Coburg / MacKay Tartan Wall Panel

Description

Straw marquetry wall hanging.You don't need to have Coburg or MacKay heritage to appreciate this tartan wall panel.  The colour combination is just striking and the natural material of straw gives it a beautiful luminescence appearance.  

I take the actual tartan fabric relative to the family tartan and then play around with colours, patterns and design to something that I think works.  And this one works well.  

Once the

details are all decided, I cut each strand of straw, flatten them and apply them to a substrate and pop it in a frame.
Fun fact:  straw marquetry is very new to Australia but it has been in Europe for centuries.  It was once considered the 'poor man's gold' because of its luminous qualities and being a natural material.Straw has a layer of silica and it is this layer that gives the straw its natural sheen.  The placement of the straw helps to highlight the sheen. It's a slow craft but the results are worth it.