New tartan launched for Return to the Ridings
A new Tartan has been created to celebrate Return to the Ridings, a major Homecoming Scotland 2009 event taking place in the Scottish Borders.
The tartan not only represents the history, heritage and colours of the Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals but, using Scottish Borders textile expertise, the tartan also incorporates a reflective yarn for night-time safety.
The Return to the Ridings tartan, a project managed by the Scottish Borders Council Homecoming Scotland team, was designed at Heriot-Watt University and woven by Robert Noble of Peebles.
The tartan has been submitted to the Scottish Tartans World Register will create a lasting legacy for Homecoming Scotland in the Scottish Borders.
It was designed by Emma Arthur-Daniels a Heriot-Watt University textiles masters student.
Emma created a design which blends the traditional values of the Border Common Ridings with modern yarns. Each of the eleven towns participating in Return to the Ridings is represented in the tartan with the inclusion of their colours in the tartan over-checks.
“This was a very exciting project to be involved in and a real opportunity to develop my work in the use of textiles. Heriot-Watt has such a fine reputation in the textiles industry and it was a challenge to represent that reputation in such an important design. However I think the final product holds true to the values of the Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals, while incorporating the new concept of weaving modern yarns into this type of fabric,” she said.
The tartan has been used to create garments for the Peebles Beltane Festival Cornet Gareth Harrison and his Lass Laura Robson who are pictured modeling the new cloth.