A Blanket for Your Little Star, Born in the Year of the Eclipse

Five Pendleton child-sized blankets hang on pegs.

Pendleton child-size blankets

…can help you celebrate a baby born during the eclipse year, or just wrap your little star watcher in something wonderful. We weave blankets that tell stories, and we want those stories to be told for generations. A Pendleton child’s blanket will warm your children, and their children, and the children who come after—and will definitely be around for the next full solar eclipse in April of 2024!

Star Guardian

Pendleton Star Guardian child-sized blanket.

Crossed arrows stand for brotherhood and the setting aside of conflicts. A peaceful evening has come to the prairie. It is time to light the fires and draw together in the warmth of the fire circle. As logs crackle and flames flicker, stories rise on the night air. Stories of bravery and victory in battle. Stories of stealth and bounty in the hunt. Stories of tricksters and their clever magic. As they share their legends, the People are safe and warm in their tepees. Above it all shines Bear, the great guardian of the night skies.

Chief’s Road

Pendleton

Chippewa-Cree artist Jesse Henderson designed this blanket of the Milky Way, or “Chief’s Road,” exclusively for Pendleton. The Big Dipper and North Star shine brightly. Bear and moose tracks border the sky. Below, rows of lodges represent the children of the Creator and Mother Earth.

Sons of the Sky, Daughters of the Earth

These designs were created in partnership with Virginia Stroud, an acclaimed contemporary Native American artist. Every purchase helps support the honorable mission of the American Indian College Fund, a nonprofit organization that helps fund scholarships for Native American students and tribal colleges. Both designs honor a significant Plains indian tradition: Parents place a newborn child’s umbilicus inside a turtle of lizard-shaped amulet that embodies the turtle’s hard shell or the lizard’s quick movement. This guards the child’s spirit to ensure a long, protected life.

Sons of the Sky

ZE786-52008-Sons-Of-The-Sky-MuchachoThe central turtle amulet is surrounded by celebratory stars and rainbows in honor of new birth.

Daughters of the Earth

Pendleton Daughters of the Earth child-sized blanket.Water lilies and dragonflies surround a lizard amulet on a soothing rainbow that evokes a marsh sunset.

Raven Sunburst

Pendleton Raven Sunburst child-sized blanket.

According to a Steilacoom legend, in the beginning, Grey Eagle kept the sun, moon, stars, fresh water and fire hidden from the people. Then Raven fell in love with Grey Eagle’s beautiful daughter. To please her, he turned himself into a snow-white bird, so she invited him into her father’s lodge. When Raven saw the sun and moon, he stole them and escaped through a smoke hole in the house. Outside, he hung the sun in the sky and flew away. At night, he put up the moon for light and kept on flying, carrying with him a stick of fire. Soon the smoke from the fire drifted over his back, turning his white feathers black.

Wild Horses

Pendleton Wild Horses child-sized blanket.

Thundering hooves raise clouds of dust as wild mustangs gallop across the valley floor. These graceful creatures epitomize the free spirit of the West, standing as symbols of pride and tradition for many Native Americans. As the sun sets, stars shine against the vivid colors of the evening sky. This design celebrates independence, strength and mobility, all traits of the wild horse.

And so many more

We have so many choices for your young ones. You can see them all here: Child-sized Pendleton blankets   These blankets are 32” x 44”, perfect for a crib or a snuggle. And they are 100% made in the USA.

Two girls sit on blankets atop a rock wall.

Sky Stories: Pendleton Blankets for the 2017 Eclipse 

The Eclipse is Coming!

If a beautiful Pendleton blanket is part of your plan to celebrate and commemorate the upcoming full solar eclipse, we are here with some suggestions! We’ve been weaving blankets that tell stories for over a century, and some of our most beautiful designs celebrate the night skies. All of these wool blankets are made in the USA.

Here are our Sky Stories.

Night Dance

Night-Dance-blanket by PendletonNight falls as dancers gather on the Square Ground for the Stomp Dance, performed by many tribes: Caddo, Seneca, Muskogee, Cherokee, Shawnee, Seminole and more.  Against the dark blue of the night sky, the bright flames of the ceremonial fire rise.  Mother Fire is considered a sacred being who watches over the dancers and receives their songs and prayers. The Chief calls upon his medicine man and speaker to help him lead this sacred gathering. Men take their places in arbors built facing each of the Four Directions. With traditional and treasured turtle-shell rattles fastened to their legs, dancers begin their shuffle and stomp. Strong medicine and the repetitive steps of the Stomp Dance lead them to an inspirited, meditative state. The night echoes with the haunting call and response of their special songs. The Stomp Dance lasts until morning arrives to fill the sky with colors of Dawn.

