“Scottish Small Arm Creels have been made with a lost technique that was used in baskets unique to fisher communities along a small stretch of coastline in NE Scotland during the late 19th and Early 20th centuries.”
My interest in reviving a lost basket first took seed during my time at Westhope College while studying for the City & Guilds Level 3 basketry qualification. As part of the course, our tutor Clare Revera (@welshbaskets) encouraged us to carry out research into a lost or endangered basket design from our local area, with the ultimate goal of recreating a final piece. I was pleased to have the push to explore it further.
Having lived in Angus since 1997, I had some knowledge of the basket-making traditions within the fishing communities along the northeast coast of Scotland during the 19th and 20th centuries. An initial internet search led me to The Woven Communities website, a fascinating resource dedicated to Scottish vernacular baskets. Created by a community of researchers, craftspeople, and historians, including the Scottish Basketmakers’ Circle, it provides a wealth of knowledge aimed at preserving and celebrating Scotland’s traditional basketry heritage.
It was exciting to discover that a basket, known as the Arbroath Rip, had been unique to a small section of the Angus coastline stretching from Montrose to Arbroath. It was used by fisherwomen to carry and sell fish. This large, oval-shaped frame basket had integrated handles on either side where a strap was attached. Fisherwomen would place the strap across their upper chest and shoulders to distribute the weight, allowing them to carry the heavy load more comfortably.
The fisherwomen also used smaller oval baskets known as ‘bow or arm creels,’ which were carried either over the arm or placed on top of the rip. These were used to display fish for sale, making it easier for customers to see their offerings.
One particularly interesting discovery was that some baskets had such a distinctive style that they could be identified as the work of a single craftsman – an Arbroath basket maker named Peter Lindsay. I was warmed to read that his weaving was so precise and neat that it points to the fact that he enjoyed his work beyond its necessary function and had an interest in developing and improving designs – something I very much connected with all these years later!
Surviving baskets and photographs show that the frames of these rips and some of the handles on the arm creels were made of laminated strips of wood which must have required specialist skills. It was noted that Peter Lindsay might have worked alongside skilled joiners in the boat building industry or had access to a steam box to bend the wooden frame into shape. The construction of the both the rip and arm creels were unlike any frame baskets I had seen before, the ribs were added in and trimmed in a way that created an attractive arrow detailing and the handles on the arm creels were added to the inside of the main frame. Climbing out of the rabbit hole my research had led me down I decided to focus on recreating an arm creel hoping the smaller challenge would be more feasible to achieve alongside my college work. They would make a great product – used as a shopping or foraging basket and I thought it would be quite special to be able to teach how to make them in the same county they originated from if I was able to master the technique!
At the beginning of February 2020, with my head full of ideas, I visited the Signal Tower Museum in Arbroath to see the historic examples on display. At the same time, I booked onto a workshop with Danish basket maker Anne Mette Hjørnholm, who was traveling to Scotland to teach a workshop on oval frame baskets that spring. I was all fired up and raring to go when COVID hit, and my plans suddenly halted overnight!
I put them to the back of my mind, where they stayed for four years until, out of the blue in May 2024, I got another opportunity to book onto a workshop with Anne Mette, this time at her home workshop in Denmark. I arrived armed only with a few photographs that I had taken of the rip at the Signal Tower Museum and hoped that would be enough for her to help me decipher the unusual method.
We talked over the differences between the frame baskets that Anne Mette specialises in and the Scottish technique – the most obvious two being with the handle and rib positions. On the Scottish arm creel, the handle was always added to the inside of the main frame, and every rib was then braced against the frame and woven in individually. In contrast, in Anne Mette’s style of basket, the handle is always added to the outside of the frame, and the ribs are placed into the weaving below in sets of three at a time before separating out individually. I wondered whether the arm creel would have rested more comfortably against the hip if the handle was on the inside and that was one of the reasons behind the construction.
I was grateful for Anne Mette’s expert eye, as she spotted steps needed to replicate the technique that I would have missed, a testament to how deeply she understood her craft.
By the end of the three days, I had developed a deep appreciation for the Scottish creel, recognising its practicality, strength, and the craftsmanship that had gone into its design. This wonderful technique, with its hidden strength, has remained quietly preserved in museums for decades, and I would love to see it reintroduced for modern-day use.
Not long after I returned from Denmark, I had the opportunity to submit the arm creel I made into the touring exhibition ‘Basketry: Rescuing, Reviving, Retaining’ which was part of the continued work of the Basketmakers’ Association. It was an honour to represent Angus and highlight the unusual technique.
If anyone is interested in researching a lost or endangered basket from their local area, I highly recommend the Woven Communities website as a place to start. The Basketmakers’ Association also offer bursaries to support this work. Applicants must have been a member for at least two years to be eligible.
INTERESTED IN JOINING THE SBC?
It’s a friendly group for anyone curious about basketmaking, whether you’re giving it a go for the first time or looking to deepen your knowledge. Members get together to share skills, learn, and take part in creative opportunities.
