Garmology: From the isles comes the cloth – Harris Tweed with Lorna Macauley and Rebecca Hutton (S02/E05)

This weeks episode is all about Harris Tweed, a legend among cloths and arguably the most socially significant of fabrics. My guests this week are Lorna Macaulay and Rebecca Hutton from the Hebridean Islands. Lorna is CEO of the Harris Tweed Authority, promoters and protectors of the tweed, and Rebecca Hutton, an independent single-width weaver at Taobhtuath Tweeds. We talk about the history of weaving, life on the islands, how actual Harris Tweed came to be, the significance of the Orb symbol and the legal protection, life as a weaver, the ups and downs of Harris Tweed and more. Lots of good stories, solid information and more than a few laughs.

And remember, while you can listen to the episode right here on the webpage (all episodes on the Garmology page), for the best experience, the podcast is also available on all the usual podcast sites, like Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts etc., just search for Garmology. This is very handy for listening via your phone while walking the dog, driving, cooking, or whatever activity you do where you want to listen to people talk about stuff.

 

2 Comments

  • Ian Read 16/02/2021 at 15:37

    Hi, I’ve just listened to this podcast. Absolutely fascinating. I can’t wait to get up that way again, when we’re all allowed! Really interesting hearing about how the cloth itself has changed, according to demand and changes in people’s lifestyle. I have two vintage Harris tweed jackets, I thought that the first one I got was heavy (standard sports jacket style) but then I picked up a Harris tweed Norfolk jacket (date labelled 1967) and it was truly awesome. V heavy, totally windproof and even kept me dry outside in an unexpected downpour for half an hour. I didn’t realise how water-resistant it can be!
    Thanks for the podcast…

    Reply
    • nick 16/02/2021 at 15:48

      Thank you, Ian, I appreciate the feedback!

      Reply

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