Full Moon Lodge

Full Moon Lodge blanket by PendletonThis design was created in partnership with Muscogee Creek artist Starr Hardridge, and is part of our Legendary Collection. This design illustrates the relationship between humankind, Mother Nature and the creator of the universe, whose medicine is love. It acknowledges our place between the sun and the full moon. Full Moon Lodge is part of our Legendary Collection, which honors stories and symbols of Native American cultures.

Pueblo Dwelling

Pueblo Dwelling blanket by PendletonThis is a vintage design from 1923, the heyday of trade blanket production. Dazzling colors and geometric designs tell a story. Arrows symbolize the paths of life and power. Stars centered in squares echo the bright Morning Star, a spirit honored by many pueblo dwellers. This blanket is part of our Heritage Collection.

Star Wheels

Star Wheels blanket by PendletonHigh atop the Big Horn Range in Wyoming sits one of the best-known medicine wheels or sacred hoops. This spoked circle of stones was created by Plains Indians between 300 and 800 years ago. Astronomers have noted that during the summer solstice, the spokes of the wheel point to the rising and setting of the sun, and four bright stars, a discovery celebrated by astronomers.

Northern Lights

Northern Lights blanket by PendletonThe Northern Lights are as mysterious as they are glorious. Native legends offer intriguing explanations for these shining bands of transparent color that dance across the night skies. To the Fox tribe of Wisconsin, the lights were an omen of war, spirits of enemies rising up to do battle again. To their neighbors, the Menominee tribe, the lights belonged to torches carried by the manabai’wok, giant spirits of hunters and fishermen that were out spearing fish.  Northern lights are most visible at midnight in the extreme north, and occasionally seen as far south as America’s Gulf Coast.

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper blanket by PendletonThe Gatekeeper is an original Pendleton design from 1935. This USA-made wool blanket is a beautiful example of a Center Point pattern, which contains a primary design element that falls within a band through the center of the blanket. The eight-point star is a common motif in Sioux culture and often represents the morning star, signifying a new beginning with the break of dawn. As gatekeeper of the morning, it shows the way to the light and knowledge of the day.

Stella Maris

Stella-Maris blanket by PendletonStar of the sea, or Stella Maris, represents the guiding presence of the North Star. As a ‘pole star,’ it shines an abiding light by which sailors have navigated for as long as man has traveled the sea. The graduated palette of indigo, lapis, turquoise and ivory unfolds in a dynamic chevron pattern that evokes the emanation of starlight in the night sky, recalling the traditional craft of Star Quilts. Designer Alyssa Pheobus Mumtaz is an American artist known for her multimedia drawing practice, inspired by iconography of traditional textiles. Her work is exhibited worldwide and recognized by numerous fellowships and grants.

Journey West

Journey West blanket by PendletonThis dynamic blanket celebrates the pioneering spirit of our founder, weaver Thomas Kay, who journeyed to America from England, arriving in Oregon in 1863. Its design was inspired by a blanket discovered in a 19th-century European mill which included the designer’s notes and calculations handwritten neatly along the sides. The pattern highlights the universal appeal of geometric shapes and lines. The hooked patterns inside the large diamonds are common symbols of luck and prosperity. Its quality and beauty is a tribute to the generations of weavers that have continued Thomas Kay’s legacy of quality and excellence.

A young woman wrapped in a Journey West blanket stares at the horizon, with the words "Solar Eclipse Giveaway"

We’re having a gift card giveaway on Instagram over the weekend–starting tomorrow. If you win, which blanket would you choose?

Heading for the Path of Totality? Your Ultimate Pendleton #eclipse2017 Take-Along List

Almost here!

The total solar eclipse of our lifetime is happening on August 21, just three short weeks away. The #eclipse2017 Path of Totality originates on the Oregon coast, midway between Lincoln City and Newport. If you’re planning to meet it there, remember that the Oregon coast is famous for its summertime marine clouds, but the interior of our state should be prime viewing country in August.

We are EXCITED, here in Oregon. We’re preparing to host from from 300K to a million visitors!  No matter which estimate turns out to be correct, a LOT of people will gather in our state to share this once-in-our-lifetime experience. So let’s hope you have your accommodations planned, your reservations confirmed, and your patience in place. It’s going to be an amazing adventure, but all life’s adventures require planning and preparation. We have the top ten take-along Pendleton pieces to make sure you have a fantastic trip, whether camping, glamping, or just stepping outside to see this wonder of astronomy.

