SIGNATURE FABRIC

Our signature fabric is a soft, supple 100 % cotton fabric that is machine washable and dryable and is preshrunk before being made into garments or home accessories. Both plain and nubby yarns are used to create a pleasing texture and usually the fabric is a solid color.

COTTON SEED TO FABRIC

Most of the pieces in our collection are hand-woven of cotton. The total process in the finished piece starts long before we ever see a cone of yarn. It begins in the cotton fields of the south. As the cotton seed matures it is picked, ginned to remove seed pods and dirt, washed and combed into masses of fibers. These fibers are spun into many styles and weights of yarn in spinning plants throughout the United States.

The uncolored spun yarn then goes from the spinner to the dyer. Marge chooses the weight of yarn and specifies the color it is to be dyed. The yarn is wound onto huge cones, dyed in large industrial steamers, rewound on to smaller cones and shipped to the studio.

Now the fun begins. Marge wraps onto a sample card a color sequence of yarns for her chosen fabric design. Satisfied with her color selections she writes out a work sheet for David giving the number of threads needed in the warp, the length in yards, and the color sequence as it will appear on the loom. Threading and weaving instructions are also given at this time.

DRESSING THE LOOM

David winds the yarn onto smaller spools before transferring them to the loom. The loom is "dressed" by sections and he uses as many spools as threads in one section. Enough yarn for the entire "warp" is wound onto the spools. Most of the warps have between 500 and 600 threads and are one hundred yards in length.

Once the warp is in place it is time to thread the loom. David first draws it through the eyes of the heddies which determine the weave of the warp. A second threading is through the reed to keep the yarns spaced evenly across the loom. The final step is to tie the threads to the cloth beam of the loom. The time required in setting up the loom from beginning to end is fifteen hours. Then it takes one hundred hours to weave the fabric.

David follows the weaving instructions as to texture of fabric and colors for the crosswise threads or "weft". For yardage, he weaves off the warp into 25 yards rolls. It takes one hundred hours to weave one hundred yards. If he is weaving cocoons, flings or scarves, he measures each piece to a specified length putting in cardboard dividers between each piece so that the ends can be finished in fringe. The fabric looks like cheesecloth after Davis finishes the weaving. He cuts the web (fabric) from the loom for Marge to finish in the fabric you see in the Marge Rohrer Collection. She cuts each 25 yard roll into two lengths, repairs any broken threads and clips the dangling weft ends. Now the web is put through a finishing process that pre-shrinks the fabric and gives it a "hand" that is soft and supple to the touch and so comfortable to wear. Now the fabric is machine washable and dryable and will not shrink.

FABRIC TO WEARABLES

Marge has been designing the styles for her Collection while David has been weaving. Once the design decisions are made she cuts the patterns for each in sizes extra small, small, medium, large and extra large. Design, pattern and fabric is then sent to the sewing team to create the classicaly-styled separates.

Customers enjoy wearing our classical separates of beautiful fabrics. They appreciate the comfort of the easy lines and the texture of the fabric. Those who travel, at home or abroad, often choose pieces of our collection as a quick change of accessories will create an ensemble that is wearable from morning through evening.

COLORS

Natural, Black, and Oatmeal (a mixture of taupe and natural) are the basic colors of the Marge Rohrer Collection. The fashion colors for 2004 are Wine, Royal Purple, Shocking Pink, Bright Aqua and Christmas Red for the signature cotton fabrics. The accessories are often woven of many different colors and texture "as the mood strikes". Swatches or descriptions are available upon request. We will happily E-mail, snail mail or fax swatches or color wrappings so that you may see what is available. As we often use many different yarns and colors in each accessory yardage, it is often best to order the accessory pieces by general description. Color ways include red, blue, yellow, orange, purple, white and black in tones of (pastel), (medium bright or dull) or (dark/rich bright or dull)