From Design to Kilt

Using Tartan Designer offers a straightforward method of creating a tartan for personal, organisational, or business use.  You can design a tartan from a 'blank sheet' or use an existing tartan as a starting template and change any aspect - number and width of stripes, colours, etc.  If, for example. your organisation or family has an existing tartan you can create an on-screen version of this and then modify the design to create a new tartan e.g a dress version.  A design can be saved at any point in the design process and returned to for further work at a later date.  Although you can create designs as a 'guest' user it is necessary to register and log in if you wish to save a design, add to your gallery, and email the design to yourself and others.

Design Process

>>  Register   >> Log in   >> Design your tartan  >> Save your design to the Gallery  >> Email your tartan

In order to view your tartan you need to download Tartan Viewer - this is a free application that allows you to view your tartan full screen on your monitor, zoom in and out, view as a photorealistic cloth sample, and print out your design.  If you wish a friend or colleague to view your tartan you can send them the tartan file (.ttn) together with a link to the Tartan Viewer download.  (To download Tartan Viewer click on the link on left of this page or click here.)
News- watch out for our iPhone and Android apps coming soon! 

Registering your Design and having the Tartan Woven
Users can submit the design for consideration for weaving to our panel of experts, for a modest fee. They will advise on the design - is it unique (i.e. it would not be confused with an existing tartan), does the sett size and the colours need modified to make the tartan affordably weavable, and is the scale suitable for using the tartan for making a kilt. They will then advise on the Registration process and weaving together with costs. Registration is essential to protect your design which will be registered in the two main private registers (The Scottish Tartans World Register and The Tartans Authority) and also submitted to the public Scottish Register of Tartans - the official registrar set up by the Scottish Government.

It is commercially possible to have short runs of tartan woven as small as kilt lengths although we would recommend a minimum of 10 metres (costs reduce per metre for longer runs).  Our short run tartans are woven and hand finished at various mills dependent on their speciality or requirements and all use traditional weaving techniques producing the highest quality. Prior to weaving a sample swatch of the threads that will be used will be sent for final approval of the colours.

If required further advice can be given on having the tartan tailored into kilts, trews, or other items of highlandwear. We also have long term relationships with many other specialists for manufacture of all the varied products which can be transformed by a vibrant tartan design. We have full kilt design and tailoring facilities and all our kilts are made in Scotland.

Please contact us for further information on any aspect of the design, registration, weaving or kilt tailoring processes.  We will be pleased to assist you.

See www.tartanweb.com for our full range of highlandwear products.