Author: Erin G.

market bag.

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I’ve had this 500-foot spool of gorgeous mustard rope hiding in my craft closet. I thought maybe I would get 3 or 4 projects out of the rope, but I ended up choosing a 400+ foot market bag project. Look at this beaut! This project was from Modern Macrame by Emily Katz.* I cut out all the lengths of rope*, attached to my feet, and got to knotting. I didn’t use the suggested rope (jute) so partway through I realized I had to adapt the pattern slightly and add an additional 8 strands to my project. It’s such a pain to undo knots, but it made sense for this project otherwise I would have had major gaps in the bag for more falling out potential. There were so many new-to-me macrame techniques in this project. I learned how to create a bag opening and strap, how to connect two panels (the front and the back of the bag), and a crossing technique to add dimension to two sinnets of square knots. My favorite part in …

chandelier.

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So…our floor lamp toppled over and broke. But it’s ok, because this macrame chandelier lamp project was in my queue. (Ay.) This project was a kit from the Crafter’s Box (now Crafter) by Modern Macrame*. The kit included*: You’ll also need*: I won’t share the pattern here because it’s Modern Macrame’s design and part of a kit, but you can see it uses two basic macrame knots – reverse lark’s head (or you can use lark’s head) and square knot. There is also a series of wraps (around the larger hoop) and basic overhand knots at key rope-hoop connection points. This project took about 3 leisure hours including photography time (ha!). Hubby got excited because he thought maybe I was making a basketball hoop – and now I want to make one of those! The first part of the project (along the hoop) can be done on a flat surface; then you’ll need to move to a hanging situation. It definitely looks like a basketball hoop here. If you’ve never tried a Crafter workshop before, …

heart garland.

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I’m a big fan of hearts so I Googled “macrame heart garland” and was inspired by artist Isabella Strambio. It looked daunting because this was my first try at creating a shape with knots (versus shapes/images with color blocking). It was easier than I thought it was going to be; and it only uses two knots. Bookmark this craft for Valentine’s next year. 🙂 Materials*: How to: For a garland with five hearts, cut one strand of rope at least 6 feet long. This will be your base cord and the length will give enough extra rope between each heart and hanging cords on each side. I like to tie ends with an overhand knot to create hanging loops. For each heart, cut twelve 4-foot strands of rope. Tape down the hanging cord as you knot. Attach twelve 4-foot strands to the hanging cord with lark’s head knots. Ensure the knots are not squished too close together. The hearts are made up solely of square knots (SK). Here is the pattern: You can also create …

hanging garden.

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On my crafty wish list: get better at macrame. So for March (National Craft Month!), I’m sharing all macrame projects, all the time. First up is a 4-plant pot hanger featuring a Modern Macrame pattern and rope. You will need: Shop supplies on Modern Macrame and get $10 off your order with my Modern Macrame affiliate link*. Macrame instructions are the only time I enjoy following a pattern. For any other craft I prefer to make it up as a I go. I hope to one day grow my macrame skills to design patterns more consistently and create more intuitively. Note: I won’t share the pattern here because it’s not mine to share, but I hope this project inspires you to support a small business or to be inspired to create your own hanging garden! The Modern Macrame pattern is fairly basic with a row of lark’s head knots and series of square knots throughout. I like the addition of the chunky ceramic beads for added texture. And these handmade beads from their shop are …

mushroom embroidery.

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One of my wishes in life is to learn about and scavenge for mushrooms to create natural dyes. But until I’m able to do so, I’ll embroider them! I signed up for a Jenny Lemons workshop with MCreativeJ* to create embroidered mushrooms. The mushroom embroidery kit came with an embroidery hoop, fabric, assorted floss, a needle, “peel, stick, and stitch” patterns, and hardware for hanging. We just needed to add scissors. And if you’re extra like me, you’ll have splurged and purchased an embroidery hoop stand/holder*, too! BTW – This is a game changer! For this project I gathered additional embroidery floss in a red and brown palette*, too. Here we go! We reviewed satin stitch, chain stitch, and a take on satin stitch with long and short stitches combined. The time goes by so quickly in creative workshops. It’s always so satisfying when you can complete your project in one sitting but this was definitely a few-parter. This was my first introduction to the sticker transfer paper; they came pre-printed in Melissa’s kit (she …

daisy chain.

