Tartan Caledonia

I’m Ashleigh Slater, a Scottish textile designer, tartan designer and trained Master Weaver based in Blairgowrie, Perthshire.I have worked within textiles, weaving and tartan design for many years, combining traditional skills with contemporary digital design to create tartans that are personal, meaningful and relevant to the people and organisations they represent.My background is in Textile Design, and my work has included bespoke tartan commissions, hand-weaving, textile development, community projects and creative education. I particularly enjoy taking something with such a rich Scottish history as tartan and showing how it can be approached in a fresh and contemporary way.Teaching is an important part of my practice. I enjoy working one-to-one with people and helping them turn an initial idea, story or collection of colours into something they can actually see and develop.My tartan design workshops are relaxed, creative and practical. You don’t need to be an artist, designer or weaver to take part. I’ll guide you through the process from understanding how tartan works to developing colour, proportion, sett and visual identity.For those with weaving experience, I can also take the process further and help translate a digital tartan design into a practical weaving plan.Whether you’re designing a tartan for your family, wedding, business, organisation or simply for the experience of creating something uniquely your own, my aim is for you to finish the course with both a new understanding of tartan and a design you can be genuinely proud of.