Amy Mullins - Macraweave: Macrame meets weaving with 18 stunning home decor projects

AMY MULLINS &
MARNIA RYAN-RAISON

www.davidandcharles.com

This book is your must-have guide to macraweaving, the exciting new craft that brings together two timelessly popular fibre arts, macram and weaving. By combining the essential knots of macram with three of the most fundamental weaving techniques, you will discover how simple it can be to work with texture and colour to make beautiful, eye-catching pieces for your home.

Whether you are looking to learn a fresh skill, or to take your macram to a whole new level, youll find everything you need right here. Weve put together an enticing selection of eighteen projects for you to choose from to satisfy all your creative ambitions, whether you are searching for functionality or for an artistic feature to transform a room.

Every project, be it our simple starter Keeper Key Rings to our phenomenal Pride and Joy Wall Hanging, is explained in clear step-by-step detail. We begin with the macram element for each, as this must be done first to create a structure of negative spaces, or warp threads, through which the weft threads are woven in the weaving element.

In devising our designs, we have aimed to introduce you to a wide variety of decorative possibilities, using an assortment of rope in different fibres and thicknesses, exploring rich colourways and interesting textural techniques.

Youll find more information on the materials we have used in the Techniques section, along with essential illustrated reference on the knots and the weaves, as well as a comprehensive guide to understanding the macraweave technique, which we suggest you practise in full before beginning your first project. Each project chapter lists the materials you will need and the techniques required, so you can review the tying and weaving sequences as you go; follow these precisely and you will find that even the most complex of designs is easier to achieve than you may have expected.

A macraweave is a fusion of the textile-making arts of macram and weaving, but to understand the macraweave, we must first take a look at macram and its negative spaces.

The negative spaces in a macram piece are the areas where there are no knots tied. The vertical cords of these negative spaces resemble that of the warp threads in weaving and can therefore be used in the same way.

A macraweave is made by first making a macram structure with a negative space or spaces, then applying weaving techniques through the negative space of the macram. The tension of the negative space is very important as there is no device (such as a loom) to facilitate the weave, so you must make sure that all the vertical cords in the negative space are uniformly taut before attempting to weave through them.

Once you have created a negative space (the warp) you will begin to weave in new threads horizontally using weaving techniques. These cords can be referred to as the weft and it is also important to keep a uniform tension with these cords.

The macram structure is the first stage of creating a macraweave piece. The vertical cords where no macram knots are tied, that is the negative space, act as the warp. It is important to keep these cords uniformly taut so your weaving is neat.

Once the macram element is complete, the weaving element can begin. Here the peach rope is the weft and it has been woven through the negative space using a simple tabby weave in a two over two under pattern.

Note: Each project features a photo or photos annotated with circled numbers that cross reference to the step-by-step instructions. However, due to the nature of creating the piece, some steps cant be shown, e.g., mounting techniques, or where macram cords have been woven over, or where rya knot fringing (Pride and Joy Wall Hanging) or project construction (shoulder bag and clutch purse) obscures steps. Take the time to read the pattern instructions carefully before you begin.