Tartan, the woven checked wool textile considered to be originally from Scotland is common to many cultures and historical periods. The checked feature is due to the assembly of different coloured threads in 90 degree warp and weft directions (known as the ‘sett’). Originally (at least in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries) the colour of the sett was originally associated with different families, clans or geographic regions. Although tartan-type textiles have attained popularity the world over, it is also a predicted fashion wish for the forthcoming Autumn/Winter 2019/20 season (at least as suggested by exhibitors at Première Vision). Forthcoming fashionable designs may include ‘deconstructed tartan’, ‘textured checks’, ‘patched checks’ and ‘geometric printed checks’ etc. This paper aims to explore the proportions between tartan sett, the underlying grid structure and how these grids can be distorted for novel textile pattern design uses. A refreshing insight into textile pattern design methodology is thus provided.
Key words:
tartan, textile, grids, pattern design.