Meet the Island Makers

This series is written by Julia Welstead in partnership with the Scottish Islands Passport. The Scottish Islands Passport App can be downloaded from Google Play or Apple’s App Store. A physical copy of the Meet the Makers Travelogue is available in the shop.

We love the Scottish Islands Passports’ Island-Centred Ethos, especially how the app also highlights ways you can contribute to the islands you love.

Julia Welstead - Island Makers

From Barra to Lewis and back

My mission was to travel from Barra to Lewis interviewing artists, artisans, crafters, producers on behalf of isle20 and the Scottish Islands Passport.

Join me on my journey to meet these incredible Island Makers – from Barra to Lewis and back!

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Kerrera

Rowan Glen – Sea Tea, Kerrera

Rowan’s travels have taken her through a Conservation Biology degree at Aberdeen, a Journalism Post-graduate course in Glasgow, an illustration course and, most recently, a Horticulture course at Oban Argyll College.

Corinna Krause Sollas Bookbinding
BookbindingNorth Uist

Corinna Krause – Sollas Bookbinding, North Uist

By Julia Welstead As I park alongside a sleek woodclad house, home to Sollas Bookbinding, a woman flits past the …

FoodHarris

Julie & Steve Olley – Croft 36, Harris

By Julia Welstead I’m in croft heaven. Twice-my-height willows sway and flex in the breeze all around me, thriving on …

Eilidh Carr Coralbox
BernerayPhotographer

Eilidh Carr – Photographer & Coralbox owner, Berneray

By Julia Welstead Eilidh Carr remembers playing ‘shop’ as a kid, so setting up shop for real in her home …

ArtistLewis

Emma MacKenzie – Weave-art, Lewis

by Julia Welstead Like so many island makers I am meeting, Emma MacKenzie is a multi-tasker extraordinaire. Her love of …

CommunityLewis

Tina MacPhail, Grinneabhat Community Hub, Lewis

By Julia Welstead In a fate sadly common to many rural primary schools, Bragar school closed in 2012. Having opened …

Heike Winter Mustheb
FoodHarris

Heike Winter – Mustheb, Harris

By Julia Welstead “Fortune or luck is my theme” Heike of Mustheb tells me as we settle in for a …

North UistPoet

Pauline Prior-Pitt – Poet & painter, North Uist

By Julia Welstead We talk from the get go, from the gate, ‘sorry it’s closed, the sheep get in to …

ArtistBerneray

Kirsty O’Connor – Artist-maker, Berneray

by Julia Welstead I initially find out about Kirsty O’Connor through a Tiree friend who attended UHI (University of Highlands …

HarrisWeaver

Rebecca Hutton – Weaver, Harris

by Julia Welstead I’m told to look out for a shed in the garden behind a white house, and it …

BarraKnitwear

Margaret Anne Elder – Herring Girl Collection, Barra

By Julia Welstead Knitting is a skill often learned from a grandparent, with perhaps more time on their hands than …

ArtistNorth Uist

Cally Yeatman – Artist, North Uist

by Julia Welstead The day I’m due to meet Cally Yeatman she is still testing positive for Covid-19. I ring …

The Scottish Islands Passport project works with islanders from Unst to Arran to create beautiful things which celebrate our islands and our islanders and help you explore more!

Explore Scotland’s islands and meet the marvellous artists and makers who call them home with this beautiful travelogue. Designed to introduce you to new islands you might like to explore, the travelogue allows you to collect ‘passport stamps’ for the islands you visit, using a series of brass rubbing plates available on the islands featured.

From the shop