Earlier this month I paid a visit to the famous Zweigart factory in Sindelfingen, Germany. For many stitchers, the name Zweigart is synonymous to high quality embroidery materials. It certainly has been one of the first materials that I was exposed to when I started stitching – and I am very pleased to be stocking their beautiful materials!
I was warmly welcomed to the factory by Bastian Wollmann, who gave me an in-depth tour, showing me the complete process from product development, first trials, to sourced materials, weaving, dyeing, product control, and finally, shipping the materials all over the world.
The factory has a long history with the area – originally the first mill opened in nearby Stuttgart, but the company has been located in Sindelfingen for over a century now. It was just wonderful to see how the teams work on product development, coming up with new fabric designs and colours.
At several stages in the factory I kept seeing this beautiful mustard linen, which I hadn’t seen before. Bastian told me that it is a brand-new colour – so as soon as I figured that out I just had to take a couple of metres back with me. If I had more space in my suitcases I would have taken a lot more with me, but that will have to wait until the next order!
I was especially keen to see the looms produce the linen. Zweigart uses two main types of looms – the Jaquard and the traditional looms. The latter are used to produce the evenweave linens. What amazed me most about the production process was the constant quality control at any point of the production. From the moment the first threads go onto the looms, to the weaving, to the dyeing, starching and stretching of the fabric – there is always an eye (human or computerised) that keeps a check on things.
And then the big rolls of linen are inspected for a final check, before pieces are cut and shipped off to all corners of the world. I always knew that Zweigart’s linens were top quality, but having seen the actual production process with my own eyes, I’ve gotten even more respect and admiration for this wonderful brand.
At the end of the tour I paid a visit to the small museum at the Zweigart factory, which houses a wonderful collection of antique looms and weaving tools. To my surprise I found a 19th century loom that had been produced very close to my current home in York!
If you would like any Zweigart linens in different weaves or colours than what you see in my shop, just let me know and I can always order this for you. I have access to the full catalogue of products they do – so if you have a question, don’t hesitate to get in touch, and I can see how quickly I can get it for you!
I would like to thank both Nadja and Bastian at Zweigart for making this visit possible, and for their warm welcome, hospitality and generosity. Thank you!
– Jacob
