Vintage blankets with tukutuku patterns

In the 1960s there were many patterns and colourways of blankets made using patterns from the woven panels that decorate important buildings such as meeting houses. 

Tukutuku panels, such as those commissioned to hang in Christchurch library (page 15), are woven to decorate or tell stories but their original purpose was to also create an insulating barrier. Nowadays they are purely decorative as building materials have changed. It is perhaps fitting then that the blankets woven by mills in Aotearoa New Zealand in the middle of the last century made use of the panel patterns. These blankets and rugs fetch high prices today at art auctions. Our new addition to the collection is from Onehunga Mill and is a poutama patterned piece in brown, tan and yellow. 

For more of these beautiful woven rugs and blankets check out Carter's Price Guide here. I hope we can add more to the collection over time.