‘Danby’ heathered purple donegal tweed fabric

We’ve been thrilled to have had the opportunity to sift through some British wools for the A/W season. All are 100% wool and display a quality of weave and colour that we don’t think will fail to delight. Our softly-heathered purple donegal tweed fabric is indeed purple at first glance. It’s composed of warp and weft of different colours as you’d expect of a donegal tweed – they’re a deep purple-brown and a marled lavender-mauve respectively. Flecks of violet, rust and lavender all give the impression of a fabric with real depth, with a myriad of tonal colours to be be picked out by other shades in your outfit.

What kind of fabric is this?

Our delightful purple donegal tweed fabric is a 100% wool fabric. Donegal tweed fabrics are woven in a plain weave pattern. We’d describe it as leaning towards the lighter-weight end of a medium-weight coat fabric or a solid medium-weight suiting fabric.

What does this fabric feel like?

This is a fabric with a crisp handle. It’s very pliable and well-behaved but as is often the case with un-napped wool fabrics you’d probably want a lining or a softer fabric next to your skin.

How does this fabric move?

Our purple donegal tweed fabric falls in soft rolling folds. It’s clearly not a fluid fabric but falls elegantly from pleats and can hold a little shape too. You can see how it moves and drapes in this video.

NOTE: Our videos are intended to show the movement of a fabric. For accurate colour and pattern detail, please refer to our still images.

Will I need to line this fabric?

You’ll probably want to line this fabric in order to provide additional softness next to the skin as well as to enable it to move across the body and over clothing layers. Coats and jackets will definitely want to be lined, both for structure as well as added warmth, given the likely uses of a fabric like this wool tweed.

What can I make with this fabric?

We think this beautiful purple donegal tweed fabric will prove to be a more versatile cloth than one might imagine. Jackets, winter skirts (longer A-line cuts or pencil skirts alike) or even a winter pinafore would all be options. Fitted and more formal coats would work well, as would vintage styles including pencil skirts, wider circle-style skirts and fitted, tailored jackets. If you’re up for a little tailoring, then the ‘Jasika’ Blazer from Closet Core patterns is a fabulous place to start, with its detailed online sew-along.

Fabric width

150cm

Fabric composition

100% wool, manufactured in the UK.

Fabric preparation

Steam gently before cutting, holding a steam iron 1 inch away from the fabric and working down the length. Use a steam iron and a pressing cloth to press areas of the garment during construction where necessary.

Fabric care

We recommend spot- and dry-cleaning wool garments, particularly if they’re lined. Find out more on our About our fabric pages