Tartan Library
Got a taste for tartan? I certainly do (and a library to match). Here's some of the best in books on the subject for reference.
Tartan Colouring Books (for adults)
Colouring books for adults are all the rage as an artistic endeavor for relaxation. If you miss the fun of picking out just the right shade from your crayon box, here are some fun books for all ages.
Tartan Fashion
Tartan in clothing and fashion has undergone multiple revival periods and assumed different cultural associations and personalities. From heritage-wear or symbol of nationalist movements, to the punk fashion signaling of the last century, to a favored textile muse for haute-couture, its striking patterns and colours never fail to inspire, and always catch the eye.
With the onset of the digital age, we are living in an intense creative period for personalized tartan and its use in creative design.
During the early 1800s when Scottish regiments on the European continent piqued local interest in Scottish tartan and the kilt to Queen Victoria's passion for "the simple life of the Scottish Highlander," sparking a Scottish revival in the arts, tartan has never been and will never be out of fashion.
Tartan History
Beyond the traditional historical clan, regional and military affiliations, today there are tartans designed for countries, counties, states and provinces, corporations, businesses, schools and sports teams, commemorative and historical events or personages. Today, there is a historical or modern tartan for everyone.
Tartanware
The town of Mauchline, Ayrshire, was well known in the 19th century for their practical and decorative items made of wood from the plane (Sycamore) tree. By the early 1840s an inking machine was invented which replicated tartan patterns on paper, which in turn were glued onto the wooden objects.
Tartanware experienced explosive growth following Queen Victoria's ascension to the throne in 1837 and her subsequent popularizing of "all things Scottish". Practical and souvenir Tartanware was produced in quantity into the early 20th Century until all production stopped in 1933 when a fire destroyed the machinery used to print the tartan patterns. Both Mauchline and Tartanware are now valued collectibles.
Weaving & Quilting
If you're really ambitious!