Creating new packaging for my shortbread has been a joy, and has brought with it an unexpected surprise. Generally I make design decisions quickly - I am not a ponderer. As I thought about my nana, Johanna Margaret Johnson from Shetland, for some reason I was reminded about the multitude of kilts I wore as part of my school uniform. What about the Johnson tartan?
Aghhh - the internet. I wrote to the Shetland Family History Society, and within 12 hrs, there was a response. Not only did I have many relatives still in Lerwick, but my mother’s first cousin, Dorothy, actually worked in the office I had contacted 12hr prior!
It’s my hope to return to Lerwick in September 2014 to catch up with all those cousins - including Dorothy! My mother, Sylvia, and I traveled there from London in the early ’80’s, but sadly did not make any family connections on that visit.
Back to the tartan....box design....
Unlike the Scottish clan system, the Shetlanders used a patronymic system. So while there was no Johnson tartan as such, the Johnsons would have worn the Gunn Tartan. 3 Nanas version of the Gunn tartan is what appears on the website and my new Shortbread box.
3 Nanas heart logo ( te manawa) was kindly created by Mike, tattoo artist from Otautahi Tattoo in Auckland, New Zealand.