From Coat of Arms to Tartan: The Cadilhac Case.

[cadilhac]

Hi there kilt people!

I have the great opportunity to officiate my sister's wedding, and as a seasoned kilt wearer and one-time kilt maker, I'd like to go all in and design a family tartan. My foremost inspiration is my family's coat of arms¹:



The salient feature of which, to me, are the greyhound and its open collar, and the three emblems on top.

I designed the following tartan, based in particular on Québec's tartan, a place I hold dear:



(https://www.scotweb.co.uk/tartandesign/design/86306)

If you'd had any feedback on this design—go as harsh as you want, this is my first try—I'd love to hear them!

Cheers;
M.

¹: (Edit) This is a French coat, bearing no official value, traditionally inherited by the males of the family.

[Tarheel]

I see from the link that this is a non-symmetrical design. Will this pattern effect pleating options? How large a sett (in inches) would this become, if this were a symmetrical tartan?

I like the color combo and think it promotes the family crest well.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Looks pretty nice to me.

[figheadair]

Not too disimmilar to the Kilgour tartan.

I don't like the busy effect of the arrangement K2 Y2 K2 Y2 K2 Y2. Bands conprising lots of 2 thread stripes is a tricky arranglement to get right. Also, the initial K2 will likely be lost in the mix.

Consider amending the proportions of the colours relative to each other and removing the initial black line; for example, Y4 K4 Y4 K4 Y4.

[cadilhac]

@Tarheel: Thanks for your opinion! Appreciated :-) The sett size is 5.2'' according to the design tool. That's on the low end of what they recommend, but already the one I made had a sett size of 4'' and still ended up OK. I believe that Todd's preview is about the right size. As for limitations incurred by asymmetry, what do you have in mind? I don't recall a moment I really needed a symmetry on my kilting days, but I may have missed something indeed :-)

@Todd: Thanks so much for that preview, mighty great stuff! Is there a tool online for that?

@figheadair: Yeah, K2 Y2 is a crowded patch indeed, you are definitely right. I really like what you did with the colors too, that's definitely inspiring! Thanks very much! You say that the initial K2 of this sequence would be "lost in the mix"; is that to say that one won't see it, or that it unnecessarily loads the pattern?

Thanks to you all, you're helping a lot :-)

[Tarheel]

I was letting my own preference (pleated to the sett instead of to the stripe) hinder my thinking. Having studied Todd's kilts (as he posts photos) I should realize a kilt can make a tartan look better with the way it is constructed.
I think the sett size is fine without being too "busy" for a large panel like the kilt apron or a vest. I have spent more time looking at symmetrical patterns but can adjust my perception to your project.

[cadilhac]

An interesting matter indeed! I haven't made my mind yet on whether this would be pleated to the sett or to the stripe; you believe one is not an option with an asymmetrical tartan? I plan to order the fabric from Scotsweb, getting 4 yards of it (which I assume is double-width, for a total of 8yards, but I may be mistaken), and depending on the heaviness of the material, wing the amount of pleats, and decide then what looks best. Do you have any advice on that?
Thanks!

Cheers;
M.

[figheadair]

@figheadair: Yeah, K2 Y2 is a crowded patch indeed, you are definitely right. I really like what you did with the colors too, that's definitely inspiring! Thanks very much! You say that the initial K2 of this sequence would be "lost in the mix"; is that to say that one won't see it, or that it unnecessarily loads the pattern?

Basically, you won't see it, so why have it.

An interesting matter indeed! I haven't made my mind yet on whether this would be pleated to the sett or to the stripe; you believe one is not an option with an asymmetrical tartan? I plan to order the fabric from Scotsweb, getting 4 yards of it (which I assume is double-width, for a total of 8yards, but I may be mistaken), and depending on the heaviness of the material, wing the amount of pleats, and decide then what looks best. Do you have any advice on that?

I'm not sure I understand the comment about an asymmetric sett but it's definitely possible to pleat to sett as this example of Glenorchy shows.


Scotweb's (via D. C. Dalgliesh) minimum order is 8yds single width. If you want double width you'll need to order more.

[OC Richard]

In general I'm not a big fan of asymmetrical tartans. I know, I know... they've been around for centuries, but they just don't "look like tartan" to me. For sure symmetrical tartan designs are inherently stronger, as is anything with a symmetrical design, such as the vast majority of corporate logos, cars, the human face, and so on.

[cadilhac]

Scotweb's (via D. C. Dalgliesh) minimum order is 8yds single width. If you want double width you'll need to order more.

Ah! From their website, I read that the minimum order is 4 meters, so I guess this is double width? Thanks for the great example for the asymmetrical sett pleat!
@OC Richard: Well, my face is not all that symmetrical, so I guess it's a good fit :-D