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Tartan Ribbon

One of the most frequent enquiries we receive concerns tartan ribbon and many 'brides-to-be' are disappointed when they discover that the particular tartan they want, just isn't woven!

Of the thousands of tartans registered with us, only around 40 are produced in ribbon. This obviously means that for anything other than the most popular tartans already available in ribbon, finding your desired tartan ribbon will normally mean finding the closest alternative.
There are only a couple of large tartan ribbon weavers left in the UK and, rather sadly, none left in Scotland. Please note that they only supply to wholesale customers and do not deal direct with the general public. A tiny handful of specialist weavers also survives.
The range of tartan ribbon and widths available changes constantly as new products arrive and older stocks disappear. This table (correct at Sept. 2011) shows the most popular tartans and widths available although please contact tartan-ribbon.com for the most up-to-date news on availability.

The figures shown under the tartan names are the approximate widths (in millimetres) in which this particular ribbon is produced. If you don't care for foreign measurements, here is a rough comparison: 7mm = 1/4" 10mm = 3/8" 16mm = 5/8" 25mm = 1" 38mm = 1½" 70mm = 2¾". Please note stocks from different weavers vary slightly so, for example, 38mm may be 40mm etc. A 25 metre reel holds approximately 27½ yards.

Availability of tartans in ribbon
If you don't see your desired ribbon among the above - don't despair! Bearing in mind that your use of it may well be in bouquets, buttonholes, favours, flower arrangements or on invitations or the wedding cake, not a great deal of the tartan will be showing and at this small scale, finding a similar alternative always works well. In most cases no-one except a real tartan anorak will notice the difference!

Remember too that, historically, many tartans are connected and appear similar, if not identical... the Sutherland tartans, for example, share similarities with Campbell of Argyll because they were part of the same extended family. The Sutherland 42 is really the "Government Tartan" - what we now refer to as the Black Watch, the 42 referring to them being 42nd Regiment of Foot.

Modern tartans
Modern commercial tartans reflect changing fashions as far as colours are concerned and each Highlandwear company jealously guards the design rights to their own tartan so, as a result, several very similar ones have appeared all at the same time.

The best example is probably Pride of Scotland . . . produced by McCalls of Aberdeen and therefore not available through most other Highlandwear companies. In response to demand, other companies have produced their own similar tartans . . . Thistle, Heritage, Spirit of Bannockburn, Freedom, Western Isles, Bute, Isle of Skye, Heather, Scotland's Spirit and so on! There's very little point in producing separate ribbons for each of these very similar tartans, so a generic ribbon like Pride of Bannockburn tends to cover most requests.
Similarly we see a growing trend in "fashion tartans" . . . tartans designed purely for fashion use with no actual heritage, but often quite fun. Good examples are the popular pink "Raspberry" tartan . . . now a firm favourite for use in Civil Partnerships and Christenings, as is it's sister tartan "Blueberry".

Stockists
Most large department stores will stock a limited range of tartan ribbon as will many fabric shops, florists and garden centres. More specialist companies are coming into their own, such as tartan-ribbon.com, who try to source and stock every tartan ribbon available.
Alternative solution

Although conventional woven polyester ribbon is by far the most popular, mainly because the set of the tartan appears complete regardless how narrow the ribbon, there is an alternative from one weaver who can supply strips of lightweight fabric in over 500 tartans which they can cut into strips and hem them to prevent fraying. Each strip is 54" (137cm) long and widths range from 1" (2.5cm) to 12" (30cm).

Although an excellent solution for those who "must have" their own tartan, please remember that each length only shows a strip of the tartan, which will normally appear as a series of stripes, and that the weight of the woollen cloth and 1" minimum width normally make it unsuitable for use on small items like cards or wedding favours but ideal for most other wedding related needs. For this lightweight wool ribbon contact the Scottish Tartans Authority.

The Tartans Authority also works with tartan-ribbon.com who are more than happy to handle enquiries and answer any of our visitors' questions about tartan ribbon.

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Tartan Ribbon

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