How do I sew tweed?

Tweed frays fast and shifts while you handle it, so the work is in stabilising it before construction begins.

Finish the raw edges the moment the pieces are cut. Loosely woven tweed sheds threads continuously and a piece left overnight will be smaller at the edges than when you cut it. Overlock or zigzag everything first.

Stay-stitch necklines and armholes just inside the seam line before handling. Curved edges on a loose weave stretch out of shape simply from being picked up.

Underline anything loosely woven. A layer of cotton lawn or silk organza basted to each piece and treated as one gives the tweed body, stops it bagging at the elbows and seat, and gives hand stitching something to catch that does not show on the face.

Match the pattern. Most tweed has a check, a herringbone or a stripe. Work out the repeat, buy extra length for it, and cut single layer so you can position each piece deliberately. Mismatched checks at a centre front are the first thing anyone notices.

Use a universal 90/14 and a stitch length around 3 mm.

Press with a cloth and steam, over a ham for shaped seams. Let it cool before moving it.

Reduce bulk aggressively. Grade every seam allowance and trim across corners — tweed is thick and lumps show through the face.

Expect mess. It sheds while you cut and while you sew; clean the bobbin race afterwards.