Heritage crafts represent skills and trades which were originally learned and practised out of necessity. Using locally sourced materials and traditional techniques, people in the Outer Hebrides created many items to aid with daily life. Heritage crafts, and the techniques used to make them, are therefore a tangible part of our cultural identity.
Heritage crafts, also known as folk art, rural craft, indigenous craft and traditional craft, are still practiced today, although less so out of necessity. People now use these traditional techniques to create expressive and innovative pieces of art and unique gifts; some earning a living from their craft, others partaking just for the love of it.
Once held by many, these skills are now in rapid decline, meaning the finer details of how these items were traditionally made are being lost. While the cultural significance of Heritage Crafts are somewhat understood, the many health benefits they offer are only just now being realised. Heritage Crafts can enhance mathematical skills, improve motor-neuron skills and even slow cognitive decline.
Woodturning
Turned wooden items have been used for centuries for simple domestic utensils, farm implements and maritime articles. For example: pulleys for blocks & tackle, joinery such as staircase parts, furniture, musical instruments, sports equipment, measuring and drinking vessels etc.
Crookmaking
The craft of stick making dates back to ancient times and is known all over the world, although the shepherd’s crook, also known as a ‘crummock’ in Scotland, seems to be located to the British Isles in its design.
Many shepherds made their own crooks which were used to aid their long walks with the sheep. The small branch at the end of the stick was used to catch sheep and rams around the neck.
Reed Basket Weaving
Baskets were an essential tool for rural households in the Outer Hebrides, playing a part in many aspects of domestic, social and economic life. They were used to carry peat, seaweed, bait, fishing lines, fish, crops, and so much more.
Heather Rope
Heather rope has been around for thousands of years in Scotland; evidence of heather rope was found at Skara Brae, a 5000 year old village on the island of Orkney. Heather rope was stronger than straw rope and remained strong in the water. It had multiple uses, such as: holding down thatched roofs, securing boats, bundling firewood and making baskets.
Embroidery
Embroidery has long served as a medium for storytelling and expression. It was considered an essential skill for young girls and occasionally boys, to learn. Young girls would practice their needlework on what was known as ‘samplers’. Girls and women would then use these skills to mark household linens, such as, sheets, undergarments, and personal items, and to decorate clothing and household furnishings with motif patterns.
Knitting
Knitting is one of the younger Heritage Crafts in Scotland, the skill only reaching our shores in the 15th century. It was originally practiced as a means to earn a living by producing items for Scottish labourers, such as bonnets. Much like weaving, knitting was traditionally a male dominated industry, but by the 17th and 18th centuries it had become a key occupation for many women and children too, producing everything from jumpers to underwear.
Quiltmaking
The blanket on display is made using the patchwork needle technique, sewing together multiple pieces of fabric to form a flat design. This technique was a good way of using up scrap pieces of fabric or extending the life of clothing. As such, this technique was more of a domestic, rather than a professional activity.
weaving
There is no one town or mill in Britain which owns the history of tweed, many people have long been involved in weaving tweed for their own domestic needs. However, Harris Tweed, An Clò-Mòr in Gaelic, is the only fabric in the world to have its own act of parliament. There are approximately 190 self-employed weavers and 9,000 different patterns. The cloth has an economic, historical and cultural importance to the communities of the Outer Hebrides.
With thanks to the Kinloch Krafters who provided many of the items on display at our Heritage Craft exhibition, July-September, 2024.