Tweed Fabric

Tweed is a rough-surfaced woven cloth, usually made with a twill or plain weave and known for its flecks of colour and classic patterns. It has a long association with country and tailored clothing because it's warm, durable and ages well. Today the word covers a family of fabrics rather than a single fibre, which is worth understanding before you buy.

Tweed isn't always pure wool

Traditional tweed is woven from wool, and our range includes genuine British wool tweeds and Italian Linton tweeds, the kind of quality cloth used in fine tailoring. Alongside these you'll find wool-blend boucle and coating tweeds for softer, more textured makes, and cotton and mixed-fibre tweed-look fabrics that give the appearance of tweed at a lower price and with easier care. None is better or worse, they simply suit different projects, so check the fibre content on each product page.

Common tweed patterns

• Herringbone: a V-shaped zig-zag weave, a classic for jackets and coats.
• Houndstooth: a broken check in two colours, smart and timeless.
• Check and plaid: woven colour checks, from subtle to bold.
• Boucle: a looped, nubbly texture often used for soft jackets and cardigans.

Sewing with tweed

Tweed is stable and forgiving to sew, but looser weaves can fray, so finish your seam edges and consider lining structured pieces. Press with steam and a pressing cloth to protect the surface, and choose interfacing to support collars and front edges on jackets. Wool tweeds are usually best dry-cleaned, while many cotton and blended tweeds can be washed, so always follow the care guidance on the individual product page.