Replies

1. 
   carolfresia | Mar 23, 2005 04:53pm | #1

   Thanks for the suggestion. I think I should book a trip to Scotland right away!

   Alas, the trip is not likely, but I will keep this on my list of ideas to explore. There is so much to learn about how fabric is produced and distributed.

   Carol

2. 
   TashaGirl | Mar 23, 2005 05:03pm | #2

   Mem-

   Do you have a contact for Linton Tweeds?  Do they have a web site?

   Tasha

1. 
   Bernie1 | Mar 23, 2005 06:42pm | #3

   Linton's in England and some ladies who have done tours there say the fabric is beautiful. They do have a site, just type Linton Tweeds into Yahoo or Google. Be advised that shipping is very expensive when you add in the duty fee charged here. So if you decide to go ahead and order from them, tack on $40 for duty or, if you're smarter than I was, ask them to send your order by post, not courier, which I understand is a lot cheaper. For some reason, the post office doesn't charge the big duty fees that you'll pay by courier.

1. 
   GhillieC | Apr 01, 2005 07:12pm | #4

   http://www.lintontweeds.co.uk/ though the site did not work correctly for me.  Their factory and shop is in Carlisle, just south of the Scottish border. 

   They attend various sewing shows in the UK selling their fabrics at big discounts but I have to admit that Linton tweeds are not my cup of tea.  They tend to be loose woven, rather knobbly and are often in rather odd colour combinations and including lurex threads.  I don't think they are very hard wearing.

   If you are touring those parts it might be worth heading north over the border to Langholm, where Reid and Taylor weave highly luxurious fabrics which are nearly all exported.  They certainly used to have a mill shop, but curiously do not seem to have a web site and I am uncertain whether it is still open.

   Cheers,

   Ghillie

    

1. 
   Bernie1 | Apr 01, 2005 10:26pm | #5

   I have to admit that I've only ordered from them once and the latest batch of samples isn't much to my liking, either. I'd rather order from Michael's.

1. 
   GhillieC | Apr 02, 2005 10:17am | #6

   Yes. I have a short length of one of Michael's boucles awaiting my attention and it is altogether a heftier cloth than the Lintons I have seen and a more defined colour. Somehow it got to me in the UK without me having to pay any customs duty.Cheers,Ghillie

2. 
   Bernie1 | Apr 02, 2005 03:45pm | #7

   Ghillie: you might want to know that Michael is selling bundles for $4.50/yard or thereabouts and he's got some wonderful fabrics available.

2. 
   GorgeousThings | Sep 04, 2005 02:26am | #9

   I have ordered swatches from Linton, and I thought they were just beautiful! I didn't end up ordering, because I was planning to visit New York where I bought some other tweeds. But when I was at Paron Fabrics on West 40th Street, I saw that they had several Linton Tweeds for less than I was able to order them direct. They may have been past-season, but they were gorgeous, nonetheless.Ann

3. 
   RJS | Sep 03, 2005 09:28pm | #8

   For 25 years Stitches Great Fiber Getaways did tours around the world for women who loved to sew - and add to their stash. Litton was my favorite place to include as part our our England itinerary. Not only were the owners accommodating to our every need, they arranged special classes for our group, feed us a wonderful lunch, and let us dig through everypiece of fabric they had. I agree that the last batch of samples were not very inspiring. The colors were too muted for my taste, but you need to remember that the majority of their fabrics are custom-desigened to meet a specific company or a designer's needs. I, of course, went crazy over the Chanel fabrics - which they cannot sell to the public. I did purchase enough to last me a lifetime - which is a shame that I haven't had a suit on now for over 5 years. But I still have a glorious black/green/lurex piece in my closet just waiting for a mother of the groom moment. I also have a fabulous piece of soft teal/hot pink/bright yellow/with multi-colored ribbon running thru it. Someday it will grow up into a spectacular little jacket. The other great thing about visiting Litton is the trip there or back. We always had our driver make the trip over the mountain and down around Lake Windemere. It is a spectacular and not to be missed part of the Litton experience.

   ReAnn Scott
   Retired and happily living the good life in Mexico!

1. 
   mem | Sep 05, 2005 03:16am | #10

   I was thrilled to see someone else loving the tweeds. I went back to the original message and it was from me ! I have been using tweeds recently and they are actually quite versatile and look really nice with jeans and a plain top I have made a jacket which has no front fastening and has a braid which I concocted and a princess line running over the shoulder.The sleeves are 3/4. I think the lack of buttons and the sleeve length means that it can be worn more casually so perhaps you could look at your collection again so that you actually get to wear it. If you go to the Chanel site  you will see that these jackets are worn with almost anything.