Did You Know...

Did you know that today is National Tweed Day?

I kid you not, now there is some debate as to whether National Tweed Day celebrates a crooked New York political figure from the nineteenth century or if celebrates the fashionable wool fabric that originated from Scotland. You know that fashionable fabric that made the Chanel jacket an iconic staple of the fashionably chic.  

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I'm going with the fashionable warm wool fabric. Had I know earlier I would have worn my own tweed jacket. Not a Chanel (I wish!) nor does it look like a traditional hand-woven Scottish tweed, but made in a fabric labelled as a tweed none-the-less.  

Fabric source:  Mitchell Fabrics

Here are some interesting facts about tweed: 

✄  The name tweed came about when an 18th century cloth merchant mis-read "tweel" as tweed, the Scottish version of twill.  

✄  Harris tweed is the most famous brand of tweed and the only fabric to still be produced by hand.  

Harris Tweed 100% Wool
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✄  Coco Chanel when she first started making tweed jackets lined them in fur to increase their value.  

✄  In 2004, Nike brought the Harris tweed back to the spotlight when it ordered over 9 000 metres of the fabric.  

Nike Air Max 90 VT Tweed
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So there you have it my little tribute to tweed, the fabric. Happy National Tweed day! How about you, have you sewn with tweed?