| There is no easier way to give your home great | | | | were actually machine-made, and produced by |
| rustic style than through southwest bedding. A | | | | large weaving companies for the sole purpose of |
| while ago, I was searching for an easy way to | | | | supplying the Indians with needed blankets. These |
| decorate one of the guest rooms in my home | | | | southwest blankets were then supplied to the |
| and give it a touch of the southwest. I found | | | | frontier trading posts where the Native Indians |
| some southwestern blankets at a discount linen | | | | would buy and trade them and use them to wrap |
| store and decided to add them as part of the | | | | themselves in instead of a modern coat or jacket. |
| western decor. I liked the Native American style | | | | Another thing you will find interesting as you look |
| they created in the room so much that I decided | | | | into the history of trade blankets to use as |
| to use them in all the bedrooms of my home to | | | | southwest, is that as women became more |
| give them that great, western flare you see in | | | | interested in home decorating in the early 1900's, |
| designer home magazines. | | | | southwest decor and western designs rose in |
| Because I used these blankets and throws | | | | popularity. These "Indian blankets" as they came |
| everyday as bedspreads, shawls, or as lap | | | | to be called, were sought after by people across |
| blankets, I became interested in the history of | | | | the nation who used them for southwest bedding |
| southwestern blankets and began researching | | | | and as decorative couch or chair covers to |
| their origin. The more I read, the more interesting | | | | accent rustic home decor. The Indian trade |
| the story was. I never knew that although very | | | | blankets were used for covering exposed legs |
| popular today among home designers and in | | | | when riding on a wagon, sleigh or buggy, and in |
| modern style homes, southwest bedding for use | | | | the new horseless carriages. Later on, they |
| in southwestern home decor actually began in the | | | | became popular as blankets and throws for |
| early 1900's, when Indian trade blankets were put | | | | camping, canoeing and a new pass time called |
| on the market. | | | | motoring. |
| Most people I come in contact with, believe that | | | | Now days, you can easily buy southwest bedding |
| the blankets and throws they commonly use for | | | | online and in places that sell western and Native |
| southwest bedding were originally made by | | | | American home decor. Whether used as a rustic |
| American Indians. I also believed that, until I began | | | | bedspread, blanket or bed throw, southwest |
| digging deeper into the origin of these southwest | | | | bedding will add great charm to your home and |
| blankets and discovered that, although American | | | | environment. If you are attracted to authenticity |
| Indians were the prime inspiration behind the | | | | and traditional American Indian values and are |
| designs and production of trade blankets, they | | | | searching for a great way to create |
| were not the ones who made them. | | | | southwestern style in your rustic home decor, |
| In fact, as you study the interesting history of | | | | then you will no doubt enjoy owning and |
| western blankets, you will discover that they | | | | decorating with southwest bedding. |