MeterwareWeberei, Vorarlberg

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.

A wide industrial loom mid-weave with warp threads stretched under even light
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. 1104ZwirnköperCotton 100 %340 g/m²150 cm€28 / m
  2. 1140PanamabindungLinen 60, cotton 40260 g/m²150 cm€34 / m
  3. 2011Halbleinen grobLinen 55, cotton 45420 g/m²140 cm€41 / m
  4. 2208Feinköper indigoCotton 100 %310 g/m²150 cm€38 / m
  5. 3017WollflanellWool 100 %480 g/m²145 cm€62 / m
  6. 3140DoppelgewebeWool 70, cotton 30520 g/m²145 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.

A warping creel filled with cones of indigo and undyed yarn
Creel, 384 ends. Set up takes longer than the weaving.
Rolls of woven cloth stacked on end in a mill store
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.

An open swatch book of woven cloth samples on a plain table
The book. Posted free anywhere, once, to anyone who asks.

Ordering

Mill
Achstrasse 8
6870 Bezau, Vorarlberg
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. MendingBy hand, on a frame2 h per 30 mFaults marked and repaired
  2. ScourWarm, mild40 minRemoves size and oil
  3. FullMechanical, wool only20 to 90 minDensity and handle
  4. DryFrame, no tension12 hStable width
  5. PressSteam, one pass15 minSurface only
  6. MeasureTwice, by two peoplen/aPrinted 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.