Quality Commitment

What To Look For in A High Quality Hand Woven Garment

There are many options when it comes to purchasing a hand woven garment, but not all woven material is of the same quality. Short-cuts taken on the loom or during the finishing process can greatly affect the quality and durability of the piece! Since no part of our manufacturing is outsourced to far away countries (or even cities!) we are able to produce high quality hand woven garments that will not only look and feel beautiful, but will stay looking that way for a long time. 

Selvedge

The selvedge is the most important part of hand woven fabric. It is here where the skill of the weaver is shown! While during the finishing process skipped threads and knots may be repaired… once the fabric is woven, the selvedge is un-repairable. Bumps, un-even beats and inconsistent tension will all show here. Any inexperience in the weaver will be instantly noticeable. Erizo is proud to have 22 years of combined weaving experience, in addition to utilizing hand operated flying shuttles so that our selvedges are even, consistent and show the care and commitment we have to high standards. 

Knot Repairs

Knots happen! It’s thread, and cones come with them from the thread manufacturer.  Sometimes a warp thread breaks on the loom, and when the weaver is done cursing under their breath, they fix it with a knot or two! Some other companies may just leave these knots in the finished fabric hoping that the knot won’t ever come undone or be that noticeable  We at erizo don’t believe in hoping for things to hold together! We fix all knots not only so that there is no chance of them coming apart, but also so that there is a better feeling and more even looking fabric after it has been repaired. 

Skips! 

Skipped threads occur when one of the warp threads doesn’t move properly and the weft thread literally skips over it in the shuttle. This can occur for several reasons, and is just part of the hand made nature of the fabric. However, too many skip repairs will be noticeable, while any missed repairs could be snagged and create a hole in the piece. This hole could then fray and greatly reduce the lifespan of the garment. Here at Erizo we repair every skipped thread and average less then 5 skips per 100m!