Lavenham Blue Hexi Tabard

This hexagon motif and tabard pattern was designed for the Lavenham Blue yarn, dyed by Stuart of The Wool Patch. The yarn featured is a special plant-based yarn, made from paper and cotton, dyed with woad. There are also wool versions available.

I grew up in Hadleigh, Suffolk, UK, one of the Suffolk Wool Towns, famed for the wool trade that once made these towns very prosperous. Lavenham was another of the Wool Towns, famed for the Lavenham Blue Broadcloth, a woven cloth. The blue is created by dyeing with the plant woad (Isatis tinctoria). The colour starts out pale yellow, but with exposure to air, turns to green and then blue.

This tabard pattern is an honouring back to the Medieval period when the Lavenham Blue Broadcloth would have been made, and the style of clothes people might have worn then. It has a modern twist with the hexagon motif, but I hope that you enjoy the historical link of this beautiful yarn and pattern story.

This pattern is made-to-measure. The tabard is made by firstly making and joining a strip of hexagons and half hexagons to the desired length of your tabard. The strip goes from your front bottom length, up and over the shoulder, to your back bottom length. Rows are then added to the side of the strip, to form a hexagonal neckline and the rest of the garment. This pattern was based on one hexagonal strip for an asymmetric look, but you could have one on each side if you wished.

Available in UK and US terms.

There is a free version of the hexagon motif available.