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Spools of wool thread on loom

 

160 Years of
American Manufacturing

When the Pendleton Woolen Mill opened in 1909, it was one of more than a thousand in the United States. Today, Pendleton owns and operates two of the few remaining woolen mills. With more than a century of manufacturing, a Pendleton product carries the spirit of the West.

Pendleton Woolen mills manufacturing factory
Spools of wool thread

Pacific
Northwest
Mills

Our jacquard-patterned fabrics and blankets are woven at our original mill in Pendleton, Oregon, home to the world-famous Pendleton Round-Up. This mill started weaving trade blankets in 1909.
 

Iconic Designs

Our signature plaid, stripe and solid-colored fabrics are woven at our mills that have been in operation for over 110 years. These enduring fabrics are woven on our state-of-the-art looms, allowing us to produce the quality-crafted blankets and fabrics Pendleton is known for today.

Iconic designs weaver working on wool machine

American
Craftsmanship

RAW MATERIALS
 

Pendleton has long-standing relationships with wool growers. We choose only the highest quality 100% pure virgin wool, selected for fineness, crimp, length, strength and color. We source our wool from around the world as well as locally, including from 5th generation family sheep ranchers neighboring our Pendleton, Oregon mill.

Pendleton family sheep
indigo blue dyed wool
PREPARING THE WOOL: SCOURING + DYEING
 

Wool passes gently through a duster and a series of baths and squeeze rolls to remove water, dirt and lanolin. It is then dried and packed into bales. It may be dyed as fibers, yarn or fabric. Dyes are circulated by pumps, as computers read sample colors. Temperature and pressure are controlled to produce rich, permanent color.

MAKING YARNS: CARDING + SPINNING
 

Wool fibers are carded into a fine web and then divided into thin strands called roving, which is smoothed, aligned for uniformity, and wound onto large spools for spinning. Spools of roving are mounted on the spinning frame and delivered to a bobbin, where twist is introduced to give strength to yarn. One pound of wool can make ten miles of spun yarn.

colorful yarn being spun
Weaving blanket
WEAVING
 

Using state-of-the-art looms, lengthwise (warp) and crosswise (weft) yarns are interwoven at right angles to form fabric. Pendleton’s looms can produce 300 yards of 80-inch shirt fabric in one day.

HAND FINISHING
 

Woolen fabric is subjected to controlled heat, moisture, friction and pressure to produce softer, more compact fabric in a process called “fulling.”  Napping with a fine wire brush creates a soft, fuzzy surface, while shearing the cloth produces a smooth, even surface. Our sewers then add labels, and all fringe is hand-cut. Each blanket and piece of fabric is carefully inspected and finished by hand to ensure the highest or quality.

Hand finishing
white wool

OEKO-TEX® CERTIFIED

Not only is much of our wool grown in the United States, it’s also spun, dyed, woven and finished in our
state-of-the-art heritage mills. These mills are continually updated to meet or exceed all standards of safety, productivity and sustainability and are OEKO-TEX® STeP certified. Both mills have passed
rigorous standards to be certified as sustainable and socially responsible. Additionally, woven fabric
and finished goods from both mills are certified as OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100. This means every
component has been tested to ensure it’s safe.