I've been doing a bit of investigation online looking at 13 oz. and 16 oz. tartan fabrics referred to the "Stewart Royal Modern" sett. I knew there was variation, but geez! Various mills produce patterns and color saturation astonishingly different from each other. I shoulda figured it.

Anyhow, I've settled on Batley's fabric line for that sett, as they seem to have the most vibrant and highly saturated colors [just a personal preference, if I want "mud" I'll walk barefoot after a rainstorm, not cover my bum in it :>)].

I've been looking at prices for 4 yards (or, approx., meters when yards aren't offered) of Batley fabric, and comparing distributors. I've not gotten all of them by a long shot, I'm sure, and haven't actually investigated the originating mills themselves. But I have looked at Heritage of Scotland, Scotweb, Tartan Time, House of Tartan, USA Kilts, Scots Connection, Celtic Corner and Linda Clilfford so far. The cost of roughly the same linear yardage (or "meterage"? is that even a word??) ranges from $70 to 215--not including tax or shipping, the latter probably being a significant addition for some places.

BUT, the cheapest, it "seems", is Heritage of Scotland at $70. The reason I say "seems" is that the website is confusing to me, and I can't tell if the Batley fabric they offer is really single-width or double-width. Or, maybe it's me and I can't understand Scottish ;?p Does anybody know how to interpret the bolts of fabric in that site?

And, has anybody used material from them, to confirm that it would be the same general quality of other Batley fabric from elsewhere? If I can get 4 yards of the same 16 oz tartan I like from one place at a price that's over $20 cheaper than the next priced distributor, I'd do it. But, I'm wary of a "too good to be true" thing, too. So often, such things don't pan out.

Looking to hear from the experts....
Thanks for your thoughts and comments,
Harvey