Plaid means blanket in Scottish Gaelic. Tartan means crisscross pattern. Reason Americans call it Plaid is because the original tartan item sold in the USA was Plaid (blankets) imported from Scotland.
I know this is a few years old, but from what I have learned about sheepskin it is better now to buy the real thing because sheep are being farmed more for their meat than in years past so many of the pelts get thrown in the trash.
