Cloth merchants

[big_swede]

Hello, I have recently received swatch books from a couple of british cloth merchants. Most of the cloths are not that interesting for you lot, but Hainsworth of Pudley has some fabrics which I would be happy to use for bushy stuff. Their cavalry twill would make a fantastic woolen outerwear. A bush shirt in that would be windproof (more or less, it's extremely dense) and it sheds water like no other woolen fabric I've seen. The pilot cloth and doeskin are also very nice. They do send samples if you ask them nicely, and they are very competevily priced, compared to huddersfield, dugdale et al and their coatings. Minimum order is just 1m. And all made in the UK.

Another company that has nice stuff for the outdoors are HE box, but I'm still waiting for their swatch books, they also have 1 m minimum order. Also donegal tweed from Molloy and sons, which are said to have high quality and fair prices, but as with HE box, still waiting for samples.

Just wanted to let you know, I know I've been looking for woolens for outdoor garments but never really found anything good locally. Except blankets. But they are, well, blankets, and as my mechanic says, 'you can't polish a t*rd'.

 

[Toddy]

You won't get better than Abimelech Hainsworth, and it's beautiful cloth to work with, and wear too. Their entire range is good quality.
I have used it often and never been less than happy with it. The only issue is that it's expensive and many people won't pay the cost.
Do ask for samples though, because the different weights are very different when used for garments.

The other company that I regularly recommend is Bernard Hunt, known to reenactors as Bernie the Bolt.
Sometimes you need to have a rummage, but it's amazing the stuff he turns up with

Croft Mills too are recommended, and so are many of the tweed mills.
http://www.croftmill.co.uk/

cheers,
Toddy

 

[big_swede]

I deal daily with a few merchants who sell sutings and coatings, and in comparison hainsworth is actually pretty low priced. But it's all in the frame of reference though. Buying absolutely top knotch cloth for ~£50-ish which will protect me from the elements and keep me warm for tens of years it's not expensive.

 

[Toddy]

Hainsworth mostly sell wool for uniforms. The kind of uniforms that were worn in the past as well as the kind the D of C wore to his wedding.....that he'll probably still be pulling out to wear fifty years from now
They have diversified into cheaper blazer fabrics too now, but their original uniform fabrics are reknown.

Suitings and the like I pay a lot more for, but it's for a very different use.

For most bushcrafters AH are expensive, and many of the cloths really really do need to be tailored rather than simply sewn. Beautiful quality though

atb,
M

 

[Parbajtor]

as my mechanic says, 'you can't polish a t*rd'.

No, but you can gild one.