Tartan
I have still to discover the history of the Dowling Tartan. It could have been developed by a Dowling whose ancestors moved to Scotland. Nevertheless, here it is.
The shades may vary according to the weaver but the threads of the Dowling tartan are coloured as follows:
| Colour | Number of Threads | Colour Used |
|---|---|---|
| White | 6 | |
| Tan (brown) | 8 | |
| Black | 6 | |
| Tan (brown) | 16 | |
| Green | 28 | |
| Black (note that book has a misprint and accidentally omitted this colour but showed the number of threads) |
6 | |
| White | 6 | |
| Black | 6 | |
| White | 6 | |
| Black | 16 | |
| Yellow | 10 | |
| Blue | 40 | |
| White | 6 | Overlapped with top row |
Here, with apologies to tartan makers everywhere, is the electronic development of the tartan.
| 1 - Horizonal Sett | 2 - Vertical Sett | 3 - Completed Sett | 4 - Pivoted Setts |
|---|---|---|---|
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| check against the numbers above |
Do the same again vertically | This square is what they call a 'sett' |
The completed sett (3) is mirrored or pivoted 4 times |
| if you fill a space with the pivoted graphic it acts as a seamless tile! |
|---|
You can also see how tartans can be different from one another by only one thread!
Of course, it looks better when you make a lot of it with proper wool! Click on it to enlarge.
"The source is a book called "Tartans - Abbotsford to Fraser" by William H Johnston and Philip D Smith Jr.
This is a Schiffer Design Book published in 1999 by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA. 19310. USA (ISBN: 0-7643-0961-7)."
(My copy was purchased as Bushwood Books, 6 Marksbury Avenue, Kew Gardens, Surrey TW9 4JF
The book is subject to copyright clear so I cannot produce a scan of the tartan as displayed. I may have some made up in the years to come depending on the price.
| Laois | Leinster | Offaly |
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