Tartan flashes: bias or straight?

[OC Richard]

it was my assumption that cutting flashes on the bias was the norm... until now I wasn't aware that tartan flashes were taboo...

I don't know about "taboo" but the "cutting of flashes" is quite modern and not part of traditional Highland Dress.

Ditto with the tartan ribbons that are often worn on the bagpipe drones.

Both flashes and drone ribbons have always been made of special dedicated material woven to the correct width.

Recently both have started to be made by cutting out their shapes from woven fabric yardage.

Not only is it not traditional, but it also strikes me as somewhat make-do, as something to be done in time of need when the real thing can't be got. They never look quite right to the traditional eye, and there are all the edges which must be turned over and hemmed.

In like manner traditional kilts have no hem, rather, just as with traditional flashes and drone ribbons the selvedge of the material is all the edge that is required.

Tartan flashes aren't often seen in the old days, but when seen they, like the drone ribbons, are made from specially-made silk ribbon woven to the correct width.

One issue with cutting "ribbon" out of woven tartan fabric is that the sett-size does not correlate to the finished item.

Note here how the ribbon of the drone-ribbons, the ribbon of the kilt-bows/rosettes, and the fabric of the kilt itself have been woven to three different sett-sizes, each appropriate to the size of the thing. Tartan flashes traditionally would be likewise.



Here you can see modern drone "ribbons" cut from tartan fabric, how the sett size is far too large for the narrow width of the "ribbon"



BTW traditional flashes are usually worsted wool woven in a herringbone pattern; here's a vintage Gordon Highlanders garter with attached flashes, as you can see both are woven in a herringbone pattern



And in the old days, both with civilian and military Highland Dress, flashes (when visible) are usually scarlet.