Use Southwest Bedding For Rustic Home Decor.

Easily give your home impressive, rustic style through southwest bedding. A few years ago, I was looking for an inexpensive way to redecorate one of the rooms in my home and give it a touch of the old southwest. I came across some western blankets at a discount linen store and decided to add them as part of the western decor. I loved the rustic flare they created in the room so much that I decided to use them in all the rooms of my home to give it that chic, western style you see in designer magazines.

Since I used these blankets and throws everyday as southwestern bedspreads, shawls, or as lap blankets, I became interested in the history of southwestern blankets and started studying their origin. The more I read, the more interesting the story became. I never realized that although very popular today among interior designers and in modern style homes, southwest bedding for use in rustic home decor actually emerged in the early 1900's, when Indian trade blankets were put on the market. Most people I talk to, believe that the blankets and throws they commonly use for southwest bedding were originally made by Native American Indians. I also believed that, until I started digging deeper into the origin of these southwestern style blankets and found that, although Native Americans were the prime inspiration for the designs and production of trade blankets, they were not the ones who made them.

In fact, as you study the interesting history of southwestern blankets, you will learn that they were actually made by machines, and produced by large weaving companies for the express purpose of supplying the Indians with needed blankets. These rustic blankets were then supplied to the frontier trading posts where the Native people would buy and trade them and use them to wrap themselves in instead of a modern coat or jacket. Something you will also find interesting as you look into the history of trade blankets to use as western bedding, is that as women became more interested in interior design in the early 1900's, southwest decor and western designs rose in popularity. These "Indian blankets" as they came to be called, were sought after by people across the country who used them for southwest bedding and as decorative couch or chair covers to accent rustic home decor.

The Indian trade blankets were perfect for covering exposed legs when riding on a wagon, sleigh or buggy, and in the new horseless carriages. Later on, they became popular as throws for camping, canoeing and a new pass time called motoring. Now days, you can easily buy southwest bedding online and in stores that sell western and American Indian home decor. Whether used as a western bedspread, blanket or bed throw, southwest bedding will add great character to your home and environment. If you are impressed with authenticity and traditional American Indian values and are looking for a great way to add western style to your rustic home decor, then you will no doubt enjoy owning and decorating with southwest bedding.

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