Harris Tweed; fascinating (well, to me ) prog about manufacturing, lost skills etc.

fc123

carolt wrote: »

Guess what!!!

My OH just read out from the paper "Guess what, tweed's back in".

How prescient is this thread! At the forefront of fashion as always, fc.... :T

Courtesy of tonight's London freebie, The London Lite:

"Tweed's Back In Town

A classic style gets a modern twist.." You heard it here first, guys...

Funny you should say that as I was chatting it over with OH....in the context of using it as a panel /insert into a garment.

For us at our price points and on our part of the market, it would have to be a small part of the garment....but you could enhance the colours in it with a block colour alongside it.

I don;'t know if one is allowed to use the HT label if only part used in a garment...that would take a bit of research. I might give it a go....'phone the nice promo lady in Harris.

There is a whole ''Heritage look' going on this season but 99% of it is churned out of China...
real fairisle knits are timeconsuming and costly....my oldest friend knits Shetland wool into all sorts of fairisle items and sells them from her little shop in Dorset.


Talking of trad industries...painful today. I did something using a sequin trim and they sold out nearly in a day....so...urgent to get some more and turn another batch around whilst popular.

I found place in Bradford online and made an order..fantastic, 24 hr delivery etc.
Said would 'phone to take card payment as don't do it online (?)
Got back an e-mail saying IF items in stock, they would then 'phone me for payment. They didn't afer 48 hrs so I called them.

It was a painful coversation that went very very slowly along the lines of....

Hallo, I made an internet order and would like to pay? Are my items in stock?
*Waited 10 mins whilst she tried to find order.*

No luv, the black and silver 25mm are out of stock. Also the 20mm. Also the shoulder pads.

Aah...OK...When will they be in stock?

Dunno Luv.

OK..umm why are they online if they aren't in stock?

Dunno Luv.... *then got a bit defensive*....we don;'t always have everything in stock y'know....just sometimes.

OK. Thankyou.

'Phone tomorrow, maybe they will arrive..maybe not..

Oh OK.

It was like stepping back in time.

Meanwhile, I ordered some fabric samples from Hong Kong, 4 days later arrrived with the funniest catalogue I have ever read...full of jokes for some reason....could be Mewbies real job?? Back up e-mail saying all samples in stock etc etc.

lostinrates

fc123 wrote: »

Funny you should say that as I was chatting it over with OH....in the context of using it as a panel /insert into a garment.
.

You know your jabot number?...In tweed it would remind me of my rooster (that is a compliment, although I realise some might not read it as such).

carolt

lostinrates wrote: »

does your OH read the forum too, or do you relay him information? ( mine doesn't read here often. )

No, doesn't read it usually but I do relay stuff - we discussed this thread, re the tweed and he is long-sufferingly aware of my partiality for Noel Fielding too (well, could hardly fail to be, given I drooled alongside him all evening the other night; it's my turn to be patient when Helena Bonham-Carter's on the telly ).

carolt

fc123 wrote: »

Funny you should say that as I was chatting it over with OH....in the context of using it as a panel /insert into a garment.

For us at our price points and on our part of the market, it would have to be a small part of the garment....but you could enhance the colours in it with a block colour alongside it.

I don;'t know if one is allowed to use the HT label if only part used in a garment...that would take a bit of research. I might give it a go....'phone the nice promo lady in Harris.

There is a whole ''Heritage look' going on this season but 99% of it is churned out of China...
real fairisle knits are timeconsuming and costly....my oldest friend knits Shetland wool into all sorts of fairisle items and sells them from her little shop in Dorset.

You're very clever, fc.

Your posts are a fascinating eye-opener, an insight into a whole industry. Fabulously real and creative.

fc123

lostinrates wrote: »

You know your jabot number?...In tweed it would remind me of my rooster (that is a compliment, although I realise some might not read it as such).

I was thinking stretch pencil skirt with centre front panel in tweed and narrow vertical scoop out at back hem (so looks like it is split but isn't....kind of trashy but not). Have been doing some velvet ones like it and selling OK.

Difficult to explain but all the new work we are selling isn't online at the mo....all in Real Life instead....we are managing what goes online in a different way at the mo too........hard to explain on here why.

fc123

carolt wrote: »

You're very clever, fc.

Your posts are a fascinating eye-opener, an insight into a whole industry. Fabulously real and creative.

Naaah, not really CT but sweet of you to say so.;) It's a bit of a godforsaken industry..what's left of it in UK anyway.....and can be quite painful sometimes.
I don't know if you watched the show, but Mr Haggas from Yorkshire is quite typical of what dominates the sector at every level.

I had a poignant moment in the factory we use last October.
I joined the production line for a couple of days to get a delivery out on time...as we would have been totally finacially f**d had it not been done and gotten itself cancelled.

Owner has had factory for 40 years...most staff for 30 odd years. Used to employ 70+ now only X6 P/T.
We are now the bulk of their work and one of the machinists aksed ''What are we making next?'' and I quipped something like 'God only knows..could all end tomo'' and she replied ''I really hope not as we would all be out of work now if it hadn't been for your work...please try and keep it going''

And it made me feel bad as I do it for just our own living but layers underneath rely on what comes out my head too. The pressure .

carolt

But equally, you must be so proud.

Well done. Amazing to make such a difference to people's lives.

lostinrates

carolt wrote: »

But equally, you must be so proud.

Well done. Amazing to make such a difference to people's lives.

yes. And I think FC is clever too.

fc123

OMG It's not as pricey as I thought. £10 odd pm.

http://www.buttoflewistextiles.co.uk/products.html
Don't like the colours here though....back to google now.

I just had fur look blk/white tiger lycra covered in multi hologram dots @ £7 pm. delivered . It's much nicer in real life than it sounds.

lostinrates

Butt of Lewis B110 is jolly! But I love b114

Harris would be 139 for me, I think.