Meet the Maker - Rebecca Hutton Harris Tweed Weaver
Harris Tweed features big time in our shop, and we always enjoy sharing the Harris Tweed story with customers, explaining where the cloth is made and by who. Rebecca Hutton grew up on Harris and is an independent Harris Tweed weaver. Working under the name of Taobh Tuath in Norton on Harris, she follows in the footsteps of her weaving forefathers.
Harris Tweed has to be woven in the homes of the island weavers on the island of Harris and Lewis, and through my work I have been very privileged to meet Harris Tweed weavers in person. It is always a thrill to visit the loom shed and watch the weaving process first hand.
Over the years I have bought many metres of beautiful cloth from Rebecca and always enjoy catching up with her when I visit the island. She has a dry sense of humour and refers to her loom as "The Boss!". Like all weavers, Rebecca takes great pride in her work and it's always inspiring to listen to her talk about her weaving and the challenges it brings. At the time of writing her loom has been in repair since last September and we are waiting for an update of when she will finally have it back in action after many months of tinkering.
These are some of the products we have made with Rebecca's Harris Tweed. As you can see she has a great eye for design and her tweeds do not stay long on our shelves! We call this design of Rebecca's the Whisky Snug and we've made it into a tote bag and Harris Tweed and Cashmere scarf. Harris Tweed yarn is dyed before it is spun and this gives the cloth its characteristic depth of colour. Just take a look at the close up image.
The image below shows Luskentyre beach which is also in the south of Harris, not that far from Norton. The saying is "From the Land Comes the Cloth" and you can see how the landscape dominates so dramatically with an intensity of colour on both land and sea.
This video VisitScotland put together about Rebecca and it gives an insight into her life as a weaver and crofter. We hope you enjoy.