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  1. #1
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    23rd March 12
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    Stiff tweed waistcoat

    I purchased a luxury tweed argyll jacket and waistcoat, just recently had the opportunity to wear them. The waistcoat is really really stiff, are they any suggestions to soften the tweed or is it just a case of wearing it a lot to soften it?
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    "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.' Benjamin Franklin

  2. #2
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    7th September 14
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    From the Gentleman's Gazette:

    "Keep in mind too that a new tweed jacket or suit will require some break-in time. There are reports of people throwing their traditional tweed jackets against a wall to soften it up. I don’t know if that’s done, but once a tweed jacket is broken in–wow–what a comfortably wearing garment."

  3. #3
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    22nd January 07
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    Morganton, North Carolina
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    Are you sure it's the tweed itself? Many waistcoats have a stiffener sewn in that is quite, well, stiff. This is often bonded to the tweed itself. Compare the arms of the matching jacket (assuming that there is one) to the body of the waistcoat.

    Also, not sure what you mean by luxury. Was this a custom-tailored waistcoat in Harris Tweed, made by a gentleman's shop? Some of the highland suppliers title their wares a bit...misleadingly.

    A luxury waistcoat: http://www.meyerandmortimer.com/new-page-1

  4. #4
    Join Date
    23rd March 12
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    It's from Buyakilt.com now Kilt Society an advertiser here.
    https://kiltsociety.com/collections/...-argyll-jacket
    "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.' Benjamin Franklin

  5. #5
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    3rd June 15
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    If it's a good quality tweed, linings & construction, I suggest a "gentle" Jocking, if you can't wait to wear it in.
    A gentle rinse in water, a gentle pat and roll in a towel, a gentle pat into shape, a gentle dry on a towel, a gentle iron/steam with an ironing cloth.

    Actually, thinking as I write a steam press with an ironing cloth protecting the fabric may also do the job and help soften it.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    16th June 15
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    Tweed itself, even something like overcoat weight Harris Tweed, isn't very stiff. What makes for a stiff waistcoat is the interfacing, which may be sewn-in, or more often is fusible and bonded to the back side of the tweed. A lot of waistcoats have the entire front interfaced in order to give them some shape and crispness. Rather than doing anything drastic, I think I'd try just wearing it for a while, as it will probably soften up somewhat. I suppose you could also work the cloth, bending and flexing it in your hands, which will soften most stiff leathers and fabrics to some extent without harming them. Most modern interfacings are non-woven, their fibers bonded together, and working them will tend to stretch and relax the bonds between them somewhat. Since steaming is how you remove fusible interfacing from wool fabric, I'd be pretty careful trying to steam it into submission. If it is fusible, you really don't want to delaminate it from the tweed.

  7. The Following User Says 'Aye' to Todd Bradshaw For This Useful Post:


  8. #7
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    23rd March 12
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    So what I've done so far is to run it through the dryer with NO heat and three new tennis balls it seems to be working. And later the dogs get new toys
    "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.' Benjamin Franklin

  9. The Following User Says 'Aye' to Richrail For This Useful Post:


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