FAQ: Where is Pendleton Fabric Made?

One of the most frequently asked questions at the Woolen Mill Store is: Where is your fabric made? Is it made in the USA?

Pendleton has two mills: one in Pendleton, Oregon and one in Washougal, Washington.

The mill in Washougal produces the solids, stripes, and plaids. The mill in Pendleton weaves the jacquard fabrics. Both mills offer tours, so you can get a behind-the-scenes look at how our blankets and fabrics are made.

The Woolen Mill Store was once a working woolen mill, too -- known as the Foundation Mill! If you visit our Tapestry Gallery, you can see the original wood floor from the mill, complete with scuffs and stains from machinery. It's a lovely piece of Pendleton history that's found a second life.

Truck Report 5/27/2011

Good morning, Woolfans!

Got any good plans for Memorial Day Weekend? We're planning a whole lot of crafting, thanks to yesterday's delivery of scraps from our Pacific Northwest woolen mills. We received 350 pounds of selvage, 100 pounds of blanket header, and 100 pounds of worms.

We're also having a BIG Memorial Day Sample Sale today, tomorrow, and Sunday! Lots of smoking hot deals on sewn samples like coats, purses, blankets, pillow shams, and stuffed animals -- all made from Pendleton wool.

And as a reminder, the store will be closed on Monday, May 30th in honor of Memorial Day. Have a great weekend!

Memorial Day Sewn Sample Sale

We've got a wagon-load of great deals for Memorial Day Weekend -- literally!




Our historic wagon is filled to overflowing with sewn samples like long and short coats, stuffed animals, purses, throws, saddle blankets, pillows and shams. We've got unfinished coats, quilts, and other projects up for grabs, too -- waiting for you to put on the finishing touches.

If you've had your eye on one of our sewn samples displayed around the store, it can finally be yours! Many of these items are one of a kind, made from Pendleton fabric from days gone by.

The Memorial Day Sewn Sample Sale is this weekend -- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The store will be closed on Monday, May 30th in honor of Memorial Day.

Crafting and Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the study of efficiency in working environments -- or, to put it another way, the study and design of devices that best fit the human body in order to optimize performance. And it's not just for the workplace.

Crafting ergonomically is important for physical AND mental reasons. If your projects result in physical discomfort, you're not going to enjoy working on them!

Take a moment before and after working on a project to check in with your body. Are you experiencing discomfort afterwards, but not before you start? There may be an ergonomics issue. Sit in your work area without actually working -- are all the things you need at hand? Do you have to reach or twist to get supplies or tools? Can you reach the desktop comfortably?

Workspace Basics:

• Make sure that you are using an appropriate chair. Your feet should touch the floor and there should be good back and arm support.



• Set up a workspace that works for you! Keep often-used tools within easy reach, so you don't have to overextend to get to them.



• Allow plenty of desk/table space to work on your project.



• Make sure you have plenty of lighting. Direct the light towards your project, not towards your eyes.



• Keep an eye on your posture. Hunching or slouching can contribute to back pain. Awkward angles can put a strain on your wrists and hands.



• Ventilation -- especially if you're working with paints, chemicals, smelly markers, or anything with a strong odor.

This is FAR from a comprehensive guide to workspace ergonomics... but hopefully it's enough to get you thinking. We want everybody to be happy AND healthy while they get crafty! If you'd like to learn more, here are some links to get you started:

• Office ergonomics information from the University of Western Ontario -- including a workspace evaluation checklist, tips for setting up your workstation, and more.



• A look at physical AND mental ergonomics from the Think Crafts blog.



• A look at sewing room ergonomics from Lemon Tree Tales -- with a great reference list for more ergo info.

This blog post was not written by a medical professional. It was written by some crafty folks who care about your health and comfort! If you have health concerns, please contact a medical professional.

Save the Date!

Mark your calendar for June 10, 2011.

We're having a BIG party... details coming soon!

Kids' Make and Take Craft Day: Sunday June 5th

We like to think of the Woolen Mill Store as an idea store. An inspiration store!

If you're dreading the chorus of "Mom, I'm boooooored!" this summer, we're here to help. Sunday, June 5th has been declared Kids' Make and Take Craft Day at the Woolen Mill Store! This is a chance for your family to test-drive a whole bunch of new crafts before investing a lot of time and money on a new hobby.

At craft stations around the store, you'll find projects like:

• Needle felted bookmarks



• Creative crowns



• Rolled felt pincushions



• Button art



• Felted soaps



• Knotted dog toys



• And much more!

Each project costs just $5 and takes less than a half hour... and could turn out to be a summer's worth of inspiration!

Kids' Make and Take Craft Day
Sunday, June 5th 2011
11am-4pm
$5 per craft project
Crafts are geared towards ages 9 and up; children under 9 should have a parent's assistance.

