Regular pattern design using tartan proportions and grid manipulations

Tartan, the woven, checked, and wool textile considered by many to be originally from Scotland, has in fact been in use in a range of forms across numerous cultures and during various historical periods. The characteristic checked feature is due to the assembly of different coloured threads in both warp and weft directions which intersect at 90 degrees in a combination known as a sett. For well over one hundred years, different setts and thus different colour combinations have been associated closely with different geographical regions within Scotland, as well as different clans or families. Tartan-type textiles have reached popularity at various times and those have often been a predicted fashion trend suggested, for example, by contributors to fashion gatherings such as Premier Vision in Paris. Often proposed designs are best considered based on tartan combinations rather than simple reproductions. Promotional terms such as "patched checks" or "textured checks" have been common, and often these have been derived from tartan-type constructions. This paper explores novel pattern design methods by identifying the underlying grid structures and proportions exhibited by various well-known tartan setts. The possibility of pattern development from tartan grids and their manipulations is thus the focus of attention. An insight into the methodology associated with the production of original pattern designs is thus provided.