Welcome to The Woolen Willow! We have been sewing and crafting since our very early childhood days.  From the earliest days by our mother's side, we have always had our hands in some form of the creative arts.  While helping out at a local quilt store in 1997, Jenifer was offered the opportunity to attend a rug hooking retreat...she JUMPED at the chance and quickly fell in love with rug hooking and all of the wonderful rug hookers she met along the way.  Upon her return to Williamstown, WV, she immediately began to design original patterns, dye her own wool and teach sold-out classes on a regular basis.  In 2000, Gretchen created the website and quickly took to the craft without hesitation, producing kits and teaching classes local to her home in San Antonio. 

Our original goal was to supply the rug hooking community with the finest wools, most original designs and the best customer service in the business. We still want to make sure that this hobby is affordable for everyone, while keeping the quality of our products second to none. Our products, however, have expanded to include the most beautiful and top-quality quilting fabrics and fine yarns. This expansion has given us a warm, creative environment that will leave you inspired and motivated for your projects...maybe even tempting you with something new!

We are a family business. Our retail store has been open since June '04.  Our parents are involved, building our wood lap frames and accessories, drawing patterns, cutting wool, teaching classes and whatever else we need! Our sister, Judy Williamson, offers framed watercolors (both originals and prints) and teaches our Wool Rug Braiding classes. We've even roped her into quilting! Our sister, Sally Cox, ships handmade soaps, lotions and handmade candies from her home in Charlotte, NC. Gretchen's husband, Tony, helps with our marketing efforts and Jenifer's husband, Glen, is our resident fix-it and build-it expert! Don't forget our brother, George...he's our #1 sampler in "gourmet coffee quality control"!

We offer a very competitive wholesale program, putting our kits in many stores across the country.

Won't you join our growing list of satisfied customers? Since we began this terrific venture, we have been so fortunate to meet some of the nicest rug hooking, quilting and knitting enthusiasts all over the country. If you have a chance to visit us at our beautiful store in Williamstown, WV, we are sure that you will quickly see that our friendly, family-oriented company is the best. We'll take good care of you!