Sett Size

[KWD]

A minor correction to KWD's post - my tartan is Marton Mills Davidson Ancient, not Modern. Comparing it with other items I have in Davidson that aren't PV (sash, scarf, and scrap tartan remnants from Lochcarron), I notice that on the Ancient from MM - the red grid line goes through the black and blue warp/weft, whereas on Davidson Modern from other mills it appears to only go through the Black warp/weft (I could be wrong on this one tho, not having the two in front of me). That would make the red "grid" appear much larger.

Mine is also in PV, and considering the MM PV line seems to be aimed more at the School Uniform market than kilts, I would understand the smaller set size.

My Mistake Joshua, I thought you had the Modern, I really am a little more jealous now as I have always wanted an Ancient!

[figheadair]

Matt,

I'm generally with you on a larger setting for a kilt. Conversely, I'd usually recommend a smaller setting for trews.

[Tartan Hiker]

This is something that had bothered me for years. If the mills that make PV tartan (are you listening MM?) would double their thread counts I'd be much more inclined to use them for kiltmaking. PV tartan setts are just too small for my taste (personal opinion!). I've always assumed that the bulk of their fabric is being sold for school girl skirts or jacket liners (where small sett would be much preferable), and that we are such a small fraction of the market that it isn't economically feasible to produce larger sett fabric.

Or maybe they just don't understand that thread counts can be manipulated...

[Joshua]

On the bright side of the smaller setts, I think they look really good pleated to stripe. Lots of "animation" in the pleats.

[Spc. Scott]

Thank you for the picture Paul! I guess the yarn size will change quite a bit from 16oz to 13oz. And likely even more so for PV.

I didn't realize that it was that drastic of a change going from 16 to 13.

[Spartan Tartan]

I very much consider sett size. There are some tartans that I find beautiful, but the sett is too small for my liking. To answer your question another way, I consider the sett more so than the colours (I.e. modern, ancient, weathered, etc....).

Admittedly, I don't have a large number of kilts. But my newest (still being made), was a tough decision for me between two tartans. Ultimately, the one (of the two) with the larger sett was ordered. In both cases a custom weave was necessary, so I elected the one with what I could be sure was a larger (and therefore preferred by me) sett.

[Guinness>water]

I guess I'm the only one who prefers a smaller sett. I was very suprised when my kilt arrived, I had no idea that the pattern was going to be so big. Its not that I dont like it, I just pictured being smaller. I beleive the tartan in my kilt is a 8" sett. While playing around on Scotweb's tartan designer, I have made every tartan with a 6" sett. If and when I every get the money to have Maccormick tartan custom wove, I'll have them make it with a 6" sett repeat.

I have read(I think on Albanach.org) that it was a larger sett size that made kilts go from 4-5 yards to the now standard 8 yards. Please correct me if I'm wrong Matt.

If I understand the above correctly, I wonder what the average (if there was such a thing) sett size was before they began to grow?

[figheadair]

I have read(I think on Albanach.org) that it was a larger sett size that made kilts go from 4-5 yards to the now standard 8 yards. Please correct me if I'm wrong Matt.

That's not the case. The main reason for the increase in the amount of cloth was the introduction of pleating to sett rather than stripe.

If I understand the above correctly, I wonder what the average (if there was such a thing) sett size was before they began to grow?

Historically, i.e. in the c18th there was no such as a standard sett size and probably not in the majority of the C19th either.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I have read(I think on Albanach.org) that it was a larger sett size that made kilts go from 4-5 yards to the now standard 8 yards. Please correct me if I'm wrong Matt.

I don't recall ever making such a statement. I also don't think that the switch over from pleating to stripe to pleating to sett was a contributing factor either. I say this based on the fact that the earliest reference I know of to pleating to set is c. 1900 while the increase of material in the kilt grew from nominally 4 yards to nominally 8 yards over the course of the 19th century.

I honestly think the increase in the amount of cloth used was a fashion trend, and probably facilitated by the fact that as the nineteenth century progressed, the kilt changed from being an everyday garment to a more ceremonial (special occasion) garment.

[Guinness>water]

Yes sir, your right.

Do you think sett sizes have changed much from back in the old days? Is a sett repeat bigger today than back then?