blue wool throws and blankets

How to keep your wool throws and blankets looking good as new...

So, you’ve got your gorgeous new wool throw and it’s so cosy that you wrap up in it every night. And when it’s not on top of you, your throw is folded and draped over the arm of the sofa. It looks so soft that everyone who passes it gives it a stroke. Then, you start to notice fluff on the surface, and then the fluff turns to fuzz, then to little balls and all of a sudden, your beautiful blanket or throw looks a bit shabby and you feel a bit sad.

March 13, 2017 — Danielle Tolson
christmas blankets

Layer up throws and blankets for a cosy winter look

The tree is up, the halls are decked, but your home still doesn't feel Christmassy enough.  What to do?

For the final finishing touches, you can make your home a cosy winter paradise by layering up throws and blankets.  Our two key looks, a Berry Merry Christmas and a Traditional Christmas each work in different ways to add a festive feel to any interior. Berry Merry Christmas brings together blankets and throws from across our whole range and mixes colours you might not expect to work together.

December 07, 2016 — Danielle Tolson
autumnal wool blankets

How a British tradition inspired the autumn blanket collection

I thought, we really need to celebrate this truly British tradition so we created our Cottage Garden collection of luxury throws and blankets in homage to the growers and gardeners across the land.  Read the full story ...

September 28, 2016 — Danielle Tolson
When Made in Chelsea picnic on your blankets....

When Made in Chelsea picnic on your blankets....

It’s not everyday you get a call from TV people requesting your help, so when the producers of hit E4 show, Made in Chelsea called us a couple of months back to ask if they could use our picnic rugs in the season finale, we were only too pleased to get involved.

blue blankets

Summerhouse styling for a beach hut vibe

Nothing says British Summer like the humble beach hut. Or rather, the not so humble beach hut, with seaside sheds on sought after coastlines exchanging hands for tens of thousands of pounds. Whether you’ve managed to get your hands on one for real, or are creating a hideaway in your garden summerhouse, you can easily achieve the beach hut vibe with a coastal colour scheme and a few essential items.

blue picnic rugs and blankets

We're off to Countryfile Live!

We're off to Countryfile Live!

Now the temperature has, just about, crept into double figures, we have unfurled ourselves and are looking forward to getting out and about for the summer ahead.  One of the highlights we have in the schedule for summer is Countryfile Live...  

countryfile live

April 14, 2016 — Danielle Tolson

The English Point Blanket - Inspiring Tolly Stripes

Yonks ago, English Point Blankets, sometimes so called ‘shags’ (guffaw out loud) were made in Witney in Oxfordshire and later they were woven in Yorkshire mills. Our Oxfordshire HQ is a stone’s throw from Witney and I grew up streets away from one of the Yorkshire mills that shared the trade all those years ago.  With this pertinent heritage steeped in childhood memories, we resolved that Tolly McRae would bring the Point Blanket home...

January 01, 2015 — Tolly Tolson

For Lazy Days and Cozy Nights

Things have been moving apace at Tolly HQ this week. Our logo design was finalised on Monday by our wonderful creative chaps at Brand Britain... 
Charcoal Herringbone Blanket Label
March 20, 2014 — Tolly Tolson

A Day at the Fair

Spring Fair evokes images of sunshine, gentle breezes, coconut shies and handicraft stalls.   So when we journeyed to Birmingham’s NEC on a wild, wet and windy February day, it wasn’t quite the idyll we had in mind.  Nevertheless, we were not disappointed by this huge annual trade exhibition.  We covered but a portion of the show, and patted ourselves on the back for being focused on our task... 

February 12, 2014 — Tolly Tolson

The Story of Us

So...we keep getting asked about Tolly McRae and how the company came about so here's our story, the Story of Tolly and McRae. We met in 2010.  I had just moved from the local commuter town to a tiny village and Helen - the ‘McRae’ of Tolly McRae - had recently moved to the area from Scotland. We both had big projects on.  Helen had bought a dilapidated bungalow on a great big plot and was project managing its fairly extreme transformation.  Having just moved into a 300-year-old farmhouse, I too was up to my eyeballs in restoration and refurbishment.  Both of us were juggling these massive projects with work - and bringing up young families to boot, so we instantly bonded over our woes with bogus builders, which windows we wanted and the merits of eggshell versus estate emulsion...  

January 29, 2014 — Tolly Tolson