Frequently Asked Questions

Click desired question below to expand each section

General

What fibers do you currently use?

We work with in stock, custom & customer supplied/requested fibers to include :
Cotton, Wool, Industrial Hemp, Flax, MMCF & Recycled Materials.

Do you make finished products?

Yes! We do have capabilities in creating finished textile products, including seamless knit garments  - however, we do not currently have in house cut & sew production.

What services do you offer? 

We offer a range of services including market research & trend forecasting, product development, design consultation, production planning, on-site development sessions & tours/educational events.

Our capabilities include designing fine woven goods with state-of-the-art technology, from yarn scanning to deconstructing fabrics (via microscopic evaluation), prototyping fine woven goods, technical packaging & advanced knit constructions using domestically sourced, community building inputs.

Custom Fabrics & Services

What services do you offer in design & planning?

From planning, design & prototyping to production & even sales promotion, our training along with state-of-the-art technology realizes digitalization at the highest quality & speed for textiles, fashion apparel & various other items.  Taking advantage of virtual samples and digitalization of communication dramatically reduces product development lead times.  Product planning can be performed closer to the beginning of a season, optimizing accuracy in predicting trends & product demand.  Furthermore, sustainability is achieved by reducing the total volume of unsold products that go to waste in traditional manufacturing practices.

What yarn sizes do you work with?

Wovens : Average warp size range:
- 8/2 - 24/2 NE
Average weft size range:
- 5/1 - 24/1 NE
- 5/2 - 24/2 NE
Knits : Average size range: 
- 8/2-48/2 NE

How wide are the fabrics you weave?

We have a range of looms that accommodate a variety of widths.  Please reach out with your specific requests.

What woven patterns and weights can you produce?

Our looms are suitable for all types of patterned fabrics.  Signature fine woven fabrics include the timeless car curtain canvas, natural chambrays & double-slub selvedge denims. From 5oz to 16oz constructions, we can produce a variety of weights & stylized textures. Plain weave, 2/2 Twill, 3/1 Twill are some of our favorites.  We do not currently have jacquard capabilities.

What knit structures can you produce?

We can knit numerous silhouettes, stitches & structures but here is our list of strong recommendations.  Our current seamless knit favorite structures & patterns include the classics, from single & alternate jerseys, to a swath of rib choices (ie. 1X1, 2X1 & 2X2 ribs).  We can produce a range of children's, men's and women's silhouettes in seamless knit construction.

What are your minimum order quantities for wovens?

- Stock fibers have a 2-yard sampling minimum unless otherwise specified on the listing
- Wool: 300 yards (solid color warp)
- Cotton: 500 yards (solid color warp)
- Customers can create an order with multiple parties if the order is for the exact same fabric construction/dye/finishing process. Minimum 500 yards.

Are your fabrics pre washed?

Most of our woven fabrics are finished (washed, scoured, framed, sizing when applicable) prior to listing for sale.  Upon a client's request & in some production circumstances a fabric may remain unfinished.

What is the process for making a custom woven fabric with you?

1) When we accept a custom fabric order, we determine starting at spinning (we supply yarn) versus starting at the weaving (customer supplies yarn) phase with a customer.  If the customer doesn't have yarn to supply, we may support in communicating with the raw material provider or mill to meet our project specifications.

2) After the fiber is spun to the desired specs for the project, we send the yarns to be plied (all warps have a plied weft to withstand the abrasion of our looms).

3) After the fibers are plied there is the option to:
    - Have the yarn dyed
    - Weave a natural fabric

4) After the fibers have been plied & potentially dyed the yarn is brought to our mill here in Mather, CA to be woven on one of our looms.

5) Once the weaving is completed the fabric is sent to be finished (wash, scour & framed). This stage can also include:
    - Fabric dyeing
    - Fabric printing

6) Finished fabric is sent to the customer

What are your lead times?

Stock fabric has no lead time, but we often sell out of anything we stock quickly.  Make sure to sign up to our newsletter, or give us a call, if you would like be alerted ahead of time when a stock product may be available. 
-Sample knit development & production lead times - Quantity TBD on case by case basis based on production capacity. Swatch development (1 week), 1st Proto (2 weeks), 2nd+ Proto (1-2 weeks), Production (8 weeks - From start of bulk knitting).  All development lead time starts upon receipt of both sample yarn & final tech pack.  Dependent on complexity of requested revisions. All lead times contingent upon HTC's receipt of sample yarn, tech packs, purchase order, bulk yarn, trims, etc...
Custom woven fabrics have an average of 26 weeks (dependent on our third party supply chain partners, each step in the process has an average lead time of 4-6 weeks).

Shrinkage, Care Instructions, Testing and Color Matching 

-Approximately 3-6% additional shrinkage can occur over time.  

-Care instructions include machine wash in cold water and tumble dry without heat or air dry.  Never use bleach.  Bright or deep colors are subject to crocking and bleeding and should not be mixed with white or light colors in the same garmet.  No guarantees can be made regarding lightfastness or color transference during washing or cleaning.  

-Fabric should be tested for your specific requirements prior to cutting as no claims or returns are allowed on any material that has been cut, washed or otherwise processed.  We strongly encourage you to order an adequate amount of fabric to finish your project.  While we can color match larger orders, dye lots sometimes vary over time and an exact match may not be guaranteed if a follow up order is necessary in the future.  

Still have additional questions?
We'd love to provide you with answers! 

Contact Us

© Huston Textile Co 2022. All Rights Reserved.