Recently I have been reflecting on my past work and I realised that although I shared photos of the huge macrame curtain (affectionately named the 'curtain of doom') I made on social media, that only really shows a small window of the work that went into creating the final piece.
So I decided to dig out the photos and add them all here!
Some might not find this very interesting but I find it important to reflect, and remember past achievements.
The 'Curtain of doom' was definitely a huge achievement for me!
The curtain was a custom order and is by far the largest piece of macrame I have ever made. It is around 5ft wide and 3ft long!
I wish I could tell you how long I cut the cords, but honestly I can't remember! Boy how I wish I had written it all down...
Cutting and hanging the cords took me at least 5 hours (if not longer!) and I had to hang it over my living room window because it was too big to fit anywhere else.
To keep the cords clean I hung them over one of my rails.
Now a normal person would probably have the pattern all worked out, but I definitely didn't! I had an idea in my head but it kept going wrong... This is one of the ideas that I un-knotted..
It took me a lot of hours to get to this point.
Getting there slowly! I moved it upstairs to my bedroom and would nip upstairs and tie a few knots throughout the day.
Dividing the cords into sections helped me see the progress so I didn't go insane!
Finally a good two months after I started, she was finished! This is it hanging over my front window.
I was so pleased with the amount of detail I achieved, and the fact that i didn't run out of cord!
It went to live in Brighton, in a front porch. The get the there I had to remove the dowel and send a video of how to re-attach it to the customers pole they were using.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the process that goes into such a large piece. As an artist it was terrifying, exciting and a huge learning curve!
If you're thinking of having as go at a large project, a few tips I have are:
- I recommend 3ply cord over single twist. Single twist can unravel while your working and because you have to pull such long lengths I found 3ply to be more sturdy.
- I used 3mm pure white cord, but if I was to make it again I would go for a 5mm cord.
- Work out how much cord you need and then order extra. For example if you need 3 spools, order 4 because if you do run out the extra cord might not be the same colour because it will be form a different production batch.
- Take your time! I did it over a few months. Pulling cords that long is back breaking work so make sure you take brakes and divide the work into manageable chunks.
- If you can, plan your pattern ahead of making. Un-knotting cords that long is heart breaking!
- Most importantly, enjoy the process and take loads of photos and videos as you go along. I actually did my first and only live video while I was knotting this piece. Going live on my Instagram is something I never thought I would do!
If you have anymore questions, or you'd like me to make you a bespoke piece for your home, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Charlotte
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