Map made by Madeleine the Mouse while studying at Pine Martens, of the balloon trip honeymoon/escape from Forres to London, pulled by wild geese. For a silk scarf of this map, click here.
The Fictional World of Queer Tartan
Lost Property Office, Findhorn Village, run by a friendly badger whose name I forget. For rather fun silk scarves based on the lost property, click here.
Awkward Ligneous Doll, Findhorn Village. A suitably esoteric sounding shop run by the lovely Rowan the Rabbit who makes Sukajan bomber jackets and slightly weird little peg dolls she sends to world famous fashion designers for their inspiration. To purchase jackets click here.
Dream Bears and Jaguar Skates - skate shop in Hackney run by a friendly female skater gang of creatures. Coming soon!
Queer Tartan Woollen Mill, Leith.
Madeleine & Betty are two mice who find love and family through a network of queer friends and acquaintances. Their world is large, messy, silly and colourful. It is based in and around Forres in Speyside, Leith in Edinburgh and Hackney in London. These are all places I am intimately acquainted with. Pine Martens Art School is obviously Central St. Martins where I studied in the late 2000s.
If you would like a further, more immersive taste of what their world is like, please visit me and the mice at Ye Olde Queer Tartan Museum at 154 High Street, Forres. It is 2 stops on the train from Inverness airport.
Flocked Flowers run by Seraphina the Swan, at 154 High Street, Forres. For flower prints click here.
Places
Circus Pony Records - Betty’s band and record label. To purchase 12 inch and 7 inch artwork, click here.
Disco Distilled, Madeleine’s Dalston nightclub/gallery. To purchase works exhibited here click here.
Main Characters
Madeleine
Artist, former circus performer, narrator and co-inventor of Queer Tartan. A mouse.
Betty
Madeleine's wife, circus violinist and founder of the Circus Pony record label. A mouse.
Rowan
Kind-hearted rabbit, tailor, pattern cutter and maker of extraordinary dolls. Lives in Findhorn.
Seraphina
Elegant swan, proprietor of Flocked Flowers in Forres and wedding celebrant.
Aloysius
Fabulous drag-performing bear, teacher and guardian of London's queer community.
Donald
Madeleine's controlling father, a clown and proprietor of Circus Bluebell.
Prince Albert
Circus strong-mouse, Madeleine's former fiancé and heir to a tartan mill in Leith.
Odette
Glamorous lesbian owl, textile expert and manager of the tartan mill.
Susie the Lizard
Technology enthusiast and 3D designer whose experiments help create Queer Tartan.
Simon the Swan
Fashionable department-store employee at Leopard and Queer Tartan collaborator.
Jess the Jaguar
Skateboarder, maker of bedazzled power tools and member of the Thursday-night creative circle.
Billy the Mink
Mathematically minded circus contortionist interested in music and Neolithic carved stone balls.
Other Characters
Daphne
Madeleine's beloved piebald circus horse.
Teddy
Rowan's pet cashmere goat, who supplies wool for her creations.
Gita
Prince Albert's mother, a gerbil.
Nigel the Pine Marten
Friendly record-shop owner at Vinyl 2 Vintage in Nairn.
Fuzz the Bear
Madeleine's illustration tutor.
David the Moorhen
Madeleine's photography tutor.
Cathy Gull
Illustration tutor at art school.
Natalie the Gibbon
Experimental textile design tutor.
Jim Geddes the Jackdaw
Sculptor making unusual geometric bronze forms.
Cornelia Marland the Mallard
Curator associated with Jim Geddes's sculptures.
Neil the Guillemot
Fashion figure-drawing tutor.
Sarah the Barbet Dog
Publisher of the radical feminist craft magazine Seal Vadge.
Bob the Cat
Friend from the Thursday gatherings who works at Paper Dress.
Depressed Rainbow-Socks Donkey
Unnamed donkey whose workplace bans his rainbow socks.
The Fox
Sceptical, heterosexual member of the Thursday-night group.
The Geese
A flock of heroic birds who rescue Madeleine and Betty and guide their balloon to London.
Places
Awkward Ligneous Doll
Findhorn. Rowan's magical little shop, specialising in textiles, silk jackets and peg dolls known as Gallae.
Flocked Flowers
Forres. Seraphina's artificial flower hospital, where discarded flowers are transformed into extraordinary bouquets.
Queer Tartan
Brick Lane, London. Madeleine and Betty's shop selling their newly invented textile designs.
Disco Distilled
Dalston, London. Madeleine's gallery and nightclub showcasing queer artists, with a Speyside whisky bar.
Leopard
Oxford Circus, London. A luxurious department store where Simon works and Queer Tartan scarves eventually go on sale.
Eel and Raven
Traditional outfitter supplying ceremonial gowns and formal clothing.
Horses
Paris. Prestigious silk-scarf company where Madeleine's mother worked as a designer.
Vinyl 2 Vintage
Nairn. Record shop run by Nigel the Pine Marten. It helps Madeleine and Betty establish their first record collection for sale.
Otter Lenghi
A rather nice bistro providing the birthday feast at one of the Thursday-night gatherings.
Mouse's
London, Old Compton Street. A falafel café where Madeleine and Simon enjoy lunch and watch fashionable Londoners passing by.
Dream Bears and Jaguar Skates
Skate shop next door to Madeleine and Betty, at 21 Hackney Road.
Other named shops, organisations and venues
These appear in the story, although some are real businesses or fictionalised versions of real ones rather than original shops.
Circus Bluebell
Donald's travelling circus
Circus Pony
Betty's band, later a record label
Pine Marten's School of Art and Design
Madeleine's London art school
Aloysius's School for Drag Queens
Drag performance and makeup school
Warthogs Music Hall
London performance venue
Paper Dress
Venue where Bob works
Spanielfields Market
Market where handmade creations are sold
Nairn Wool Shop
Wool shop selling Teddy's cashmere
Wester Hardmoorhen Fruit Farm
Strawberry supplier
Johnstoats of Elgin
Cashmere company
Knockcockatoo
Blanket maker
Brodie Countryfare
Local food and gift supplier
Chinchilla Chai
Tea brand
Terns Oatcakes
Oatcake brand
Bearberry
Fashion brand
Barbear
Fashion brand
Fennec and Mallard
Fashion brand
Sturgeon Airlines
Airline commissioning Queer Tartan interiors
Mosset Tavern
Forres pub, mentioned at the end of the story
Other named figures and fictionalised public personalities
These names appear in the actual story, rather than just in your preliminary notes.
Alexander McQuail — fashion designer
Matthew Williamswan — fashion designer
Andrew Lobster Logan — artist and jewellery maker
Eleanor Medhorse — lesbian fashion historian
Betsy Goose Greer — craftivism figure
Stewart Lee — described as a field mouse
Charles Jeffrey Loverswan — fashion designer
Mary Parakeet Portas — retail expert
The Sobieski brothers — two ferrets associated with the invented tartan histories