Truck Report 5/20/2011

Good morning, Woolfans! It seems like spring has finally sprung around here... and there's nothing like a world in bloom under warm sunshine to make a person feel crafty! (Or maybe it's just us...)




The Pendleton truck delivered in a big way this week!

• 200 pounds of wooly worms


• 200 pounds of blanket header


• 500 pounds of selvage

We've got a rug crochet class scheduled for Saturday (tomorrow) if you'd like to learn how to use those fun, fuzzy selvage strips! Call the store (503) 535-5786 to register!

Summer Stitching

If you think of little old ladies doing needlepoint when you hear the word “embroidery”, it’s time to think again.



These days, embroidery is hot again, thanks in part to stitch-lovers like Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching. A decade ago, much of the available embroidery patterns were cutesy pictures with indecipherable instructions. These days, you can find easy-to-understand patterns for everything from robots to wizards, from meat to veggies, from zombies to librarians.

The Woolen Mill Store is thrilled to offer a variety of Sublime Stitching embroidery patterns and kits, plus hoops and needles, Sheep’s Silk wool/silk embroidery floss, and funky glow in the dark thread. Doesn't that get you excited to start stitching?

Creative Customers: Nina's Chair Makeover

Creative customer Nina sent us this picture of a chair she fixed up using shoelaces and our wooly worms.



She makes it sound so easy, too: "Just needed a little inspiration from Pendleton to take a beat up wicker chair and turn it from something in the trash pile to something fun and functional. The shoe strings are fastened tight and provide the support, and the worms add color and that beautiful woven appeal."

We think it's pretty awesome!

Why Wool is Awesome #9: Wool and Music

Ah, don't you just love the sound of wool? Don't look at us like we're crazy! Wool plays an important role in playing music and listening to music. Inside a piano, wool felt-covered hammers strike metal wires to produce sound. You can thank wool for all those years of piano lessons. Makers of stereo speakers often choose wool for absorbing the noise you don't want to hear -- so your music comes through clearly. (It's also used in some heavy machinery for a similar reason: the wool absorbs the machine noise to help protect workers' ears.) Doesn't that make you just want to sing?

Truck Report 5/13/2011

Good morning, Woolfans! Is Friday the 13th your lucky day? Or will you be avoiding broken mirrors, black cats, and suspicious ladders?

The Pendleton truck brought us another 500 pounds of fuzzy selvage this week for your crafting pleasure. No tricks here, only treats!

Poll: Home Economics in School?

Time to check in and be heard, Woolfans:

Did you take Home Economics/Family and Consumer Sciences (or any sort of sewing/cooking/home management/life skills type class) when you were in school? Which of these classes do you think was the most useful? Which class should you have paid better attention in?

Truck Report 5/6/2011

Good morning, Woolfans!

The Pendleton truck delivered scraps right on schedule... and delivered in a BIG way. We got approximately 600 pounds of selvage and 300 pounds of blanket header.

Let's get crafty!

Creative Customers: Ralph's Woven Rugs

Creative customer Ralph came in looking for blanket header one day. Because we love to chat about projects, we asked what he was going to make... and he went to his car and came back with some gorgeous woven rugs!

At the Woolen Mill Store, we really do love talking ideas and projects. And we *love* to see what you've done with our wool! Feel free to bring your finished creations to the store for a photo shoot, or email your own pictures to us.

FAQ: Does This Color Look Good on Me?

We do sometimes get asked to play fashion consultant at the Woolen Mill Store: does this color look good on me?

Three things help determine what colors look good on you: your skin color, your hair color, and your eye color.

Skin tones are often divided into "seasons", but can also be broken down into warm or cool tones. If you have yellow, peach, or red undertones to your skin, you have warm skin. If you have blue, pink, or purple undertones to your skin, you have cool skin.

Once you know if you're warm or cool, you can consider your eye and hair color. The colors you choose to wear can brighten up or tone down your natural coloring. Here's a great article on how to figure out what colors look good on you from New Mexico State University. It's got a few things to try to determine your skin tone, and some suggestions for complimentary color combinations. This eHow article breaks down skin types by seasons, with examples of hair and eye color combinations.

Tips for choosing colors that compliment your eyes, skin, and hair:

• Bring a friend with a good eye along. If you have trouble judging colors alone, a second pair of eyes can definitely help!
• Look at colors -- skin and fabric -- under different types of lighting. You may have an easier time detecting undertones under natural light (try standing near a window) or under a daylight spectrum light bulb.
• Talk to a makeup consultant. The colors they suggest might work well in your wardrobe, too.
• You don't have to ban any color you like from your wardrobe. Even if you're in love with a color that doesn't look good next to your skin, you can always use it as an accent!