Torn Between Two Tartans

[Cygnus]

Yes, now I remember. It’s a Mary Macgregor song.

Torn between two tartans, feelin' like a fool
Lovin' both of them is breakin' all the rules

No, it was the Oak Ridge Boys:

Torn between two tartans
Is like a ball and chain.
Tryin' to choose between 'em
Is drivin' me insane!
One has pretty colors,
The other's got my name.
It's a long, hard grind
And it tires my mind.

Ha!

Sums up about how I feel!

Alright, here's another thought. What if you got a box-pleated kilt, which only uses around 4 yards of fabric? That would bring the price down a little, and you'd have something truly unique.

That is something that I'm considering, though a number of the places I'm looking at have a minimum length for custom-weave jobs; those that don't tend to be a bit on the pricier side and for 30%-40% more, I could get an 8-yard kilt from another reputable kilt maker (the two I'm comparing weigh in at about $500 for the four yard and $630 for the eight). That's double the kilt for not much more...

...though this has gone a bit beyond the bounds of mere tartan selection.

Hopefully I'll have decided a course of action once my pennies add up a bit more.

Thank you!

[RockyR]

I know it's from the Affleck slides, it's just as "authentic" as a fashion tartan but has a direct connection to my family name.... [SNIP]

I like to be more original than that, but common tartans are a lot cheaper than those that require a custom weave.

The Swan tartan you have shown is also known as Ramsay Blue, which IS readily available in wool AND PV material:

http://www.usakilts.com/store/tartans/ramsay.jpg

http://www.usakilts.com/store/tartan...show&gazgal=22

[Mike_Oettle]

Hi, Cygnus – as a lover of the colour blue, I would say go for that Swan tartan (or Ramsay Blue, if you prefer).
Regards,
Mike

[Cygnus]

The Swan tartan you have shown is also known as Ramsay Blue, which IS readily available in wool AND PV material:

I thought the same thing when I came across the Ramsay tartan some time back, but, comparing the thread counts, the Swan tartan is quite a bit larger than the Ramsay. I am fairly new at this, though - would they still be considered the same tartan if they have the same colours/pattern but a different thread count?

I'd like to be able to tell any Ramsays that the tartan I am wearing is different in some way to theirs (unless, of course, it isn't).

And Mike, I like it as well which is why I'm fairly certain that's the one I'll be starting with and we'll see if kilts really are like Lays potato chips...

[RockyR]

Most weaving mills take some 'liberties' with thread counts and alter the number up or down to make things easier for themselves. Reasons:

1. They want to center a particular stripe in the middle of the cloth
2. The want to get a certain color / stripe to line up along the selvedge
3. They want the size of the sett to be a particular measurement.

Standards for newly registering a tartan (though both of these are over 60 years old) are that it must appear different from every other tartan 'from about 10 feet'. I found this out recently when I enquired about a tartan that was just registered that was almost identical to one of the ones I designed and copyrighted.

If I saw that tartan next to a Ramsay tartan, I'd simply think "oh, that one was woven by a different mill, so the sett came out a bit larger". I would think they were the same thing.

Looking at the STA's website, I can see the thread counts are a bit different and the Ramsay is claimed to have "light grey" instead of white, but every mill I've seen weaves it with white.

IF it were me, I'd get the Ramsay and if anyone asks, tell them it's Ramsay AKA Swan.

[fluter]

'Twas the Eagles, I believe, who summed it up for me:

I was running down the road trying to loosen my load,
There are seven tartans I can see.
Four of them are Strome, an'
Two are from my home, an'
one of them's a custom weave.

[piperdbh]

'Twas the Eagles, I believe, who summed it up for me:

I was running down the road trying to loosen my load,
There are seven tartans I can see.
Four of them are Strome, an'
Two are from my home, an'
one of them's a custom weave.

Take it easy, Fluter.

[wildrover]

'Twas the Eagles, I believe, who summed it up for me:

I was running down the road trying to loosen my load,
There are seven tartans I can see.
Four of them are Strome, an'
Two are from my home, an'
one of them's a custom weave.

Holyrood Gold has that classic "tartan" look to it...that's a helluva kilt!

I also would go with the Ramsay/Swan tartan, in 16oz wool. Trust me, it will be worth it.

[Cygnus]

Most weaving mills take some 'liberties' with thread counts and alter the number up or down to make things easier for themselves. Reasons:

1. They want to center a particular stripe in the middle of the cloth
2. The want to get a certain color / stripe to line up along the selvedge
3. They want the size of the sett to be a particular measurement.

Standards for newly registering a tartan (though both of these are over 60 years old) are that it must appear different from every other tartan 'from about 10 feet'. I found this out recently when I enquired about a tartan that was just registered that was almost identical to one of the ones I designed and copyrighted.

If I saw that tartan next to a Ramsay tartan, I'd simply think "oh, that one was woven by a different mill, so the sett came out a bit larger". I would think they were the same thing.

Looking at the STA's website, I can see the thread counts are a bit different and the Ramsay is claimed to have "light grey" instead of white, but every mill I've seen weaves it with white.

IF it were me, I'd get the Ramsay and if anyone asks, tell them it's Ramsay AKA Swan.

That's all good to know - thanks, RockyR!

It turns out that further research puts my Swan ancestors in (or very near to) traditional Ramsay holdings - while Swan isn't listed as a surname associated with the clan, it seems (by geography, at least) that there is a tenuous connection to the Ramsays.

This has all been very educational for me, thank you, everyone, for your input!

[Spc. Scott]

That's all good to know - thanks, RockyR!

It turns out that further research puts my Swan ancestors in (or very near to) traditional Ramsay holdings - while Swan isn't listed as a surname associated with the clan, it seems (by geography, at least) that there is a tenuous connection to the Ramsays.

This has all been very educational for me, thank you, everyone, for your input!

Aren't ya glad you asked! This place has an amazing wealth of knowledge.