Knot and Natter - Macramé Inspiration from Sarah-Jane Fleetwood
CUSTOMER INSPIRATION This month we are delighted to introduce the lovely Sarah-Jane, owner of The Curious Penguin, who has shared her macramé story, her creations, and some great advice.More
Knot and Natter - Macramé Inspiration from Sarah-Jane Fleetwood
In this months Knot & Natter, we'll be hearing from Sarah-Jane, owner of The Curious Penguin (@thecuriouspenguinshop), who has told us her lovely story about how she got into macramé, and provided some excellent tips and advice.
HI SARAH-JANE, PLEASE COULD YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
I was always encouraged to be creative when I was younger. My Mum is amazing at art and made the most beautiful cakes, and my Dad is always constructing and making things, so I caught the bug early. I remember spending hours making scrapbooks, I adored my flower press, and one of my favourite memories is when my Grandad taught me how to draw flowerpots.
My husband and I recently moved to St Albans and he despairs of me as I have filled our tiny house with every craft supply you could possibly imagine – from clay to pyrography, sewing to origami, I love it all! I have never been able to say no to a craft kit and fill most of my spare time making new things. I occasionally run too, but I’m not very good at it and I do not like the rain, so I often have an excuse to stay in and craft instead!
WHAT FIRST INTERESTED YOU IN MACRAME?
I love trying every new craft I can get my hands on, so for a birthday a few years back, I was bought a crafting voucher for The Lovely Craft Club (@lovelycraftclub), and on their website was a course on making some macramé hanging shelves. They were wonky and the knotting was so uneven, but I was captivated instantly. I still wasn’t brave enough to try it on my own, so a year later at my Hen Do, my sister organised a surprise macramé plant hanger course back at TLCC. It was so much fun and was the extra little boost in confidence I needed to give it a go on my own. I have the shelves hanging in my workspace and I love them for all their imperfections.
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
My favourite place to find inspiration is outside in the world. It may sound strange but on a recent walk I came across the most ornate iron gates to a posh house, and the organic forms and repeated pattern were so interesting that I had to take a photo – it’s given me an idea for a wall hanging.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MACRAMÉ CREATION YOU HAVE MADE TO DATE?
That would have to be the macramé cat bed I made for a custom order recently. I have never attempted anything like this before, but I loved the challenge, and I am so grateful to my client for allowing me the chance to give it a go. I learnt so much from doing it and would love to do another one in the future.
ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR TUTORIALS YOU HAVE FOUND USEFUL AND WOULD RECOMMEND TO OTHERS?
@atelie_liberte and @kharebavairina on Instagram post wonderful short tutorial videos showing new knots and patterns that are really easy to follow. Also, not a tutorial, but I would also recommend Fanny Zedenius’ Macrame books (@createaholic) – the projects are beautiful and easy to follow, and she provides so much useful information on cords, cord lengths and decorative knots that you can learn and incorporate into your work.
CAN WE SEE SOME OF YOUR PROJECTS SO FAR?
This was the first wall hanging I designed. I used an incredibly soft single twist cord which feels amazing to the touch. It took me two solid days to do this and definitely spent more time undoing my work than I did knotting! But I am really proud of the final result.
Available to buy at
Etsy
I made this yoga bag from necessity as my yoga mat kept unravelling and was a pain to store. I kept it quite simple as I love the colour of my mat and wanted it to be seen. The hardest part was working out the opening and closing mechanism. I spent hours pouring over tutorials and YouTube videos for backpacks and similar projects to make sure I did something that would work – which luckily it does!
Available to buy at Etsy
Are you even a macramé artist if you haven’t made a plant hanger? I know these are a dime a dozen but I had some 2mm navy cord that I was desperate to use. I rarely work with coloured cords so this was really fun for me. I also loved how detailed the knots were when I used such thin cord.
Available to buy at Etsy
WHAT IS YOUR NEXT PROJECT GOING TO BE?
I’ve recently started my first macraweave in order to use up the mountain of scraps I have – I really want to finish it and I’m having so much fun learning new techniques. It’s also allowing me to incorporate colour into my work which is something I am lacking. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone!
WE HAVE A GUIDE TO HELP OUR CUSTOMERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS DECIDE WHICH MARCRAMÉ CORD TO USE; WHAT IS YOUR GO TO MACRAMÉ CORD?
Ohhhh such a tough question! I think I would have to say 3 ply is my favourite – its strong enough that you can keep a fairly constant tension in your knots, but also looks beautiful when you unravel it. I most regularly use 4mm cord thickness – I find this is the most versatile for wall hangings and plant hangers, but I would love to experiment with more chunky cords in the future.
Click here to shop for our Twisted 3-ply 4mm cord
WHAT TOOLS DO YOU FIND MOST USEFUL FOR YOUR PROJECTS?
I use a couple of things to help me. I purchased a cheap dog grooming brush which is great for brushing out cords. I also use a kitchen roll holder to put my yarn spool on to make it easier to unravel when measuring, although I do want to invest in something more robust. I bought an adjustable height clothes rail cheaply too which is something I cannot work without now. I am also looking at purchasing a yarn ruler for measuring out cords, but a tape measure works just fine for now. You don’t have to spend loads on fancy tools, especially when starting out!
FINALLY, HAVE YOU GOT ANY TIPS OR ADVICE YOU WOULD PASS ON TO OTHER MACRAMÉ ENTHUSIASTS?
Measure twice and cut once! My Dad drummed that into me as a kid, but I still make mistakes! The most annoying thing for me is cutting my cords too short and only realising 75% of the way through a project. Also, if you’re foraging for wood to use in your projects, always always always double check for woodworm before you bring them into your house. Sadly, I know this from experience!
THANK YOU SARAH-JANE!
Click here to visit The Curious Penguin's Instagram page
Click here to shop at the Curious Penguin on Etsy
Click here to shop at Tassel and Plume
Click here to read Jan's Story
If you would like to share you macramé story, please get in touch at info@tasselandplume.co.uk
What's Your Reaction?
