What can you make with 960 feet of rope and a broom handle? A macrame wall hanging that a) is heavy, b) will make your fingers sore, and c) will make you smile each time you look at it.
A few weeks ago, I accepted my friend’s challenge to enter a craft into the county fair. Why not support the arts on the most basic level, right? And here’s what I came up with.
And I have to admit, I just love it. Believe it or not, it only consists of 2 basic knot techniques – the Half Hitch knot and the Square knot. For the body, I used mostly Square knots, with rows of Half Hitch knots weaving through. I love the fluidity and motion. Hence its name “Water Dance.”
But my favorite part is the bottom.
To create the twists, I simply tied a row of Square knots and always started the knot on the same side. The technical name for this is the Half Square Knot Spiral, and it’s quite easy to make. Then I tied the ends and frayed the tips.
I plan to hang this in my Midcentury Modern styled Florida condo, and I’m considering painting the wall a dramatic color so the macrame will really pop. For now, however, this macrame wall hanging found a home on a concrete wall in my art studio… where it makes me smile every day. GO HERE FOR THE FULL TUTORIAL.
When I do the half hitch I end up with an uneven amount of strings…how do you know if you want to be spontaneous where to put extra long strings or how to deal with an uneven amount of strings? What am I missing? Thanks so much!
That’s a tough call. If you plan to use half hitch knots (which I think are so lovely!) you just need to plan on having lots of extra cording. They do take up a lot of cord. Plan on having about one fourth to one third more than the cord suggested.
It’s gorgeous Wendy, such a dramatic piece. It would look great against a plain wall in a bold colour. (It looks great against the white so I guess I mean even better!)
Thanks Julie!
This is gorgeous! I’ve never attempted macrame, but I do crochet and beadweave, so I know that fluid feeling of just creating with a repetitive action that forms a wonderful whole. And thanks for breaking down how you did it. It has me pondering whether I should give it a go (do I need another craft? Brain says yes, credit card says no, brain pouts.)
The dark background will definitely make it pop. I’m thinking ocean turquoise would emphasize that lovely flow feeling you have created.
Thanks so much for sharing 😀
Art always!
Best wishes,
Liz
Thanks Liz! I agree that a deep Mediterranean blue would be good for the wall. And yes, we all need more crafts. If we listened to our wallets, we’ve never have any fun.
I have started making your macrame folding screen in 12th scale for dollshouse, I love crafts especially miniatures
Love your site, Kath ( Scotland )
I’m intrigued by this… would love to see pictures! I’ve always wanted to build a dollhouse!
This is awesome, Wendy! I have never been here before but am loving your creative style! Visiting from #TuesdayTalk over at Sarah’s today 🙂
Thanks Meghan. So glad you stopped by!
Thanks! I used 5/16″ cotton rope. I wanted a thick rope, but when finished it was pretty heavy. The best pricing I found was from JB Rope Supply online.
It’s very stunning. May I ask what size of rope you used ?