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Tweed fabric guide

Tweed Vest Design with AI

For a tweed vest, most mills quote wool tweed at 350 to 500 g/m²: a classic pairing.

It is the heaviest of the 12 cloths this guide lists for this cut, ahead of scuba knit.

Next to scuba knit, it is heavier, more matte and less stretchy.

Vest in wool tweed, on a model in a studio
Rendered in the studio for this page

Tweed Vest at a glance

Cloth to ask your mill for
Wool tweed
Typical weight
350 to 500 g/m²
Drape
Structured, holds its own shape
Stretch
Slight
Breathability
Medium
Warmth
Warm
Care
Dry clean
How common
A classic pairing
Typical cloth price
$20-60/yard

Typical trade ranges, not one mill's figures: confirm them with your mill.

The vest, in numbers

Typical length
55 to 65 cm, from the high point of the shoulder
Defining details
V neck, welt pockets, adjustable back or quilted body
Cloth needed
about 0.8 to 1.2 m of 150 cm cloth, roughly $17 to $79 of cloth at typical prices

Typical figures for an adult size M. The pattern tier is set from the real piece count when you order.

How tweed behaves on a vest

In a vest it holds a strong shoulder and a straight front almost without help from the canvas.

Cut short, a structured cloth stands away from the body and gives a graphic, boxy shape.

It wears warm, which places it in autumn and winter collections.

The finished piece is usually labelled dry clean only.

It is very hard-wearing and sheds light rain, but heavy tweed is bulky at the seams and stiff at first.

About tweed

Tweed is a rough, warm woollen cloth woven from yarns dyed before weaving, which gives it its flecks and its checks. It was made for the outdoors and remains one of the most durable cloths.

Harris Tweed is hand-woven in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and carries its own certification mark; most other tweeds come from Scotland, England, Ireland and Italy.

Tweed jackets, coats and skirts are lined in viscose or cupro, for comfort and so the cloth does not catch.

Cutting, sewing and color

A 90/14 needle; match the check or the stripe at every seam, and tape the edges so they do not stretch.

Its color comes from yarns dyed before weaving, so the flecks are part of the cloth, not printed on it.

Its surface is matte, so it photographs evenly under flat light.

A description to start from

A vest in wool tweed, 350 to 500 g/m², with a structured drape and a matte surface, for autumn and winter.

If tweed is not quite right

Also: how the studio works, prices and questions and answers.

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