Everything about creating this fabric, and this pattern was important.
The thread count carries dates.
The colors represent the obstacles, deaths, and legal prosecution.
As in days of old-there’s a message woven into this tartan
That reminded me…
A spirit came to me once when I was with my friend Edwin Richardson. The ghost was a red headed man, who seemed to be Ed’s ancestor. He kept trying to get my attention, pointing to Ed. The spirit INSISTED- and repeated, that “the patterns of your people” are IMPORTANT and he kept looking at Ed. The ancestor kept motioning to Ed’s flannel. His L.L. Bean shirt.
Ed said, “Don’t listen to him.”
I trusted Ed’s judgement (he was a Wizard himself!) so I ignored Angus? (I think was his name?) and went about my business.
Recently I’ve been intrigued by patterns, weaving, textile making and its tools as metaphors. So much that I’ve created a modality- DreamWeaving 101– with a framework built around this rich, textured, artform.
I knew the pattern on Ed’s shirt was important to this ghostly ancestor, and I had a vague idea that it was related to his family’s history. As I read this story about a new Scottish Tartan design to honor persecuted witches, I wanted to know more about Ed’s shirt. Today I looked it up. I knew his shirt was LL Bean. I found out the pattern he was wearing wasn’t just plaid- it was an actual Scottish tartan design. The pattern of his people. Angus was right- it was important.
Well, now Ed’s on the other side. His shirt is hanging in my closet and his ashes are sitting on my mantle. I just asked him. He’s THRILLED about this NEW tartan design, like he’s updating his wardrobe as I type this.
Interested in DreamWeaving 101– A Quantum Healing Hypnosis modality? Message me for information.
From Smithsonian Magazine, The Wild Hunt, Witches of Scotland
A Scottish tartan now carries the memory of thousands of people executed under witchcraft laws.
The Witches of Scotland tartan was officially registered in February 2025 to honor those persecuted under Scotland’s Witchcraft Act, which was in force from 1563 to 1736. Data from the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft suggests 3,837 people were accused, with around 2,500 ex*cuted. Most of those accused were women.
The design was created through the Witches of Scotland campaign, founded by Claire Mitchell KC and Zoe Venditozzi, with designer Clare Campbell of Prickly Thistle Scotland. It uses one of Scotland’s best-known cultural forms, tartan, as a living memorial.
Every part of the pattern carries meaning. Black represents the dark history of the prosecutions, while grey recalls the ashes of those whose bodies were burned after execution. Red represents bloodshed, and pink reflects the legal ribbons used to bind court documents. A white check of three threads represents the campaign’s three goals: a legal pardon, a formal apology, and national memorials.
The thread count also preserves dates. Black squares contain 173 threads, marking the 173 years the Witchcraft Act remained in force. Other parts of the pattern encode 1563 and 1736 through the sums of their digits.
In 2022, then-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issued a formal apology for the historic injustice. Campaigners continue to seek a legal pardon and memorial recognition.
Textiles often hold history in ways that books and monuments cannot. In this case, cloth becomes a way to remember people whose names, families, and communities were deeply affected by fear, accusation, and the law of their time.
How do you think clothing, weaving, and traditional designs can help communities remember difficult histories?
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, The Wild Hunt, Witches of Scotland,
