Continuing on the theme of boxes and wooden things, as it is St. Andrew's today I thought I would talk about Tartanware, a type of Mauchlinware.
I have a similar collection to the one above, in fact I have just been dusting it which is always a bit of a bind, not because it was St. Andrew's Day, but because the sun was shining in on it and I was shamed into it!
Long before I lived in Scotland I loved tartan, but when I lived there, unless you were wearing your own clan tartan, it wasn't really the thing to indulge in. That was the prerogative of tourists! However, tourism was what Tartanware was made for. When the railways brought tourists to the more isolated areas of the country, they of course wanted to buy souvenirs and in Mauchline in Ayrshire they manufactured small wooden items for this market. They were decorated in different ways and some were tartan - hence Tartanware!
I found the picture above online and am not sure what "A Great Highland Fling" means - please ignore! It was probably taken from a magazine illustration which as usual, can't differentiate one part of Scotland from another!
Happy St. Andrew's Day to all Scots wherever you are - have a wee dram for me!
I have a similar collection to the one above, in fact I have just been dusting it which is always a bit of a bind, not because it was St. Andrew's Day, but because the sun was shining in on it and I was shamed into it!
Long before I lived in Scotland I loved tartan, but when I lived there, unless you were wearing your own clan tartan, it wasn't really the thing to indulge in. That was the prerogative of tourists! However, tourism was what Tartanware was made for. When the railways brought tourists to the more isolated areas of the country, they of course wanted to buy souvenirs and in Mauchline in Ayrshire they manufactured small wooden items for this market. They were decorated in different ways and some were tartan - hence Tartanware!
I found the picture above online and am not sure what "A Great Highland Fling" means - please ignore! It was probably taken from a magazine illustration which as usual, can't differentiate one part of Scotland from another!
Happy St. Andrew's Day to all Scots wherever you are - have a wee dram for me!
2 comments:
Just found you by way of Maureen over at In Pursuit of Quilts. The Tartanware photo really caught my eye. I am the proud owner of one (only one!) piece of Tartanware...it is a bell shaped container that holds a silk tape measure. I found it while on a trip to Sydney, Australia back in 1994. It will probably be the only piece in my sewing accessories collection but I treasure it so.
I remember seeing your tartanware pieces Mary. They always looked nice and clean when I saw them. Well done for the excellent article in The Quilter!
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