After coming onboard the project, we are almost 100 days into the journey. Finding suitable yarns was key to starting the project? Commissioned by lead researcher Joanne Watson from day one into examining the tartan at the West Highland Museum, and I, Ashleigh Slater, the weaver on the project, had to re-think everything I knew about tartan – the surviving textiles in question are almost 270 years, and this had to be taken into account during the research, everything in today’s modern society has changed from measurements to old weavers counting systems, the early 18th century was measurements, The Scottish Ell, porters or gangs for warp sequence the etymology of these weaving words is another side to the research to reflect on at a later report. The team had to research yarns, dyes – weaving in the 18th century had to be re-examined during the research phase.
From the outset over the Winter months, the weaver wove samplers using the original sett at 52 threads per inch using lambswool and Merino based yarns – from this very starting point, the weaver noticed, the quality was to ‘manufactured’, and Joanne Watson also had an issue with the ‘softer quality’. The research team had to take into account the original tartan was made before the Industrial Revolution and spinning was at best in rural cases still done on a drop-spindle in the rural Highlands and Islands; hand-spinning wheels and further yarn processing were done in a more semi-industrial setting in townships. Research is still ongoing to try and trace the origins of the tartan making, whether this was done in rural Scotland or the townships in the Lowlands, or further afield in England. The wool on the original tartan was from a coarse worsted-spun yarn and dyed, which is typical of tartan from the early 18th century.
The nature of worsted woollens is not a popular choice in today’s fast-fashion society. We have moved forward as an industrial society, consumers want soft, luxury, Merino and lambswool, and Cashmere is the go to choice. The weaver sampled using these as a starting point as the yarns are readily available, but after the sample phase, we found the quality did not match the original sample. At this stage, we started to reflect on yarns and compromise. After much research, we found the right yarn, but not in suitable colours and vice-versa. After much reflection, the research team changed the yarn to a worsted yarn at 40 threads per inch, adjusting the sett but keeping everything as authentic as possible; The research team concluded after examining the yarn under a microscope, that the yarn has a hand-spun quality that was much more suited to a denser yarn as was in keeping with the original sett. The initial measurements are done by a ruler measuring each thread and counting them per inch to get the ‘threads per inch’. Research is still ongoing into the sett and design of the tartan, but we are satisfied that the results will be as authentic to the original ‘Flora Macdonald’ tartan as possible.
Struggling still to find the suitable yarn, the research team was at the 11th hour, and at a point, where we were about to turn a kitchen into a dye-house! After contacting dye houses, the weaver stumbled late into the night across the perfect yarn, dyed in small quantities on a humble website nestled in 50 pages of google searches. Finally, after another anxious wait to receive the shade cards, the research team chose the perfect colours, and the yarn is safely now in the weavers’ studio. From this point forward, the weaver is creating design files and weave plans and will be setting up the loom in March and weaving Flora’s tartan: a 100-day journey into the tartan. Over the next month, more shared updates will follow as it progresses from warp to weave.
Report by: Master weaver Ashleigh Slater
Textile Designer and Researcher: Joanne Watson
.jpg)
This is a Spirit of the Highlands Project
For more information about the wider project and its funding visit the Spirit-360 and Spirit of the Highlands websites
For information on the research check out the Sassanach Stitcher blog