Mexican Serape Blanket Throws; an Explosion of Color!
I love colorful saddle blanket style throws and rugs. And a good bargain is so much the better. However, a good bargain and bad quality equals a waste of money so I wanted to do some research between all of the blankets I liked the most. I did take care to look for blankets that had at least a 4 star rating and above.
So I did a bit of checking on all of the blankets I posted about and there were some qualities I thought were more important than others. I will list pros and cons so that you can make the best decision possible in choosing which blanket or throw meets your individual needs.
The first thing I gravitate to is bright and bold colors. But if the weave is light, then pretty won't last long in my opinion. Instead, looking for a heavier weight that seems more substantial is a better first option.
Can it be washed? Dried? Air dried only? Though I have no problem with air drying, dry cleaning is out for me. I don't like the extra expense, nor the hassle. My life is an every day wash-and-wear kind of style and things like clothing, bedding and other assorted household items must meet those wash-and-wear standards to be useful. I found most of the blankets to be fairly easy to wash and clean making most all of them a good choice in the care department.
Price is a concern to some extent. But if a blanket is pricier than another one of lesser quality, yet has wear-ability and durability, it makes sense that in the long run, that blanket will last longer and more than make up for any initial price point. Again, the prices on these all seemed pretty reasonable to me with some of the lower end (smaller blankets) being around $25 to some of the higher end (larger Mexican blanket throw) being $50 plus.
Size. Pretty is nice, price is important, but how big is it? If I want it for a simple dresser scarf for the spare bedroom, then how heavy the blanket is not important. If I am using it for a picnic throw, I DON'T want it too small, nor do I want it to be so flimsily made the ants can crawl through the weave! I don't want to fight the ants for our lunch 🙂 I tend to use my throws around the living room a lot. I have several of them folded over the backs of chairs, sofas and our recliners. We keep our house cool in the winter so throws come in handy. I want something fairly warm, to be sure.
What's the saddle blanket made of? Actually, many that I looked at if not all, are made of cotton. Some have a few synthetics woven in with them but I didn't see a high number of the blankets that did so. Depending on the background of the company vendor, or the materials, some of the cotton may be pre-shrunk. Some may not have been but when you wash, the shrinkage shouldn't be too great on one of the tighter woven blankets.
Should you dry your saddle blanket? Personally, I use a dryer very seldom. It seems to be an every day hazard that I get some kind of stain on some kind of article of clothing. In case I didn't get the stain removed entirely, a dryer merely cements that stain in permanently. If you are a braver person that I, try drying in a low setting and remove when slightly damp to prevent permanent stain setting. I'm still not sure that keeps a stain from setting, but you can try.
Ready to choose the best saddle blanket for your home, or picnic?
Here in order of importance are the things to consider.
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Quality; tightness of weave, evenly woven, color changes nicely spaced. This blanket or throw will last you, or someone you gift this to, a long while. Make sure it's quality.
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Size; Very important concerning what you are going to do with it and where you will use it. A dresser scarf doesn't work well for a child's twin size bed!
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Care; Go for easy care if possible. Simple wash and tumble dry is the best.
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Price: Price is important, but if the previous considerations are not met, then paying a higher price for a blanket that doesn't fit your needs is wasted cash.
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Color; While I consider this important, pretty won't matter much if you paid a stiff price for a poor quality blanket, right? Choose based on other concerns first and then go for color. The brighter the better!
