Just playing with primary colours, collage and machine stitching on 300g/m2 watercolour paper. 6.5"x6.5"

I love this spotted scarf. In the September/October 07 issue of the English magazine Embroidery, there is an article about the development of these spotted bandanas. Glasgow, Scotland was a textile centre in the 1800's and there was a Red Society devoted to seeking better ways of dying light-fast and wash-proof red fabrics. In 1785 the dye known as Turkey red (or Smyrna or Adrianople) found its way to Glasgow. In 1802, Henry Monteith began producing bandanas, bleaching out the white spots, instead of tye-dying, and achieving a rate of 224 every 10 minutes. They became a popular neckware and were taken to America by Scots forced from the Highlands during the Clearances. In America, many moved west, droving cattle - and so the cowboy with the red-spotted scarf became part of history.