Creative Fascinations
I like the structure of the margaretenspitze fans, it reminds me of the natural filigree of the leaves.
With a bunch of pins and a lot of patience, I did this experiment.
Now that I have the shape and proportions, I want to try to develop it further.
This is my last work. I have assembled it using various tutorials available on internet.
I’ve had this idea in my head ever since the daffodils appeared in my garden.
It took me a while, but I can finally enjoy them in their solar yellowness.
Another fascination I have is that of paper beads.
I keep on rolling stripes of paper and then I love the mix of colors and textures that comes out.
Look!
Macrame often leads you to start something you don’t know where it will take you.
I like this journey.
Here, for example, I began by making colored and convoluted elements that didn’t blossom into anything really concrete.
Then one day while reading an article on Chinese knots, I discovered the Pang Chang Buddhist Knot which symbolizes the cycle of life, with no beginning or end.
I liked the concept and from the macrame element of the Pang Chang Knot this necklace was born.
Sharing my passion for macrame with a friend, we ended up talking about the traditional and colorful jewels of the Maasai women.
So I too wanted to try and make a very colorful necklace.
Here it is!
I first made a sample to get the size and shape of triangles at hand. Then I drew a pattern on a piece of paper which I followed, pinning all the threads.
Big enterprise … it took me two weeks to finish.
But how big is the joy I feel at showing it here to you?
I love flowers. Every spring I feel reborn. Here in Holland where I live, the flowers start to appear at the end of February. Bulbs that have slept underground all winter suddenly shoot out purple crocuses, yellow daffodils, red and pink tulips: it’s like a joyful party.
So I try every now and then to grow flowers with my Macrame’.
The necklaces are made with the ‘Margaretespitze’ technique.
Margarete lace was invented and taught by Margarete Naumann, in Germany at the beginning of the twentieth century and it consists of gathering several threads in bundles, which are gradually separated and again merged to form leaves, folding fan shapes and beautiful patterns.
I am fond of this necklace, because it was my first ‘original’ creation.
Or maybe I should say half-original, as I started the core part following a ‘Micromacrame project for beginners‘ on youtube , but then I deviated and followed my feelings.
My first times with macrame were mainly executions of projects that I found on youtube.
My main channels of reference were:
Dede Tutorials , Afeng-Often Afeng , Myow Handmade , Macrame School , Macrame Tita
Once I mastered the execution on various elements, I began the creative process of putting them together, in a way that I dare to call ‘original’.
But the journey towards true originality never ends and embraces not only knots and patterns, but shapes, colors, materials, stones, pearls, buttons, shells. Then it embraces the discovery of a worldwide community of artists and their amazing work.
The journey towards originality is like an older brother who, watching you working, puts his arm on your shoulder and lovingly makes you understand that you are not there yet. You still have to work hard.
Macramé is my fascination. I started about two years ago with the first knots and I discovered a boundless creative practice.
Macramé is an ancient manual knotting technique. The word Macramé derives from the Arabic migramah (decorative fringe), from which the Ottoman-Turkish version terms mahrama and makrama (towel or veil).
Ancient weavers used this technique to knot excess thread along the edges of hand-loomed fabrics.
The Arabs brought this craft to Spain, then it appeared in Italy (especially in the region of Liguria), and then to Europe and the rest of the world.
Many things can be made with Macramé: fabrics, home decorative objects, bags, belts and jewels.
I especially love the micro Macramé and the creation of jewels with yarns up to 1mm thick. Sometimes I also enjoy making bags.
This practice helps me to relax and it gets me into the FLOW.
Have you read the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi? He describes how anyone from artists to assembly line workers can enter a state of constructive gratification by being trapped in the “flow”.
The creative realisation of macrame gratifies me and gives me a new perception of time. Time now not only passes, but it builds, it develops, it flows, it knots …
I’ve always been fascinated by the creative process, that path that from nothing leads you to bring something into the world. Having time to devote to free creativity is a privilege, but also a choice. The main complication for me was accepting its uneconomic aspect, when by economy we mean the rational use of resources in order to obtain the maximum benefit with the minimum sacrifice: no way!
And yet, when I’m engaged in a creative project, I feel happy, I ‘see’ myself in the world. (Remember Avatar movie, when Neytiri says to Jake: “I see you”)
I dream for a world where human beings are left to live free from constraints, a bit like Kim, in Rudyard Kipling’s novel..
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