Eugen Übelhör: high-quality embroidery linen made in Austria

On Saturday, I re-visited the Eugen Übelhör weaving mill in Höchst, Austria. We all know Zweigart and, probably, Weddingen, two mills in Germany. However, the small family-run business Eugen Übelhör is far less well-known. And that’s a shame! If you haven’t heard of them, you are missing out on high-quality embroidery fabrics that, in my opinion, are much nicer than Zweigart. The Übelhör fabrics are in the same league as the Italian linens produced by Sotema and Graziano. Best of all, you can order directly from them as they ship worldwide. Let me show you what I got!

I always ask for the finest even-weave linen they have. For Eugen Übelhör, that’s 40 ct fine linen. And I am a sucker for that natural coloured stuff. So, I bought two metres of the gorgeous, fine, natural-coloured linen you see in the picture above (imagine silk shading a botanical drawing on this stuff!). The colour is a warm brownish hue rather than the usual grey. Martin Übelhör explained to us that the colour differs slightly from harvest to harvest. The fabric itself is a bit more lightweight than the Zweigart equivalent. And it has no slubs at all – the hallmark of a good quality linen.

Their fine linen has been prewashed and is easy-care. It is 183 cm wide, and a metre sells at €32,10. As you can see, buying directly from the manufacturer ensures a good deal.

The other piece of embroidery fabric in the above picture is their Kongreß cloth. Yup, that’s the literal translation of Congress cloth. I am very curious about this 100% cotton fabric. As far as I know, I have never come across it before. You can download a PDF from their website to see all the available counts and colours for all the fabrics they weave. For my 32 ct 100 x 183 cm piece, I paid €29,80.

And then there are the beautiful dishcloths made of a linen-cotton blend. Their colours and patterns are so beautiful. We actually saw the Jacquard looms in action that weave these particular patterns.

Apart from fine embroidery linen, Congress cloth and Aida (called Ayda), Eugen Übelhör also weaves a slightly chunkier, more rustic embroidery linen. They call it “Stickleinen” (embroidery linen). I particularly love this type of linen for cross-stitch embroidery on household items. Above is a picture of my Avlea tablerunner project stitched on 30 ct Stickleinen. It comes close to antique “Bauernleinen” that can sometimes still be found here in Bavaria. It is what farmers used to weave for their trousseau.

As said, you can order directly from Eugen Übelhör, and they ship worldwide. Just download the PDF from their website and ask for a quote (email and phone number are at the bottom of the page). Their physical shop is open from Monday to Saturday. If you are planning a visit, give them a call to arrange a tour of the weaving mill as well. Learning how our beloved embroidery fabrics are made was a treat and an eye-opener!