Weberei seit 1908 / Bregenzerwald

# Cloth by the metre,
and one metre
is a real order.

Forty-one qualities, yarn-dyed in the house, woven on looms a hundred and fifty centimetres wide because that is the reed.

Loom 4, article 2208. Eleven metres an hour, on a good day.

1908
  Weaving since
41
  Qualities in the book
150 cm
  Loom width
1 m
  Minimum order

## Six from the book

1. Art.Quality Composition Weight Width Price
2. 1104 Zwirnköper Cotton 100 %340 g/m² 150 cm€28 / m
3. 1140 Panamabindung Linen 60, cotton 40 260 g/m² 150 cm€34 / m
4. 2011 Halbleinen grob Linen 55, cotton 45 420 g/m² 140 cm€41 / m
5. 2208 Feinköper indigo Cotton 100 %310 g/m² 150 cm€38 / m
6. 3017 Wollflanell Wool 100 %480 g/m² 145 cm€62 / m
7. 3140 Doppelgewebe Wool 70, cotton 30 520 g/m² 145 cm€71 / m

## Four house rules

1. 01

   ### We dye before we weave

   Yarn-dyed, not piece-dyed. It costs more, it fades in a way people like, and it is why our indigo goes grey rather than patchy.

2. 02

   ### One metre is a real order

   The minimum is one metre and always has been. A cutting length is not a nuisance; it is how people find out whether they want forty.

3. 03

   ### Forty-one qualities, no seasons

   The book does not change in spring. Articles are retired only when a yarn stops being made, and we announce it a year ahead.

4. 04

   ### The loom is the limit

   One hundred and fifty centimetres, because that is the reed. Anything wider is somebody else’s mill and we will tell you which.

Creel, 384 ends. Set up takes longer than the weaving.
The store. Nothing here is dyed after weaving.

## The mill

Six looms, two warping frames, one indigo vat and eleven people, three of whom are the grandchildren of people who worked the same floor.

The building is on the Bregenzerach because the water used to turn the wheel. It now cools the dye house, which is a less romantic job and a more useful one.

We sell direct and to about sixty makers. There is no wholesale price and no retail price. There is a price, and it is on the list above.

The book. Posted free anywhere, once, to anyone who asks.

## Ordering

Mill
  Achstrasse 8
  6870 Bezau, Vorarlberg
Write
  weberei@meterware.example
Swatch book
  Free, once per address. Ask by post or by mail.
Lead time
  From stock, three days. Woven to order, five weeks.

## Three decisions before the loom

By the time the shuttle moves, the cloth has already been decided.

01

### The yarn

Count, twist and origin. A high-twist cotton and a low-twist cotton at the same weight make two completely different cloths.

02

### The dye

Yarn dyed, in the house, before warping. It costs more and it is the only way to get an indigo that goes grey rather than patchy.

03

### The sett

Ends per centimetre. Too open and it grins; too close and it boards. This is the number that takes the longest to get right.

## Finishing

What happens after the loom. Every article is finished the same way every time, which is why repeat orders match.

1. Step Method Duration Effect
2. Mending By hand, on a frame 2 h per 30 m Faults marked and repaired
3. Scour Warm, mild 40 min Removes size and oil
4. Full Mechanical, wool only 20 to 90 min Density and handle
5. Dry Frame, no tension 12 h Stable width
6. Press Steam, one pass 15 min Surface only
7. Measure Twice, by two people n/a Printed on the ticket

## Ordering questions

Will the next roll match?
  Within a batch, yes. Across batches there is a shade difference we will show you before shipping. Order the whole quantity at once if it matters.
Do you sell to the trade?
  There is no trade price and no retail price. There is a price, and it is the one on the list.
Can you weave my design?
  Above four hundred metres, yes, on 150 cm. Below that it is our book or another mill, and we will tell you which mill.
Will it shrink?
  Everything is finished before sale, so about one per cent. Wash the sample we send you before you cut forty metres.