Sett size??

[OC Richard]

For my eye, sett size is more important, or in other words has a greater impact on the look of the finished kilt, than it seems to have for other people.

When I see a man wearing a kilt that's made from tartan having a small sett size it looks strange to me.

As in so many other things, this probably comes from decades of seeing (and wearing) military kilts and getting used to how they are, and spending a lot of time looking at vintage images of Highland Dress.

The Highlanders of Scotland shows a variety of sett sizes being used in the 1860s. Look at the gigantic sett size of the kilt on the left. The kilt on the right has a sett size typical of our kilts today.



There are many kilts to be seen in that book which look better to my eye than any modern kilts of the same tartan simply because a much larger sett size was used.

Large sett sizes maintained to this day by the military:

[Spartan Tartan]

I appreciate the pictures, OC Richard. I think that is part of my concern...I can't get a visual for what the pattern for the Michigan Up North tartan will be in terms of the actual sett. I'm concerned that it would be too small for my liking. I agree with the sentiment that if it's "my district tartan" then so be it...but it's a brand new tartan for the State of Michigan. I have seen some scarves and whatnot, but those are smaller sett...for obvious reasons.

I would hate to drop the money to have a custom weave and not be satisfied with the sett and then ultimately hardly if ever wear the kilt. I would also not like to spend hundreds of dollars experimenting with various sett sizes just to see if I can find the magic ratio...

I rather like the Michigan Up North Tartan, but for the time being, can't bring myself to go "all in" without some better understanding of what the actual woven tartan would look like.

But, I do like those larger setts in your pictures too.