The History of Macramé

I saw this blog and thought that it would be very interesting to know.

The History of Macramé


In the meantime, I am still working on some great macrame jewelry projects and will post them momentarily.

Tina

How to Make a Hemp Bracelet (Video)

A great video on how to make a simple bracelet hemp material!

Making Jewelry From Recycled Materials Like Trash!

When most people think of jewelry, he/she may think of gold, silver, and/or diamonds--you know, the pretty expensive stuff. Those are only the high-end jewelry (if it's real, that is!) It doesn't have to be expensive to have and wear beautiful jewelry. Did you know that some jewelry designs are derived from recycled materials? That is true! The good news is that you cannot tell that this type of jewelry is repurposed. In addition, it is a way to become more eco-friendly and saving the environment and planet.

This is where this term, trashion comes into play. What is trashion? Of course, it is a combination of trash and fashion; it refers to using elements that already have some other defined purpose and turning it into art.

This bracelet is a great example of trashion:

The beads in the bracelet were made from recycled newspapers!

Trashion was originally used in reference to art-couture costume that was frequently connected to contests or fashion shows. But as the environmental issues became more mainstream and recycling was the norm, this term suddenly was very fashionable, even with jewelry.

Just think of trashion as a very innovative and creative idea and at the same time saving the environment. Creating jewelry, or anything else from recycled materials, can also be called trashion. The benefit: you can make very fashionable and stylish wearables to that of upcycling, in which it begins with fashion innovations. Like upcycling, trashion re-utilizes objects that are valued for a second chance at life (I am not suggesting that anyone participate in dumpster diving--it's pretty illegal in many jurisdictions and it's just plain gross!), however, depending on the artisan's skill level, it may be on the low-end or on the high-end.

Did you know that indigenous people from across the globe have been creating jewelry from trash for thousands of years? This is fact--ever since people have been existing on planet Earth! For example, the people of Africa created bags from juice and ice packets. Also, Haitians came up with the creation of sculptural jewelry as a result of old oil cans.

The bottom line: this word trashion has been around for the longest, but we were not aware of it. Since the beginning of time, individuals were creating wearable products from "useless" resources. I guess the saying goes, "What is one's trash is the other one's treasure!"

That's it for now!

I will "see" you later!

Some More of My Macrame Jewelry Works

In the previous post, I promised you that I will post some more of my macrame jewelry works. Here they are:

Beaded Bracelet w/Paper Beads #1
The Beaded Bracelet was made from the
creation of beads that were recycled from
a pile of newspapers. Unlike the rest of
my jewelry I created, I did not use twine, but
instead threaded them with jewelry thread.
This beaded bracelet demonstrates a simple,
yet sleek design.

Beaded Bracelet w/Paper Beads #2
Like the 1st beaded bracelet, the beads was the
creation from recycled newspaper. The paper
beads were incorporated into the square knot
design--the shamballa-type design.

Bracelet w/Pink BeadsThis bracelet includes two pink pony beads,
which accents the tan jute twine and yellow yarn
that is used in creating the bracelet. Two sets of
square knots was used as part of the design. At
the end of the design, one set of square knots
was applied along with the fringed method.

Roller Coaster Bracelet
When you take a look at this particular bracelet,
it will make you think of a roller coaster ride. This
bracelet uses a combination of knotting techniques:
square knots and double half hitch knots. As you
can see, the design alternates between the double half
hitch knots and the square knots. This bracelet uses two
different types of macrame cords: yarn and jute twine.
The combination of these two cords create contrast
throughout the bracelet.

Square Knot Bracelet
This bracelet consists of  the usage of green and tan jute
twine along with yellow yarn. Square knot technique was
used, alternating from two sets into one set of square knots,
which forms a diamond-like design throughout this
particular bracelet.

There will be other topics posted on this blog in the near future. Stay tuned....

Bettina

Creating a Bracelet Made from Handmade Beads

As I am writing this post, I am in the process of creating a bracelet made from handmade beads. In addition to making macrame jewelry, I also make my own beads (sometimes) from recycled materials, such as newspapers and catalog.

Before I start on my bracelet, I just wrapped up making 2 different bracelets and 1 necklace/choker (I made it that I can be worn as both.). I had a very fulfilling schedule. Not only I am making jewelry, I am also creating a course outline and written instructions to teach my first class on Learning Basic Macrame Jewelry.

I will post some more pictures of my jewelry works as well as creating free tutorial pages for How-To projects as well as some common macrame terms.

I will "see" you soon!

Bettina

Some of My Micro-Macrame Jewelry Designs

As I stated in my last blog that I am going to be posting some of my micro-macrame jewelry pieces on this blog.

Here are a few examples of my jewelry pieces:

Macrame Soda Can Tab Necklace
To make this necklace, I handmade the necklace with jute
twine using the square knot method, which is a
basic macrame knot that consists of three cords. The
soda can tabs were also incorporated into the design by
threading and wrapping the twine around them a few times
to create this very organic but simplistic design.

Recycled Newspaper Bead Necklace
The recycled newspaper bead necklace was made with
the elements of recycled beads from newspaper and jute
twine. To make the recycled beads, I grabbed a small
pile of newspaper and ripped it up into small pieces,
then soaked it in water for a couple of hours. This
allowed the beads to dry for a few days. These
beads were also sanded for a smoother look. I
experimented with both looks. As with the soda
can tab necklace, the square knot method was used.
The twine was threaded through the beads and the
square knot method was consistent throughout the
jewelry design piece.

Macrame Friendship Bracelet #1
A combination of rolled-up magazine pages, yarn and twine,
the macrame friendship bracelet is made with the idea of
creating the double half-hitch knotting method to give it
the crochet-like appearance. This pattern is consistent
throughout the bracelet with the addition of a
couple of rolled paper beads. The twine is
threaded through the paper beads and the double
half-hitch knot pattern is alternating with the yarn and
the jute twine. 

Macrame Friendship Bracelet #2
Like the 1st macrame friendship bracelet, this is an
eclectic mixture of rolled-up magazine pages, yarn and
twine. The macrame friendship bracelet is the result
of the idea of creating the double half-hitch knotting
method to give the crochet-like look. The double
half-hitch knots are consistent throughout the
piece.

I will continue to post my other macrame jewelry works on this blog. I will also provide free tutorials on how to make different basic macrame jewelry projects on a separate page.

Until then, I will "see" you later.

Bettina

Just Started on Another Piece of Jewelry

As I stated earlier, I will begin posting my macrame jewelry works on this blog, but in the meantime, I have just wrapped up on creating a necklace that took me for approximately 3.5 hours to complete; this included creating the pendant for it, which is made from a can tab. It took a little while to complete, but it was well worth it.

Tomorrow, I will begin creating my other necklace piece in which the pendant will also be made from a soda can tab. Maybe it will not take as long to complete as the one I completed today. In addition, I am also putting together a basic macrame class where I will be teaching it online and I also want to teach it offline as well.

Until then, I will be posting new things in the very, very near future--as soon as I upload my pictures!

Bettina