Tattie Scull
Tattie Sculls were baskets used for collecting potatoes (tatties) on lowland farms. These were often spale baskets made from split wood, but could also be baskets made with a frame of oak or hazel and woven with willow or cane. In more recent times tattie sculls made from natural materials were replaced by wire baskets of similar shape and size.
Woven split wood basketry
This basket has a huge variety of names. These include tatty baskets , tatty swales, oak swales, oak spales, spale-oak, scuttle, slop, skelk, wisket, spelk, swill, skep, skulls or sculls. It seems that some were made in Scotland but mainly they were made in the Lakes in the …Continue reading “Woven split wood basketry”
Tattie Talks at Strathmiglo Vintage Rally
A regular at Strathmiglo Vintage Agricultural Machinery Rally is John Marshall from Auchtermuchty, a great potato expert who leads ‘Tattie Talks’ and has spent a ‘lifetime in potatoes’. I didn’t get time to talk to Peter in depth, but he …Continue reading “Tattie Talks at Strathmiglo Vintage Rally”
What we know about tattie skulls
Tattie Skulls were used to collect potatoes (tatties) during the potato harvest throughout lowland Scotland. They were made with different materials, for example split wood, cane, or willow rods, in different places, but generally were of similar design, size and …Continue reading “What we know about tattie skulls”
