Kantha Blanket Review – Uncommon Goods

A few weeks ago the nice folks over at Uncommon Goods contacted me and offered me the chance to review their new Kantha Blankets. The Kantha Blankets are handmade in India, by workers who are protected under the fair trade practices. Each blanket is made from vintage cotton saris that are cut into strips and sewn together using traditional stitching methods that are passed down from mothers to daughters for generations.

So I already loved the premise of the Kantha Blankets–continuing traditions and helping bring those traditions into the present by sharing them through the internet. But getting to see this in person is amazing. The Kantha blankets are so different from anything you could pick up in stores right now. They have history. You can see it in the material; these are vintage pieces and they’ve been patched and stitched back together. But there is a beauty in that. As the tag says, the Kantha blanket is like a diary, it tells a story of the life that this fabric has seen. I love that each stitch is different, that the patterns on the saris make each blanket unique. White thread binds the layers together, without batting in between creating a medium weight blanket. The white stitching also highlights the beautiful coloring of the fabric and unifies the different patterns and motifs into a single quilt. The vintage nature of the upcycled cotton also means it’s incredibly soft straight out of the box. I would consider this more of an art blanket, but it’s also functional. The dimensions of each blanket are slightly different, but are roughly 91″ by 60″, almost a standard twin size blanket, although I feel it would work well as a throw blanket also.

The Kantha blanket is an opportunity, made possible by the people at Uncommon Goods, to receive a piece of textile art that you might otherwise never have had the chance to buy. There’s a magic in opening the box to find an heirloom quality item with a history of its own. Whether displayed at the foot of bed, over a sofa, or on a wall, the Kantha blanket is sure to make a statement.

Want one for yourself? You can check them out on the Uncommon Goods website.

(As stated above, I was sent the blanket for the purpose of review, but all opinions expressed in this post are my own.)