What is the history of tartans?
According to the Scottish Tartan Authority, originally the word “tartan” described the way the thread was woven to make the cloth: each thread passed over two threads then under two threads, and so on (what we refer to today as a twill weave). This gives tartan its distinctive appearance. Unlike a conventional check, there is always a square where the two colours of thread cross creating a speckled blend of the two colours. Tartans were most likely not a Celtic invention. The Chinese are thought by some to have invented tartans over 3,000 years ago!
