Time to VOTE for a NY State tartan

[Freelancer]

I voted C. I like the design, but I must add I'm not a huge fan of the blue with green combo in tartans (unless relatively muted colors). I realize the symbolism behind those colors (green forests, blue waters), but I've heard the same reasons for other designs (New York City tartan with blue for the Hudson and green for Central Park). The fact is, any region, district, state or country could, having green grass/trees and blue waters make the same claim. So, it kind of looses it's meaning for any particular locale. Just my 2 cents.

[Woodsheal]

I voted C. I like the design, but I must add I'm not a huge fan of the blue with green combo in tartans (unless relatively muted colors). I realize the symbolism behind those colors (green forests, blue waters), but I've heard the same reasons for other designs (New York City tartan with blue for the Hudson and green for Central Park). The fact is, any region, district, state or country could, having green grass/trees and blue waters make the same claim. So, it kind of looses it's meaning for any particular locale. Just my 2 cents.

Well, that pretty much leaves you with red, purple, yellow, or black based tartans - none of which say "New York State" to me in any way....

[Bob C]

Well, that pretty much leaves you with red, purple, yellow, or black based tartans - none of which say "New York State" to me in any way....

Exactly.

[Barb T]

From a kiltmaker's standpoint, the first design is a bit of a nightmare. Lots of stripes that could get lost in pleat taper and nothing that would work well for pleating to the stripe, if someone wanted that.

[Brian K]

From a kiltmaker's standpoint, the first design is a bit of a nightmare. Lots of stripes that could get lost in pleat taper and nothing that would work well for pleating to the stripe, if someone wanted that.

Thanks for chiming in, Barb. I like the first one, but I design mainly because I enjoy it and have wondered if some of my setts wouldn't actually be impractical to use for kilt making. I can't afford a kilt at the moment, let alone custom woven cloth, and no one else has ever had any of my designs woven, so I've never seen one fashioned into a kilt.

I do hope we have success with our project and you get some customers who want you to help them outfit themselves in a tartan for our state.

I understand you're heading out for Iceland sometime soon. I hope you have a great trip.

Regards,

Brian

[beerbecue]

I contacted the NY St. Andrews Society, but have not had a response.

[Brian K]

I voted C. I like the design, but I must add I'm not a huge fan of the blue with green combo in tartans (unless relatively muted colors). I realize the symbolism behind those colors (green forests, blue waters), but I've heard the same reasons for other designs (New York City tartan with blue for the Hudson and green for Central Park). The fact is, any region, district, state or country could, having green grass/trees and blue waters make the same claim. So, it kind of looses it's meaning for any particular locale. Just my 2 cents.

Freelancer,

I understand what you're saying entirely. To be honest, usually design a tartan using colors I want to work with and THEN I assign meanings to colors, and only when I think someone might expect there to be some meaning. I rarely work the other way around.

A came first and then I tried to give some meaning to the color choices because people seem to feel that that's part of tartan design. When I modified it to come up with B the only color I was thinking of was the gold - because it had been requested. When Amble modified one of my designs to come up with C she took an earlier design of mine she liked and then played with it a bit to fit in with what people were asking for.

Tartan designing is textile art rather than storytelling. I feel particular tartans have meaning because of what they are associated, not because of how they have been designed. There are many tartans I find a bit ...er...jarring, shall we say, but there are many people who love them because of what they are associated with. If there were already a New York tartan I'd probably feel an attachment to it because I've lived in New York for nearly 53 years and for no other reason.

All that being said, I also see no reason not to be concerned about what colors people want to see as long as the final choices are made because we think the colors work well together more than because we want a particular shade to be used.

Of course, all this will become academic when the weavers get their hands on it anyway. They'll work with what they have and their choices of particular shades and hues of blues and greens and whatever will be what we end up with. And let's not even get into distinctions between modern, ancient, weathered, muted and on and on.

Regards,

Brian