Having your own tartan!

[unixken]

I created my "Leaf Peeper" tartan to celebrate a general "activity". I take an annual fall foliage pilgrimage back to New England every year, where the locals refer to the influx of autumn tourists as "Leaf Peepers". D.C. Dalgliesh produced the fabric for me, and is creating the kilt (it's scheduled to ship, on Monday!) As I will likely be the only person to ever wear a kilt in this tartan (despite having placed no restrictions on the design), I guess you could say it is effectively a personal tartan.

It is pricey to produce a one-off tartan. But if that's not so great a concern, and you'd like to add such to your wardrobe, there's no reason not to.

That said, a tartan is generally meant to show an association with others in a group. However, as often as I am asked "what tartan is that?" when wearing my other kilts, I felt the opportunity to share the background of a tartan I designed myself, what it means, and describe the process of having it woven and produced into a kilt, will be part of the return on investment.

[artificer]

That is about where I ended up after thinking about designing a personal tartan.
It could make sence for those of us (like me) with no clan connections but is it really worth the extra money?

If you really want to design a tartan, make something like artificer did with the R'lyeh tartan. That way you might create something that will be worn.

Indeed! Between the original run and the most recently submitted order over 260 yards double width of the R'lyeh sett have now been ordered!

Ia! Ia! C'thulhu Fhtagn! :cthulhusmiley:

[kiltedwolfman]

I designed a tartan, registered it ( http://www.tartansauthority.com/tart...hawes-personal ), had it woven and then made a kilt from it. I wanted something that was very personal to me, would hold a special meaning to me and others related either through blood or experience as well. Fortunately when it was woven it turned out very nice with plenty of great pleating options and I have since had non related people ask me if I would be offended if they wore it. I certainly would not be! While it holds special meaning to me I am flattered that others find it nice enough that they would want to wear it too. I have told people that as long as they explain where it comes from it what it's original purpose was they can wear it all they like. ( oh and I have to be the one to make the kilt for them hehe )

[creagdhubh]

As I see it, tartan is primarily an in-group/out-group identifier. Wearing a tartan proclaims a connection to a place, a cause, an organization, or other people. Unless I had a really, really big family (in essence, my own clan), I wouldn't design a personal tartan.

I agree, David.