The main emphasis of Thomas Ferguson's production is as a weaver of high quality Jacquard and plain fabrics, mainly in linen, up to c. 320 cm wide.
Like all smaller companies, whilst we cannot always compete with the mass market, and low-cost countries, simply on price. We can through design, quality, flexibility, order size, and speed to market bring more diversity and choice to our customers.
Within commercial boundaries Thomas Ferguson's aim is to be a flexible weaver that endeavours to give our customers the fabrics they want, with feedback to their own designs. Also, realistic quantities to initially try out the market.
Thomas Ferguson can supply fabrics for a range of end uses. Most of our fabrics are linen or linen blends.We are able to keep minimum orders sizes, for stock items, to 5 metre, and our minimum custom dye run of 150 metres (250m for wide widths). We can also supply larger orders up to thousands of metres.
Our minimum weaving order for specialist fabrics is 30 metres. However, on a one-off basis we will weave down to 10 metres for a sample order. However, larger quantities are more competitively priced as there is more meterage over which to spread design, overhead and transaction costs.
Some examples of Thomas Ferguson fabric uses are below:
- Bed linen (fabrics up to 3 metres+ wide, optical white and ecru as standard).
Thomas Ferguson bed linen technical details are as follows:
- Superior Range (Ref.No.12): 22 ends/cm (44 linen lea NeL) x 22 picks/cm (44 linen lea NeL)
- Premier Range (Ref. No.13): 29.5 ends/cm (55 linen lea NeL) x 26.3 picks/cm (66 linen lea NeL)
- Premier Deluxe Range (Ref. No.16): 30 ends/cm (74 linen lea NeL) x 28 picks/cm (74 linen lea NeL)
- Table linen (plain and Jacquard up to c. 3 metres wide without a centre or side seam). For the home, hotel, restaurant, etc.
- Fabrics for printing on.
- Fabrics for fashion and apparel.
- Huckaback towelling fabric.
- Fabrics for ecclesiastical linens.
- Handkerchief linen
- linen tea towels, glass cloths.
- Various other home interior fabrics.
- Custom baby wrap fabric.
- Customers own designs and custom weaving.
Weaving
Thomas Ferguson's core business is as a Jacquard and plain fabric weaver.
Ferguson's can weave Jacquard fabrics up to 3 metres wide (finished), and plain fabrics just over 3 metres wide (finished).
Ferguson's supply greige fabric either straight off the loom, or we can bleach, dye and finish, Sanforize, or give it a washed pre-shrunk and softened finish.
The standard warp used is 100% linen (from flax). However, cotton warps can be used if the minimum order is over 1000 metres.
For weft, linen is the main yarn used, however cotton, wool, alpaca, and various other fibres can, and have been, be used on request.
The Company specialises in undertaking commission orders and providing bespoke services which involves weaving linen, tailored specifically to meet individual customer requirements. We can brand or personalise nearly all our products. This may involve in-woven cresting, an embroidered logo, company name woven into a tea towel, a coat of arms on a guest towel, your own design or a special size. Our skilled design team use extremely advanced technology, which is perfectly set up to handle short runs e.g. one crested tablecloth or a set of specifically designed napkins.
Cutting,Stitching, and Embroidery
Although this is not our core business. At Thomas Ferguson we have our own small stitching and embroidery departments, and can offer a range of hems and stitching options. Everything from plain, hem-stitched and corded hems; to wider tablecloths made by joining narrower widths by flat felled seams.
Thomas Ferguson will make up one-offs for customers provided the order value for each item is over £150.00 (one or a number of similar items).
If you cannot wait for an inwoven crest, logo or monogram we can embroider what you need on a standard item from our range.
Dyeing
The main fabric widths Thomas Ferguson carry have a finished width of c.150cm and c.183cm. In these two widths we can supply special dye batches down to a about 150 metres in length.
In the wider widths, above 183cm, up to c. 3 metres wide the minimum dye batch is 250 metres.
For a special dye batch the lead time is about 6 to 9 weeks. It takes time to match your colour and get the customers approval of the colour from a dyed swatch.
Ferguson's Standard White
Traditionally Thomas Ferguson damask linen has been ivory-white. This is its unique shade, and showed the linen had not been over processed.
Ferguson white has been traditionally ivory-white, and this is what Thomas Ferguson referred to as white.
Plain linen is in the range and due to demand from some sectors of the market a bright optical white is an addition to the collection. This better suited bed linen, and some other items. However, now it is also used for table linen as well.
Generally speaking if you buy Ferguson table linen you will get ivory- white; if you buy bed linen you will get optical bright white. If you need different you must specify.
Washed Fabrics
Thomas Ferguson has its own laundry and can supply fabrics washed, pre-shrunk and softened.
For practical reasons washing is in 20-30 metre lengths.
"Thomas Ferguson linens are part Art, part Science, and a lot of Passion"