material changes a tartan?

[kev_1270]

I found this a little odd that the material of a tartan completely changes the tartan - should that happen?

For Example:
Thomson or Thompson Camel Modern


One is 13oz. wool and the other PV. I found this change is worse...

Thomson or Thompson Grey Modern


Unless they imported the wrong image... the second one would be called grey because???

[Galician]

Just off the top of my head, I'd suggest that different materials absorb dyes differently.

In my order, a person at a local meeting asked one of the brothers if he and another brother were from the same order, because their habits looked to be different colors. He was a bit elderly and liked to be brief. His answer was, "Same community, different bolts."

[Paul Henry]

Different weavers have different colour balances and thread colours ( there isn't an absolute colour referencing system that is universal), different weights of fabric will change the size of pattern, different websites have different colour balances as well, and the basic photography could alter as well, lots of variations....
The thread count should remain the same each time, but as often said, if you are in any doubt about a tartan, it really is worthwhile to get a sample

[kev_1270]

That makes some sense with that first example... but when I saw the GREY pattern with heavy green - I was like, HUH?

I understand that dye may hold different on some materials or the weight of fabric, and even a bit different due to the variations of the color. However some of the ones I looked at were completely different color (like the grey/green example).

[Pleater]

Perhaps if there were more women in printing and dyeing it might be a more exact science, but they are both - in my experience - considered 'men's work' here in England and possibly elsewhere in the world. Men are far more prone to have problems differentiating colours.

The inability to differentiate grey and green or brown is a classic one - but the alteration in the thread count and colour order is perhaps due to the mill not having the correct amounts of the colours required to weave the tartan, so maybe they put on a warp and wove with what they had, so as the keep the mill rolling, and named it what was wanted so as to fulfill the orders.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[fluter]

That makes some sense with that first example... but when I saw the GREY pattern with heavy green - I was like, HUH?

Let us not forget: you are looking at a computer screen, not at fabric. So, you've been given good advice: get some fabric to inspect.

The effect you observed on your computer screen may even have to do with the way(s) the samples were scanned for the Web site, and the qualities of the different yarns in some particular kind of light. We don't know, and we can't know. I have certainly seen black fabric that looks green in certain situations (old jackets, for instance).

Variations like this come with the tartan territory! For instance would you say these samples were the same sett? (Click to enlarge.)




In tartan terms, they are the same. Here we have not a composite but a single photo, under "color corrected" lighting, but there may still be variations according to fabric composition (wool, polyester/wool, polyester/rayon, and polyester/unknown). You may take the photographer's word that the effect is similar to visual inspection; but if I were you, I'd order swatches before choosing one of them.

[Smayniac]

The effect you observed on your computer screen may even have to do with the way(s) the samples were scanned for the Web site, and the qualities of the different yarns in some particular kind of light. We don't know, and we can't know. I have certainly seen black fabric that looks green in certain situations (old jackets, for instance).

Scooby's mom used to make formal wear for an opera company. She discovered that in the early twentieth century, with the introduction of incandescent light, many makers went to midnight blue for formal jackets because it still appeared black under artificial lighting conditions.

Bob

[ForresterModern]

Could not agree more with the "get a swatch" suggestion. I loved the colors of the MacDonald of Glencoe modern shown on several websites, but because it was only woven as a standard tartan by Dalgleish I was a bit leary to trust the photo, as I had some custom tartan woven by Dalgleish in a different clan that came out darker and more color "saturated" than I had expected from photos of it. So I ordered a swatch from Scotweb, and indeed the swatch I got was a lot darker and more saturated than what all the online photos showed. So I opted instead for the only other standard stock woven version of that MAcD Glencoe available, a muted House of Edgar version, which matched much better with the color palette (thanks Rex) I was expecting, even though it too was still a wee bit darker than expected.

If you just want a specific tartan and are not too hung up on exactly how the colors appear, you could probably get away without a swatch. If you have any concerns about how the tartan is going to appear, in daylight, fluorescent lighting, etc... GET A SWATCH (of tartan, not one of those plastic Swiss watches).

[Rex_Tremende]

...matched much better with the color palette (thanks Rex) ...

Regards,
Rex, changing one vocabulary at a time.

[Steve Ashton]

Marton Mills 12 oz. Polyester/Rayon blend fabrics go by the name Balmoral.

They are found under the schoolwear tab on the Marton Mills site.

The variations on the Thompson Tartan that they weave are;

Thompson (M/Camel) BA139T Equivalent to ITI # 2421 ---- Please do not confuse this with Burburry.
Thompson (M/Grey) BA027T
Thompson (Grey/Small Sett) BA145T