A traditional tartan weaving scheme

The Falkirk Tartan is believed to be the oldest tartan in existence. This tartan is an example of 3rd century tartan production. It shows that in this era different colors were created by using different types of wool instead of the wool that was dyed with the different colors that we see today.

While there were professional weavers, most of the tartan produced in the 1700s was produced by the woman of the house using small handlooms. Small-scale tartan productions meant that only small sections could be produced at a time. As a result, smaller pieces of material were often sewn together to produce the desired size, for example when producing a plaid.

The ‘waulking’ of the wool takes place before the wool is spun into yarn.

The process of cleaning the tartan cloth of any dirt or oil and treating it to make it more resistant is called “waulking”; the fabric was soaked in warm water and urine (for ammonia) and then allowed to dry before kneading on a board, sometimes a door was removed from its hinges if no other surface was available. On the island of St Kilda, women worked together to move the cloth with their hands and feet while singing a traditional song of ‘waulking’ to help keep time.

Most dyes were made locally from plant sources: most commonly bark, roots, heather, and berries that could produce a dye that would not fade. So-called old colors that are more subtle and muted than modern synthetic dyes and are still popular. “Every good farmer’s wife was competent to dye blue, red, green, yellow, black, brown,” James Logan notes in the 19th century. the use of local dyes produced a range of color variations depending on the dyes that were available locally and small variations were accepted. There was great pride associated with tartan production and the different patterns created.

How is the tartan woven?

The warp: the longitudinal thread of the tartan is first placed on the loom, then the weft (transverse threads) is woven. The checkered pattern is created by weaving the two colored bands at right angles. The lower part of the skirt is called the selvage; It is woven in a different way to prevent the material from unraveling.

Before the Battle of Culloden in 1746, most tartans were woven by independent weavers at home. With the advent of regimental tartans, traditional fountains could no longer meet the demand and specialized companies emerged to deal with these new customers. Wilson’s of Bannockburn was one of the most famous.

Due to the ban on tartan, the art of weaving at home was lost to some extent. He mourned the loss of old cloth-making skills “Deprived of the pleasure of seeing their husbands, sons, and favorites, in that elegant drapery, emulation died, and they were content to make wool in the coarsest and most awkward way … “Patterns of the seventeenth century, as well as the methods of dying, had been largely forgotten. For a time, regimental kilts were synonymous with very cheap clothing. Those in command of the troops sought to cut costs and soldiers often had kilts made from a very poor quality tartan and less material than a standard skirt. As a result, English cartoonists of the time depicted Scottish troops wearing ridiculously short kilts. This practice ended with the intervention of Queen Victoria, who ordered that ‘soft tartan be used instead of hard’ for all regimental tartan.