Surprise! Truck Report, Part 2

Hello again, crafty friends!

We had a lovely little surprise visit from the Pendleton truck this morning with 150 pounds of blanket header. This has been our most sought-after type of scrap lately, so get it while it's hot.

Truck Report 1/27/2012

Good morning, WoolFans!

The Pendleton truck visited us right on schedule and dropped off 200 pounds of fuzzy selvage -- just in time for select colors to go on sale! Starting tomorrow (Saturday the 28th) a few choice colors will be 50% off the regular price.

Another exciting thing going on this weekend: part one of our two-part Reversible Kid's Coat class. Visit the Classes tab at the top of the page for more information, and call the store at (503) 535-5786 if you'd like to join us!

Requested Rug Crochet Pictures

One of our Facebook friends posted a note asking to see pictures from our Rug Crochet class. We thought you'd never ask! We've been saving pictures from the last year's worth of classes.


Stacy (at the far left) gets everyone started rolling balls of selvage.

The rug class on January 21 was one of our biggest rug classes yet -- we had 25 students (and two teachers). We were too many for the classroom, so we set up in front of the shipping area and tapestry gallery. It's a little easier to spread out that way.



Rolling rolling rolling... keep those balls rolling!



It's easy to get absorbed in (or by!) your work...


If you'd like to try your hand at rugmaking, we do have a free downloadable pattern over on the left sidebar of the blog... and plenty of selvage here at the store! The bins are full of bright colors in flannel (medium) and blanket (heavy) weights.

 

The tools of the trade, and a rug in progress.

Our next Wool Rug Crochet class will be held on Sunday, February 19th. Call the store to reserve a spot, or just drop by and join us! You can see our full class schedule by clicking on the Classes tab at the top of the page.

Community Craft Night 1/25/2012

Join us at the Woolen Mill Store for our monthly Community Craft Night -- Wednesday, January 25th from 5-7pm.

How does it work? Pack up a work in progress and bring it down to the Woolen Mill Store. Store staff and crafty guests will be there for some social time while we all get creative! It's totally FREE. Bring a snack or a drink if you like. Definitely bring a friend.

Don't have a current work-in-progress? Maybe your craft isn't quite so portable? We've got 12,000 square feet of inspiration here on McLoughlin Boulevard. Community Craft Night is a great chance to try out a fun new hobby.

We try to get our crafty community together once per month for some casual, crafty time... so keep an eye on the Woolen Mill Store blog for upcoming events.

Six Weeks Until Sew Expo!

The nation's largest sewing and stitchery expo is just six weeks away!

Once again, the Woolen Mill Store will be packing up a truckload of fabric, craft supplies, notions, patterns, kits, and more for Sew Expo in Puyallup, WA!  Throughout the weekend, we'll be demonstrating a variety of crafts in the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store booth, so stop by and see what we're up to.

Our own crafty miracle worker Stacy will be leading a three needle seminar during the Sewing & Stitchery Expo.  Join us on Friday, March 2 or Saturday, March 3 to make a Pendleton Picnic Blanket.  We suggest you pre-register for this and any other classes, as space is limited and some classes do fill up rather quickly.

Sewing & Stitchery Expo -- The Biggest Sewing Party in America!
http://www.sewexpo.com/

March 1 - 4, 2012
Puyallup Fair & Events Center
110-9th Avenue SW
Puyallup, WA 98371

Use Up Your Scraps!

It's confession time:  do you save scraps from your projects for Someday?

Ah, Someday... the mythical land where we follow up on all our project ideas, where no craft goes unfinished, and where the days are three times longer (with perfect lighting) so we can get more done.

These pictures might help inspire you to make a little visit to the craft-tastical land of Someday... today.

Here are a few more scrap-busting ideas from the Woolen Mill Store staff:

• Use smaller pieces to make flowers.  Little flowers make great accessories -- pins, hair clips, on a bangle bracelet, and more.  A bouquet of fabric flowers makes a lovely gift!
• Pieces that are too small to craft with make a great free stuffing for other projects!
• A single piece of a fabric you love can be turned into a patch to add some excitement to pants, a jacket, or a bag.
• Whip up some doll clothes and accessories.
• Create mini-sized stuffed animals, like the grey seal above.
• Roll strips of scrap fabric around a coffee stirrer straw and glue or stitch into place.  Snip the straw and you've got a homemade fabric bead.  Seal with Mod Podge for a finished look.
• A rectangular scrap can be folded in half and stitched to make a case for your phone, mp3 player, or sunglasses.

Truck Report 1/13/2012

Good morning, WoolFans!  We hope you're not too superstitious about Friday the 13th.

If you've been waiting and hoping for some beautiful blanket header, today is your lucky day -- the Pendleton truck delivered 200 pounds of blanket header.  The last time we got blanket header, it disappeared quickly... so plan accordingly.

We also got 400 pounds of fuzzy selvage to top off the bins.

Have a crafty weekend!

Too Many Candy Canes?

If you're suffering from a touch of candy cane overload, don't despair.  There are lots of crafty, creative things you can do with your overstock of sugary goodness!

Check out some great ideas from Cute Food For Kids? or give us a few of your best candy cane reuse ideas in comments.

Truck Report 1/6/2012

Happy New Year, WoolFans!

Is it weird for you to write or type "2012"?  It is for us!

The Pendleton truck has made its first visit of the new year, bringing us another few hundred pounds of fuzzy selvage.  The bins are piled high with a variety of colors and weights for your crafting pleasure.

Portland Fashion Week's Emerging Designer Winner

Let's hear it for Amanda Grisham, the Oregon native who won Portland Fashion Week's Emerging Designer competition!

Check out the article, pictures, and exclusive video interview at Portland Monthly online -- you might recognize some of the fabrics...

Would You Like to Join Our Creative Customers?

We get really excited about crafty projects here at the Woolen Mill Store.  If you bring in a work-in-progress or a finished product, we *LOVE* to hear all about how you did it.


Sassy striped bags made from Pendleton scraps!



If you've got a creation that you're especially proud of, bring it over to the Woolen Mill Store.  After we get done OOHing and AAHing over your clever work, we'll snap a few pictures and you might just see your project here on the Woolen Mill Store blog!



An old chair gets a new seat woven from wooly worms!



Don't live within driving distance?  No worries -- just email a picture of your project to us at woolenmillstore(at)penwool(dot)com.  Put "ATTN: Aimee - Blog Pics" in the subject line so it goes to the right person.  Include a brief description of how you made it, and any other info you'd like included like a website for your work, a craft show you'll be at, or your favorite Pendleton pattern.



Breathtaking boots remade in Pendleton fabric.

 Want to look back at our Creative Customers from 2011?  Click the "creative customers" tag at the bottom of this post to see them all!