A New Tartan Design - Comments?

[Morgan of Seattle]

Hi Morgan,

I like the muted colours; a cool refreshing look. Maybe I am just being stupid but I can't see how the design is asymmetrical - it looks symmetrical to me.

Hey Chas,

You are quite right in the general sense of symmetry. In tartan, though, a sett that is called "symmetrical" repeats itself in reverse order at the end of the pattern. This one simply repeats in the same order and thus, in the special sense of tartan setts, is called "asymmetrical." The term tells the weaver not to repeat in reverse order after each sett. This is necessary to make the red and blue stripes alternate, otherwise, you'd get 2 red, 2 blue.

[English Bloke]

Who is going to produce the tartan for you?

[Morgan of Seattle]

Who is going to produce the tartan for you?

Hi English Bloke,

The Scotweb Store has a new and pretty cool setup for this. They have a new online software tool for designing tartan (which I used to create this one) and then they will custom weave the cloth and produce many of their products from it as well. There is a minimum 10 yard order for custom woven cloth. So for example, you could order an 8 yard kilt and then buy 2 yards of material, or perhaps a necktie and a scarf or two. The prices appear to average about 25% higher than for "off the shelf" tartans.

As members of XMTS we also have a standing 10% discount by clicking the ad at the top of these pages. A nice thing! I will of course follow up with a full review once I've actually had this tartan produced.

The other question is whether one wants to register the tartan with the Scottish Tartans Authority. That is a separate process. I am going to do that with this one, and will review that here as well.

Cheers,
Philip

[Rogerson785]

Morgan,

As a past yachtsman of the Chesapeake Bay I think the tartan colors are divine and anyone would be honored to wear such a grand looking tartan. What a great job and a fantastic way to honor your father.

Chris

[Morgan of Seattle]

Morgan,

As a past yachtsman of the Chesapeake Bay I think the tartan colors are divine and anyone would be honored to wear such a grand looking tartan. What a great job and a fantastic way to honor your father.

Chris

Thank you Chris. Our family once had a home right on Chesapeake Bay -- lost in the Great Depression. It is still one of my favorite bodies of water, and although Dungeness crabs are bigger, you just can't beat the flavor of an Atlantic Blue.

Cheers,
Philip

[Stratherrick]

Philip

I love your work!

Slainte

Bruce

[Mark Keeney]

Hey Chas,

You are quite right in the general sense of symmetry. In tartan, though, a sett that is called "symmetrical" repeats itself in reverse order at the end of the pattern. This one simply repeats in the same order and thus, in the special sense of tartan setts, is called "asymmetrical." The term tells the weaver not to repeat in reverse order after each sett. This is necessary to make the red and blue stripes alternate, otherwise, you'd get 2 red, 2 blue.

I still don't see it. Maybe I'm a little slow, but, as I see it the tartan is symmetrical from the center of the blue or the center of the red. You wouldn't start with the green as the image starts.