Hand Woven Tartan Fabric

[figheadair]

I'm interested in your warp set up as it's just off balance. Was that deliberate in order to have the sett finishing at a particular point for the kilt selvedge?

[Truitt]

I'm interested in your warp set up as it's just off balance. Was that deliberate in order to have the sett finishing at a particular point for the kilt selvedge?

If you are looking at it on the loom, you are correct. It is slightly off ballance. I picked a finishing point for the bottom selvedge and did not concern myself about where the top selvedge ended up. Since it is single width I did not see a point in balancing the warp. In retrospect I think I should have fished the bottom selvedge in one of the wide gray stripes.

By the way, I made extensive use of your website and studied your research papers as I was preparing for this project. Thank you for making your research available.

[McMurdo]

Thank you again for the compliments. I really enjoyed this project.

Glen - I think your design is fantastic. I got a lot of compliments on the kilt today, and from people who had no idea it was hand woven. It is quite simple a very nice looking tartan. Hopefully you will get to see it in person someday. Oh, and send me (or post) a photo of the framed swatch once it is done.

As soon as it gets here I will look into getting it framed, thanks again for sending the piece I am very interested in seeing it.

[figheadair]

If you are looking at it on the loom, you are correct. It is slightly off ballance. I picked a finishing point for the bottom selvedge and did not concern myself about where the top selvedge ended up. Since it is single width I did not see a point in balancing the warp. In retrospect I think I should have fished the bottom selvedge in one of the wide gray stripes.

By the way, I made extensive use of your website and studied your research papers as I was preparing for this project. Thank you for making your research available.

Yes, that's it. I think I would have been tempted to finish on the broad black, possibly slightly extended, in a herringbone.

[McMurdo]

The tartan got here today, it just looks great, the colours are a bit different than the commercially woven material but it is unmistakably the Scottish Wildcat Tartan. I will get my sample framed shortly.

[ASinclair]

Wow! Great job weaving and kilt making! Well done!

[Truitt]

The tartan got here today, it just looks great, the colours are a bit different than the commercially woven material but it is unmistakably the Scottish Wildcat Tartan. I will get my sample framed shortly.

I tried to buy yarn from Lochcarron, but they weren't the least bit interested in selling yarn to me. The color palette available to me simply didn't match the colors chosen for the commercial fabric. I suspect the yarn weight is slightly different as well. Simply put, I had to use what was available to me.

Weaving kilt weight tartan has been a frustrating pursuit. The lack of availability of suitable yarn is the biggest limiting factor. I suppose I could learn to dye my own, but that is a big leap. More equipment, more space, more labor (lots more labor), and a whole new learning curve to conquer.

Anyway, it would have been nice to have matched the colors of the commercial fabric, but I am happy with the colors I chose. Eventually I may get the chance to compare the two side-by-side.

[McMurdo]

I think you did a great job, honestly I could not be happier with it. We went with Dalgliesh for the first run and Anderw Elliott for the second, as Lochcarron could not get the colours right so I'm not surprised that they were no help to you. Again the hand woven tartan you produced is amazing and I am so honoured that you sent me a piece. Thanks again. Hopefully we will be able to compare the kilts at some time in the future.