By Patricia Belyea
SELKIRK UK While all tartans are plaids, not all plaids are tartans. Yes, the horizontal and vertical stripes intersect at 90-degree angles like a plaid — but each tartan’s specific grid of colors and lines is historically tied to a Scottish clan, family, or institution.
Victoria and I toured the Lochcarron of Scotland Mill to learn more about this culturally significant textile. Our guide, Candice Given, a recent graduate of the Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design, generously took us behind the scenes. The standard 45-minute tour stretched to more than two hours because we had so many questions!
Here are some of our tour highlights:
DYE ROOM
Candice showed us a spool of ecru (undyed) wool from the spinners as well as ecru wool prepared for dyeing. The wool had been loosely spun onto a perforated core so the dye could permeate all the layers, from both the outside and the inside.
We weren’t allowed near the dye pots, but this is what we learned: Lochcarron has eight dye pots in total. For a bespoke tartan — with a minimum order of 11 yards — a small dye pot is used.
The wool is loaded into the dye pot, boiled with dye, and then rinsed — a process that takes about two hours.
We saw a batch of dyed wool being loaded into the Whiz where it would spin at high speed for five minutes. Afterwards, the wool would be dried on racks in large ovens at around 80ºC for up to eight hours.
THE WEAVING FLOOR
As we stepped onto the noisy weaving floor, we put in earplugs.
For efficiency, the warps of two jobs using the same quality of yarn can be woven at the same time by knotting the ends of the threads together. We were shown Lochcarron’s warp-tying machine that knots 400 to 500 threads per minute.
To prepare for weaving, the warp threads are wound onto a drum in the required pattern sequence. Then the entire job is wound off the drum onto a beam, ready for weaving.
Once the industrial looms are set up, rapiers — not shuttles — shoot the weft threads across the width of the cloth.
QUALITY CONTROL
The first 30 cm of every order is inspected to ensure the colors, pattern, and weave are correct before weaving progresses.
We met Pamela in the Darning Department, the final step in quality control. For more than 40 years, Pamela has repaired minor flaws in the woven cloth.
Typical darning includes mending broken threads or pulling knots to the back.
If a single warp thread is missing, it can take Pamela up to two and a half weeks to hand weave the replacement thread back into the cloth!
FINISHING
There are many finishing steps — scouring, purling, milling, decating, brushing, and tentering. Candice surprised us with a natural teasle used to brush the surface of lambswool, cashmere, and mohair to create a soft directional pile.
THE WAREHOUSE
Although Lochcarron has a gorgeous showroom, it was exciting to see the mill’s extensive warehouse inventory. Besides rolls of tartans and other woven fabrics, Candice pointed out £5 Crafter Packs filled with one kilo of tartan wool — essentially a Scottish scrap pack!
KILT MAKERS
Victoria and I never crossed paths with the two kilt makers working upstairs at the Mill. We learned that bespoke kilts require an in-person fitting, that all the pleats are secured with hand stitching, and that each kilt takes about three months to make.
THE TARTAN WALL
Before finishing up, Victoria and I appreciated the Lochcarron Tartan Wall with its amazing collection of colors and patterns. We looked up Victoria’s family name, Stone, and even found a kilt made in her tartan.
LOCHCARRON SHOWROOM
Our last stop was the Showroom with its irresistible collection of tartan-inspired and distinctly Scottish goods.
By the end of the morning, we had gained a whole new understanding of tartan. What appears to be colorful plaid cloth is actually a remarkable blend of history, engineering, artistry, and identity — woven together thread by thread in the Scottish Borders.
To visit the Lochcarron website +click here
To visit the Lochcarron Mill in person: Lochcarron Mill Visitor Center, Rogers Road, Selkirk TD7 5DX
BELOW Detail of a wall map showing the location of Scottish clans
Patricia and Victoria are currently in the UK scouting exciting people and places for their inaugural Great UK Quilt & Textile Journey. To be on the Interested List for this Summer 2027 tour, email Victoria +here.
