We are currently weaving tweed fabric for an Aberdeenshire Estate which is well known for its first class driven game shooting and the beautiful setting of its mansion house and gardens.
Generally speaking, tweed is a woven, woollen, heavyweight fabric that takes inspiration from the Scottish landscape and scenery.
The word Tweed derives from the Scots word Tweel or twill, a type of weave common to the cloth. According to legend, the name “tweed” is the result of a copying error in the 19th century! A London cloth merchant misread the Scottish word tweel as tweed...
Thousands of different patterns exist and the possibilities are endless for new ones. Some of the main tweed patterns include: Glencheck, Herringbone, Houndstooth, and Overcheck. The Aberdeenshire Estate tweed that we are currently weaving follows a windowpane pattern on a herringbone ground.
The robust fabric is water and wind resistant, which makes it the standard wear in Scotland for shooting, fly-fishing and other country sport activities. As well as clothing, it is equally practical in the home as upholstery fabric.
Estate tweed started as a Scottish phenomenon in the 1840s, but has since spread to other countries across the world.