  1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

We can’t stress this enough. Central Oregon is high and dry, with gorgeous dry vistas and rolling hills.

Water Bottles by Pendleton

Keep yourself in the best possible shape to enjoy the scenery and the eclipse by drinking lots of water. Our Klean Kanteen water bottles are a practical and beautiful way to hydrate.

2. Throw Some Shade with a Pendleton Hat

During the day in August, Central Oregon can be hot, hot, hot. Weather should still be fine at 10:30 AM, but you’ll be there all day, amazed and celebrating.

A young woman stands on a hillside, wearing a gold Pendleton shirt and a Pendleton hat.

Arnelle Lozada @arnelle

Stay cool with the Outback Hat (shown in Putty). The light color keeps you cooler in the sun. If you like cotton hats, our Breezer and Hiker hats are great, too.

3. Another Way to Stay Cool

Bandanas! We’re showing the Pueblo Cross bandanas, but we have plenty of colors and styles available (like this Silver Bark pattern, which is gorgeous).

Pendleton cotton bandanas

These will cover your head, catch sweat at your neck and wrists, and keep your eclipse glasses secure. Plus they are fun way to enjoy Pendleton’s traditional patterns.

4. Don’t Forget the Dawgs

Traveling with your best friend? Some of the country in the Path of Totality is rugged and remote.

Pendleton Pet portable dog bowl

You can’t count on services, so our Pendleton Pet travel food and water bowls are important.

5. Layer Up with a Pendleton Wool Shirt

Wool is nature’s original performance fabric. It can keep you warm early in the morning and late at night, and actually can help you stay cool in high temps.

A young woman with long dark hair wears a brown and white plaid pendleton shirt

Arnelle Lozada @arnelle

We have styles for Men and Women in those plaids that say “Pendleton!” from a mile away.

A man stands beside a pond wearing a plaid Pendleton shirt

Garin Wood @garinwood @ultmo

6. Claim Your Spot with a Pendleton Towel

We wish you all a cool spot by a river for viewing. A Pendleton towel can be used for warmth, as a sitting space, or for shade.

FIve Pendleton Towels hanging on a peg rack.

Our towels-for-two in Serrado

The Serrado towel-for-two hangs on a stump at the beach.

and Fire Legend

The Fire Legend towel-for-two against a blue sky.are fantastic for marking off your viewing spot, too.

7. Luxury Seating: Pendleton by Sunbrella Floor Cushions

A touch of luxury for your viewing spot that you’ll love to take home; the Pendleton by Sunbrella floor cushion.

Floor-Pillows covered in Pendleton by Sunbrella performance fabrics.

We can’t speak highly enough of the fabric and workmanship in these outdoor fabrics—they have a depth and dimensionality that amazes us.

8. Pendleton Blankets: Camp Blankets and Serapes

Pendleton’s Camp Blankets were developed for actual cowboys, who needed a sturdy, practical bedroll on the range.

Camp_blankets on beds in a rustic room.

Our Serapes also make awesome camping blankets, thanks to their unnapped finish, which is smooth enough to stay free of campsite detritus.

Serape-blankets on beds in a beachy room.

So take your choice! These are excellent bedroll blankets, and are also great for wrapping around your shoulders as you sit around the campfire at night, watching stars and making memories.

9. Socks for your Tootsies

It’s cold in the tent overnight! Snuggle into some Pendleton socks.

A campfire, over which marshmallows are being toasted, and six people's feet wearing Pendleton socks.

These beauties are National Park themed cotton blend, and we have so many more to choose from. Your toes will thank you.

10. Campfire Coffee

We know you’ll spend the balance of Monday celebrating, sharing your photos on Instagram (if you can get a signal!) and meeting other eclipse-watchers who are camped near you. Tuesday morning will come all too soon.

Brandon_Tormanen_NatlParks_MUG

Brandon Tormanan @b.tormanen

When it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee, use one of our Oversized Pendleton Mugs. They are durable and beautiful, with lots of patterns to choose from.

And remember: WEAR YOUR ECLIPSE GLASSES.

Thanks to our brand ambassadors for their photos. You can see more of their work on Instagram:

Arnelle Lozada  @arnelle

Garin Wood  @garinwood   @ultmo

Brandon Tormanan   @b.tormanen