhaps if I start saving my quarters I'll be able to buy one....around 2015 or so.

But until such a date, I've found these pictures to keep me inspired!