An X Marks tartan

[Dreadbelly]

I second the motion of the 5 colours.

[Jerry]

You guys are creating all kinds of problems for me. I was just about to order another kilt, either in the Scottish national tartan or one of the Gordon (my mother's side of the family) tatans. Now if this has any kind of a chance of happening, I might have to wait to see it. I don'tknow if the bank accounts can handle two new kilts right now.

[Alan H]

OK, now listen up.

If Cyndi will design it, I will be the *push* behind getting a few yards of it woven for ties, hats, shawls, etc. An hours snooping the web last night turned up almost a dozen handweavers in the USA, Scotland, England and New Zealand who can make tartan that's appropriate for lightweight things like this. Those things are not "cheap" but they're not hundreds of dollars, either. My mother in law and my "grandmother in law" have had small hand looms and I've watched them work several times so I know enough about it to only have half of my questions be totally stupid!

Now, I know nothing whatsoever about commercial mills. Nothing, Zip, Zero, nada. So I'm not signing up for shepherding the process through the production or a worsted midweight kilt cloth. I'd be biting off a lot more than I know about to do that.

But you know what I'm guessing? I'm guessing that if a dozen X-Markers sign up for ties or a scarf and one of our weavers turns out enough material for that plus one more yard, which we get good photographs of, folks will get interested and the whole thing might take off.

[seamus]

JerMc! Get the Gordon. I just got a Gordon semi-formal and it's fecking <gorgeous>. Seriously. An gordonach!

oh, and i'm sorry, but i think using the olympic colors in a tartan would be HEINOUS. sorry. i know what you're getting at, but seriously - blue, black, yellow, red, and green? again, good concept, but it would not be pleasing to the eye (imho). ooh! idea. why not do the colors of the UN flag - light blue and white. *that* would make a pretty tartan, and it represents unity and all that good stuff. how about it?

good idea about Clan X, by the way. i think we should try to get registered. or, barring that, someone design a crest! another question then - what would our clan crest be?

[Dreadbelly]

I know what Clan X's motto should be.

Friends are family by choice.

Mayhap translated into Latin or something.

Olympic colours in the tartan would look fine. Yellow could be just a few threads wide as an accent. Blue and green are common tartan colours. Black and red both make nice accent colours. A thin stripe of red yellow and red, sandwiched between thicker black stripes, with large checks of blue and green.

[macwilkin]

good idea about Clan X, by the way. i think we should try to get registered. or, barring that, someone design a crest! another question then - what would our clan crest be?

See Dana's post in the off-topic section; Dana has produced three designs based on a traditional Scottish crest badge.

Cheers,

Todd

[Doc Hudson]

I know what Clan X's motto should be.

Friends are family by choice.

Mayhap translated into Latin or something.

Olympic colours in the tartan would look fine. Yellow could be just a few threads wide as an accent. Blue and green are common tartan colours. Black and red both make nice accent colours. A thin stripe of red yellow and red, sandwiched between thicker black stripes, with large checks of blue and green.

Well flour my butt and call me a biscuit!

We agree on something for a change!!!!

Will wonders never cease?

[Satirist]

Oh yea, I can see myself now, at the rivers edge wearing my new fishing cap and matching box pleat 4 yard kilt in the 5 color Clan X tartan, pulling in a state record catfish, and all folks can think about is, "what is that fellow wearing?"

To whom do I send the money.

[stehvelo]

"Well flour my butt and call me a biscuit!" - that's the funniest thing I've read all week!

The Olympic tartan sounds very handsome. I hope it really does come to fruition.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Two comments:

1. If people really want to have a "Clan X" you don't need to worry about "registering" a crest badge and motto. In the Real World (tm) that stuff is handled by the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland, but since we are not talking about an actual clan, but more of a "club" then you guys can design and use whatever kind of crest or logo you wanted to. Hank's already made up some XMarks kilt pins, right? Why not use that as a crest, that's what they were made for.

2. On the tartan (once a design is completed, of course) when people are ready to have kilts made, just ask your kilt maker. Any maker of traditional kilts will be familiar with the woolen mills and will be able to handle that aspect for you. You don't need to worry about finding a mill and all that. Just ask your kilt maker!

Aye,
Matt

(BTW, if I were to design an X-Marks tartan, I'd use this board for color inspiration. That means blue, white, and grey -- and maybe a bit of yellow for the emoticons!)