Our tweed fabrics are exclusively designed and woven in our Glendale workshop in 100% Pure Wool. We weave four different ranges of tweed: Medium weight, Heavy weight, Brushed and Fine. Scroll down for technical information about each. We’ve noted the range of tweed on each product page in the shop.
Our Medium and Heavy weight tweeds have a decated finish, which means they are pressed to create a flat fabric surface. Our Brushed tweeds are made with the same yarn as our Heavy weight tweeds, but have a more open finish with one side of the fabric brushed up. Our Fine tweeds are woven with soft wool from a Shetland-type sheep breed. They have a decated finish like our Medium and Heavy weight tweeds, but are not quite as hard wearing.
Please note that there is no consistently recognised standard for tweed weight designation, so our ‘Heavy’ and ‘Medium’ will not necessarily be the same as those with the same name from a different mill.
We weave our tweeds on double width pedal-powered looms similar to those used by many Harris Tweed weavers. The standard fabric width is approx 150cm – see each individual fabric for details.
All our tweeds are suitable for upholstery in a domestic setting, soft furnishings, curtains and clothing. We have had samples of each independently tested for durability using the internationally recognised Martindale abrasion rub test. Although our fabrics have not been formally fire tested you can be assured that wool is a naturally fire-retardant fabric with a far higher ignition threshold than many other fibres. You can find out more about this and other wool qualities on the Campaign for Wool’s website.
We regularly refresh our range with new designs, many of which are one-offs. We do try to keep some of our classic designs in production, but stock levels come and go so if there is a particular tweed you are interested in it’s best not to wait too long. You can buy our tweeds in lengths of 0.5 metres and above. To help you decide you can order a swatch sample of each fabric. Browse our current range of tweeds.
Want to know more about tweed? Have a look at our Make and Mend blog for some creative inspiration. And for a bit of tweed history check out Lamb to Loom: Skye’s Forgotten Weavers and also our Tweed Talk blog.
Technical information and usage
Medium weight tweeds
- Weight per linear metre (approx): 450g
- Weight per square metre (approx): 290gsm
- Finish: Decated (flat)
- Durability of representative sample: Suitable for ‘heavy domestic use’ (Martindale Test 25,000 cycles)
- Usage: We recommend for garments, curtains and soft furnishings. Also suitable for upholstery, though we would generally tend to recommend Heavy weight tweeds for this purpose.
Heavy weight tweeds
- Weight per linear metre (approx): 515g
- Weight per square metre (approx): 330gsm
- Finish: Decated (flat)
- Durability of representative sample: Suitable for ‘severe contract use’ (Martindale Test 50,000 cycles)
- Usage: Our most durable and popular tweed. This is a true multi-purpose fabric—perfect for garments, curtains, soft furnishings, and upholstery in both domestic and high-traffic environments.
Brushed tweeds
- Weight per linear metre (approx): 530g
- Weight per square metre (approx): 340gsm
- Finish: Brushed
- Durability of representative sample: Suitable for ‘general contract use’ (Martindale Test 30,000 cycles)
- Usage: Brushed tweed is hard-wearing, but note that the brushed finish will disappear over time if used in upholstery. Brushed tweed is particularly popular for soft furnishings and curtains, as the brushed fabric gives a ‘fuller’ effect than decated (flat) tweeds. With a softer finish than decated tweed it lends itself well to semi-casual clothing such as our gilets.
Fine tweeds
- Weight per linear metre (approx): 500g
- Weight per square metre (approx): 330gsm
- Finish: Decated (flat)
- Durability of representative sample: Suitable for ‘general domestic use’ (Martindale Test 20,000 cycles)
- Usage: We recommend for soft furnishings, curtains and garments. We would not recommend for upholstery, although the Martindale Test indicates suitable for domestic use. We have included these tweeds in our range because the Shetland-type yarn is available in brighter colours than traditional tweed yarn.
