By Rich Larson
As Netflix prepares to debut its new Little House on the Prairie reboot, some of the fabrics used to create the show’s period costumes came from an unlikely source: a small specialty fabric business in downtown Northfield.
Margo Krager, owner of Reproduction Fabrics, supplied fabric for the production after costume designers discovered her extensive inventory of historically accurate reproduction textiles. The connection has already led to additional orders as the series moves into a second season.
“They were cleaning off my bolts, taking everything I had,” Krager said during a recent appearance on KYMN Radio. “It was the biggest single-day sale of my, at that time, 44 years.”
Krager, who has spent 45 years in the fabric business, specializes in reproduction fabrics dating from the early 1700s through the mid-20th century. From her Northfield studio, she serves costume designers, theaters, filmmakers, reenactors and quilters around the world.
The Little House production contacted her on a Friday with an urgent request. The series was filming in Canada and needed large quantities of fabric delivered within days so costume crews could begin sewing garments. Krager, assisted by her son-in-law, quickly updated inventory counts, prepared customs paperwork and shipped the order.
The fast turnaround impressed the production team. When work began on Season 2, costume designers returned to Krager for additional fabrics matching the show’s 1871 setting.
For the second round, designers provided a color palette and historical vision for the costumes. Krager reviewed inventory from her Civil War-era and late-19th-century collections, assembled sample packets and shipped them for selection.
Her path to Hollywood began decades ago in Bozeman, Montana, when costume staff working on the film A River Runs Through It discovered her store. Word-of-mouth recommendations within the costume-design community led to additional film and television projects.
A former medical technologist who worked in hospital laboratories and cancer research, Krager credits her grandmother for inspiring her love of sewing. She opened her first fabric store in Newcastle, Wyoming, in 1981 and later relocated to Northfield to be closer to family.
Today, her niche expertise in historic textiles continues to attract customers ranging from reenactors to major television productions—including one of America’s most beloved frontier stories.
Rich Larson is the owner and General manager of KYMN Radio. COntact him at rich@kymnradio.net
