Know Your Plaid

Time for some education! No pop quiz, I promise.

items from my fabric stash and sewing pile

Woven plaids are created by striped bands of yarns intersecting on the warp (length) and weft (width), causing a grid pattern. Plaid can be found on variety of weave structures (plain, twill, herringbone, etc) as well as used in a knit or printed.

Gingham

is a balanced design, with equal sized bands

Check

is like gingham, but the squares are larger
also a balanced design, with equal sized bands, in twill weave

 Houndstooth

is like gingham, but using a twill weave

Windowpane

is a balanced design, with very narrow bands alternating with wider bands

Tattersall

is windowpane with more than two colors

Tartan

(the official CA tartan)

is a name given to plaids associated with Scottish clans. There are now tartans for countries, US States, brands (like Burberry) and so on. My favorite site for finding tartans is Tartans of Scotland, where you can also read more about them.

Glen

is short for Glenurquhart, a region in Scotland. Also known as Prince of Wales check, it is a houndstooth woven with various sized bands, sometimes with more than two colors.

Madras

is cotton cloth originally from Madras, India (now called Chennai). It typically has irregular bands in bright colors. Read more here.

Notes:
I created all the plaid repeat images above.
I was greatly helped by this post by Alexander West (which has additional information), and Wikipedia.

[12/26 addition] This post is part of IFB's Links a la Mode: December 26

Attire Club: The Best-Dressed Men of 2013
A la Modest: Your Guide to: Cheap,Used, and Unique Holiday Dresses
Al Balsam Life: Affordable & Cute Prom Dresses
Awaking Bohemia: Artist Spotlight Ashley Camper
Beauty and Sass: Three Trends That Need to Go Away in 2014
Cat Eyes and Skinny Jeans: What to Wear on New Year’s Eve
Head to Heels: Aztec Pencil Skirt 5 Ways
Healthy Fashionista: Hues of the Harvest
Keily’s Fashion Pics: Introducing Catwalk Chic Boutique
Kremb de la Kremb: Winter Tan
Les Assorties: Nailberry Got Us On Our Toes
Miss Monet: The Fashionable Ladies of 2013
Purushu Arie: 25 Reasons Why Tablets are a Better Way to Fashion Blogging
Spy Girl: Know Your Plaid
Style Bizzare: Love Me, I’m a Woman: Why Good Sexism is Bad
Style Curated: Dover Street Market Hits NY in Style
The Lifestyle Project: The Battle of The Mascaras
The Golden Girl Blog: 8 Entertaining Tricks Every Hostess Should Know!
Trend Survivor: PS Oneone Neoprene Jacket
We Are Ready Made: Marc and His Showgirls

SPONSOR: East Dane MCM Worldwide, Oscar Renta,
Moschino, Acne, Marwood,
Flogg Shoes,
Sunday Somewhere,
Vionnet, MJ Swim, Natural Selection Jeans