Harris Tweed
Copied from the Harris Tweed Authority
website
Harris Tweed
has been described as "the Champagne of fabrics" and is the only
fabric in the world governed by its own Act of Parliament
that underpins the unique status of Harris Tweed and decrees that
genuine Harris Tweed must be made from pure virgin wool which has
been dyed and spun on the islands and handwoven at the home of the
weaver in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
The Cloth ~ Woven with love and
care
The rare character and beauty of Harris Tweed is attributable to
the fact that is the only fabric produced in commercial quantities
by truly traditional methods anywhere in the world. Hundreds of
distinctive patterns developed over the centuries, each unique but
unmistakably Harris Tweed with its characteristic subtle designs in
complex natural shades.
Unusually our wool is dyed before being spun, allowing us to blend
a multitude of colours into our yarn. With each thread containing a
myriad of different colours a cloth of great depth and complexity
is produced. Just look closely to reveal the true nature of your
Harris Tweed.
There are also an extensive catalogue of designs to delve into
from an array of Plain Twills and traditional Herringbones to more
complex Plaids and all combinations thereof. Harris Tweed is also
adventurous enough to be woven into contemporary and unconventional
patterns and we continue to explore possibilities with clients with
each new season.
Soft, tactile, breathable, warm, colourful, sustainable,
adaptable...the old image of coarse, scratchy, dour tweed simply
does not exist these days. While still retaining its heritage of
practicality and longevity, the Harris Tweed of today extols all
the qualities and virtues of a truly luxury 21st century
fabric.
The People
At the heart of the Harris Tweed industry lies the relationship
between the weavers 
and the mills. Neither can survive
without the other and their shared history truly tells the story of
the cloth.
The Harris Tweed weaver is a true artisan, the master of his loom
in the same way a musician relates to his instrument. Each loom
will have its own sound, quirks and idiosyncrasies and only the
weaver will know how to get the best from it. It may take a weaver
hours to ready his loom for weaving a new cloth and once weaving
may create four meters of crafted tweed an hour once underway,
watching constantly for flaws as they go.
However the weaver is only part of the story, without the skill of
the millworkers there would be no yarn to weave. Dozens of
specialised jobs take place in the mill sheds, each learned only
after years of training. There are professional wool dyers and
blenders, yarn spinners and warpers, cloth finishers and stampers
and many more roles in between.
From croft to catwalk the men and women of the islands take great
pride in their work, the results of which can be seen in every
piece of Harris Tweed that leaves their shores.
From shearing to stamping
The Harris Tweed story begins with pure virgin wools which are
blended together to gain the advantages of their unique qualities
and characteristics. Although most of the wool is grown principally
on the Scottish mainland, in the early summer the island
communities join together to round up and shear the local sheep
which are dotted throughout the landscape.
Washing & Dying:
Once sheared the wool is taken to the factories of the main tweed
producers where it is washed and then dyed.
Blending & Carding:
The coloured and white
wools are weighed in predetermined proportions and then thoroughly
blended to exact recipes to obtain the perfect hue. It is then
carded between mechanical, toothed rollers which tease and mix the
fibers thoroughly before it is separated into a fragile, embryonic
yarn.
Spinning:
This soft yarn then has a twist imparted to it as it is spun to
give it maximum strength for weaving. The spun yarn is wound onto
bobbins to provide the ingredients of weft (left to right threads)
and warp (vertical threads).
Warping:
This vitally important process sees thousands of warp threads
gathered in long hanks in very specific order and wound onto large
beams ready to be delivered, together with yarn for the weft, to
the weavers.
Weaving:
All Harris Tweed is hand woven on a treadle loom at each weaver's
home. The weaver will arrange hundreds of "heddles" to a specified
pattern before the beam of warp yarn is "tied in" to the loom by
hand. The weaver will then set up the weft threads, pulling bobbins
of yarn through a series of guides to be woven into the warp
threads by a flashing "rapier". Once ready the weaver begins to
weave, always observing, correcting, mending and amending their
creation until complete.
Finishing:
The tweed returns to the mill in its 'greasy state' and here it
passes through the 
nimble hands of experienced and
sharp-eyed darners who correct even the smallest of flaws. Once
ready the cloth is finished. Dirt, oil and other impurities are
removed by washing and beating in soda and soapy water before it is
dried, steamed, pressed and cropped to a perfect, flawless
condition.
Stamping:
The final process is the examination by the independent Harris
Tweed Authority, before application of the famous "Orb" trademark
which is ironed on to the fabric as the ultimate seal of
approval.