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My friend and I met up for nachos and crafting – a winning combo! I picked up the daisy chain bracelet kit from Joann to share. Just add pliers and scissors – a bead tray and mat help, too – and you’re good to go. I’ve long been fascinated by bead weaving/sewing so to find a kit to walk me through a new-to-me technique was a fun find! The kit comes with cord, an assortment of beads, two needles, a lobster clasp, a jump ring, and instructions. You can make one full bracelet with enough cord and beads leftover to make 3-4 more bracelets or other projects. Or, you can add additional strands to the initial bracelet. My friend chose yellow, teal, and pink beads for her flowers; I went for more of a love day color palette – red, fuchsia, and pink; and I swapped the silver findings for gold. It took me a few daisies to get the hang of the project; by about daisy number five I was feeling a bit more …

entwined.

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Need a fun, easy, magical date night idea for the whole family? Now through March 12, Entwined is on display at Peacock Meadow in Golden Gate Park. It’s described as a ‘dazzling forest of light.’ It really is dazzling! I love a good art installation. Entwined is colorful and mesmerizing. There is an interactive component, too. Scan the QR code on one of the ‘flowers’ when you get there. You’ll get added to the queue to control the lights – the intensity, the colors – to create your custom art show. The field is covered in hay and they have a few chairs for sitting and admiring the display. All that was missing was a warm cup of cocoa. SF Parks Alliance hosts events on select days including salsa dancing, arts and crafts, and yoga! I didn’t do enough research before going, but apparently there are knots in the ‘trees’ where you can view miniature art created by local artists. I’ll have to go back. It seems like worth a visit during day just before …

tennis tuesday reprise.

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Hubby captained his first tennis league (a 9.5 combo team), and they made it to sectionals (which is the finals of USTA combo tennis)! To celebrate, a reprise of the giant tennis banner from 2018 was in order. This time I had more names and an extra line of text to fit onto the 2’x3′-ish block of felt. Oh, and I was crunched for time because I left it to the last minute – the day of the team’s celebration dinner! I woke up super early to work on this special request. I started by creating the base and attaching a 3′ dowel. After cutting letters (and then recutting some because I didn’t spend enough time measuring and calculating out space like last time), Hubby did a final spell check. Then I glued and attached the rope with finishing knots. I won’t say it’s my best work, but it’s still a showstopper. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of making these giant banners. And check it out – it fit perfectly at the head of …

woven wall hanging.

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I opened an online art shop! And my first product is my last large weaving project. This was my biggest weaving yet, created on the ‘Big Mama‘ frame loom from The Unusual Pair. I love working with different textures of yarn and roving. For this project I used an assortment of acrylic and wool-blend yarns, plus roving and rope that I dyed with bug scales! I generally shop in a muted palette (blushes, tans); it soothes me when I’m creating and makes a space feel cozy and calm when displayed. First things first: rya! I’m a fan of really long rya and I always opt for at least two rows of fluffy yarn. I also really like movement in my weavings so I tend to create hills throughout and vary the textures with each layer. Here’s a close up of the back (pre-weaving in the loose strands) and a close up of the front. I finished and attached this weaving to the dowel using stitching at different angels to get a sort of cable-stayed bridge …

name sweater.

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Eee, here’s a personalized project I can get behind: embroidered name sweaters for the littles! Perfect for gifting! For this project you will need: Start by sketching out your letters. I went with a semi cursive font. The marking pen rinses off under water so it’s ok if it’s not a perfect outline. Keep in mind the width of your yarn when spacing out your letters. A thicker yarn will need more space in between letters. I used a chain stitch throughout – See a quick tutorial by Cutesy Crafts. Start by knotting your yarn, then create a chain, stop whenever you would ‘pick up your pencil,’ and tie off your yarn on the reverse side. When I crossed the ‘T’ I created a chain stitch on top of the first chain stitch. Trim any excess yarn and rinse off the marking pen. So fun I couldn’t make just one! I created one for my friend’s Bebe, too, in this burnt orange color. This project works best for short names, though I imagine with a …