Tartan of the month - September: What do yo see?

**figheadair** · 7th September 11, 11:46 PM

So what do we know so far?

The material is roughly 54.8 x 51.2 inches.

It has a navy herringbone selvedge banded at the edge with red.

There is stitching on the lower edge (as pictured).

18th century and recorded by Scarlett as 'curtains from Nethybridge'.

Some thought it might have been a kilt.

Come on guys. Put this all together. After posting several papers on my site and 9 months of these teasers some of you should be able to work through this. Look at the list above and in each case ask yourself - so what!

Hope you're having fun.

**R.S.Buff** · 8th September 11, 08:32 AM

Herringbone selvedge - The owner of the kilt had some wealth and by the width taller than most.
Taller indeed. The piece is 54.8 x 51.2 inches.

I thought the looms were 28" does it have a seam in the middle? can't tell by the photo. If so could have been a great kilt that had been cut and stitched at the cut.

My first statement was logical but incorrect because of the false premise that it was not a curtain or double width cloth.

**figheadair** · 8th September 11, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by R.S.Buff

I thought the looms were 28" does it have a seam in the middle? can't tell by the photo. If so could have been a great kilt that had been cut and stitched at the cut.

My first statement was logical but incorrect because of the false premise that it was not a curtain or double width cloth.

Bingo. I could have posted a detailed pic to begin with but the aim of these monthly sessions is to encourage people to work things out from less than perfect information as is so often the case and one has to apply techniques and principles observed elsewhere.

Traditonal Highland cloth was, based on surviving pieces, generally 22-28 inches wide but I've seen 19 and 33 inches too. 26 inches seems to have been the most common width which would obviously have given a 52 inch plaid. Assuming the measurements passed to me by the photographer are correct then a single width of this one is approx 27.4 inches wide.

And so, where are we now?

**NorCalPiper** · 8th September 11, 09:29 AM

Just a wild guess, and I'm gonna throw this out before I go look it up to see if its wrong, but is it "Fraser of Blainey"....Gonna go check now to answer my own response. Feel free to correct before I post my results of self investigation.

**figheadair** · 8th September 11, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by NorCalPiper

Just a wild guess, and I'm gonna throw this out before I go look it up to see if its wrong, but is it "Fraser of Blainey"....Gonna go check now to answer my own response. Feel free to correct before I post my results of self investigation.

You mean Fraser of Boblainey. There is some similarity but not as much as other old setts and none of them are the same as this.

**figheadair** · 16th September 11, 10:29 AM

The month's gone quite. A little prod

**DrCelt** · 16th September 11, 02:02 PM

Reminds me a bit of one of the MacGregors, but I know that's not right.

Closest thing I could find was a maple leaf color scheme wise, but the pattern's still not right. You've picked a stumper.

**figheadair** · 16th September 11, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by DrCelt

Reminds me a bit of one of the MacGregors, but I know that's not right.

Closest thing I could find was a maple leaf color scheme wise, but the pattern's still not right. You've picked a stumper.

It's a stumper if one tries to attach a clan or district etc name to it. I was trying to get folks to tease out more about the actual piece from the evidence to hand.

**xman** · 16th September 11, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by figheadair

And so, where are we now?

Lost?

I know there might be a tendency to wish this were a belted plaid what with having been sewn together in just such a manner as we've been told, but that's just not possible at 1 1/2 yards. That would barely wrap around a man. I keep thinking blanket or curtain as was initially proposed. Would that include a herringbone edge? Maybe a plaid of some kind though. Arisaid?

**figheadair** · 17th September 11, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by xman

Lost?

I know there might be a tendency to wish this were a belted plaid what with having been sewn together in just such a manner as we've been told, but that's just not possible at 1 1/2 yards. That would barely wrap around a man. I keep thinking blanket or curtain as was initially proposed. Would that include a herringbone edge? Maybe a plaid of some kind though. Arisaid?

Oh dear

. Look at the OP. A picture tells a thousand words and the answer is there to see.