On my recent road trip to Wyoming, I stopped in Pendleton, Oregon at the Pendleton Woolen Mill. Built in 1895, all Jacquard native American blankets are made there and it also houses a fabric store and outlet for blankets. (There is another mill located in Washougal, Washington that makes woolen apparel that I’d love to visit, too!).
I have a soft spot for the brand because my grandpa was obsessed with their button down shirts. He had to have one in every color/design. Each time he came to visit, we took a trip to the local shirt store and we’d spend an hour in there deciding which shirt he needed, and he would run through his vast inventory–in his head–to see if he had a particular design already. Half the time he couldn’t remember because he had so many! He’s given a lot away over the years, but he still has 60-70!
The building houses a store full of apparel, housewares, blankets. There is an outlet in the back half that sells discounted blankets and fabric by the yard!! There’s also a small museum that provides history of the area and describes some of the company’s history. This mill also hosts tours but only during weekdays–I was there on a weekend, so I missed out.
The following pics are in the back half of the store–all of the blankets are offered at a discount due to weaving flaws. Each piece has a small sticker with a code on it. Staff give you a (long!) line sheet of flaws and you match the code to the flaw description. I had a hard time finding the flaws on the ones I examined.
The floor-to-ceiling contraption you see in the picture below is fabric sold by the yard! It’s a system of pulleys that staff can pull to bring fabric within reach to cut. It’s not cheap–about $80 per yard, but they had some beautiful designs. They also had some smaller, solid color bolts of wool available. You could make your own pillows, clutches, totes, skirts–you name it! I pondered buying a yard of something, but for that price, I needed a definitive project for it. I think it would be great to make a tote bag with leather handles or a cute fall clutch.
That’s it! If you get to the Pacific Northwest, make a stop at one of their mills–especially if you can catch a tour and a deal on their beautiful blankets!
