A Stop Along The Way

After leaving Flourishes on Saturday we stopped in Washougal at the Pendleton Woolen Mill Outlet Store. I hadn't been there for several years and I was pleasantly surprised with the changes they have made and the merchandise they offer for sale. The store is filled with beautiful products made by Pendleton Woolen Mills. Behind the outlet store is the mill where Pendleton blankets are made. Tours are scheduled frequently. Several years ago I was part of a group that toured and watched the process from raw wool as it arrived and was prepared, then spun into yarn, dyed and woven into beautiful blankets. Blankets are for sale in the store as well as lovely men's and women's garments that are made at another location. Many of the garments are wool but you will also find silk, cotton and linen as well. The store is nicely arranged and decorated and the staff is friendly and helpful. While the merchandise is discounted, much of it is marked down more, some as low as 60% off the lowest marked price. One area of the store offers beautiful Pendleton woolen yardage for sale. I bought a pretty silk scarf and yardage to make a jacket. On the wall of the store is a big sign that looks like Pendleton's signature label that is on all of their products.This rack of Spring blouses caught my eye - it looks like candy! Blankets and throws have changed from past years. They used to all look alike in the style of Indian-woven blankets and rugs. Those patterns are still available but the colors and patterns have been updated to include pastels, checks, plaids, stripes and solids. Nearby, a bin of buttons. . .Millions of buttons.I wish my sweetheart could have seen these chairs! He has always dreamed of having a log cabin near a stream or lake. Somewhere near a good fishing and hunting spot. We often talk and joke about the decor for the dream cabin. He loves to tease me that it's all going to look like Indian-style blankets, with fish, deer, elk, moose and bear decor everywhere. No roses. No pastel colors. No lace. That would be fine with me. I think. When I saw these chairs I knew he would like them on the porch of his cabin!This totem pole in the center of the store is a typical Northwest artifact. Near the fabric section old tailoring and sewing items made a nice display. I'd love to have an old thread cabinet like this one. (See the ends of the wooden bobbins in the drawer?)I love antiques, including vintage sewing pieces. The store is tastefully decorated with old things from the wool handling and weaving process. This wooly fellow is a reminder of where the process begins. The wool goes to market.It is carded (combed and separated). . .Spun and wound onto bobbins for the looms. (See the old wooden bobbins on the side of the winder?) The process hasn't changed much over the years. While technology has sped up and improved the way wool is made into yarn and woven into fabric the age-old methods are proven and reliable.

If you are ever in my area I would love to take you to the Pendleton Mill and Outlet Store in Washington, just across the river from Portland. It's an adventure, for sure. I think you would enjoy the tour and I bet you would like the store!

(You can read about the history of Pendleton Woolen Mills and their blankets here.)