Designing a tartan and how to pleat it

[kc8ufv]

Chas,

Given some thought to your comments, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought you were really on to something. I created this tartan, a modified of my first choice. I think it may look more traditional from a distance, but look more and more interesting the closer you get. But I may be reading too much into it. Please let me know what you think. I can take the critique.

I like it. Though, maybe if the double yellow were a little closer together, it would open more options for pleating, and still be just as interesting.

[Paul Henry]

There is a lot more going on here, and two things spring to mind. From a kiltmakers point of view the busier a design is, the fewer permutations it can be pleated to easily, as it's useful to have a little bit of spare colour on the edges of the pleats so that no extra colour shows through.Secondly how many colours? do I count 8? most weavers don't really want to do more than 6, at least they will for an extra charge, but sometimes I find that using too many colours leads to a certain "muddying" of the other colours, and that is not always desirable.
I see you have guarded the red and yellow, I'm not a complete fan of that as it makes the lines really jump out, some like, some don't, but it does give a multi layered ( almost 3D) effect to the tartan.

[Semiomniscient]

There is a lot more going on here, and two things spring to mind. From a kiltmakers point of view the busier a design is, the fewer permutations it can be pleated to easily, as it's useful to have a little bit of spare colour on the edges of the pleats so that no extra colour shows through.Secondly how many colours? do I count 8? most weavers don't really want to do more than 6, at least they will for an extra charge, but sometimes I find that using too many colours leads to a certain "muddying" of the other colours, and that is not always desirable.
I see you have guarded the red and yellow, I'm not a complete fan of that as it makes the lines really jump out, some like, some don't, but it does give a multi layered ( almost 3D) effect to the tartan.

I realize it's busier, I guess that's the purpose of this one. It can be adjusted if the pleating options are not to our committee's liking too. I think it is 8 colors... but our Society is interested in possibly buying a bolt. I would hope that they would be interested in having that kind of business from a group that's been established for 35 years (that is, with the potential to buy more tartan in the future.) I think since the sett size is now (give or take) 9", pleating to the red, light blue, or single yellow stripes, should all still be viable as there is enough base color to cover either side for knife pleats.
I can go eitherway on dark guard stripes depending on the rest of the tartan. In this case, I prefer it and I think I've created a 3D or depth effect with the black and dark blues.