I spent quite a bit of time outdoors as a child. My mum Marg didn’t allow much TV-watching as a kid, so I was forced to be outside to amuse myself. When I was about three years old we moved into an inner-city commune (in Kew), which was in an old, Victorian mansion. It had a big backyard, with lots of good climbing trees, an old tyre swing, pet guinea pigs and a lamb. It was a pretty magical place to explore and play. That definitely contributed to my love of the outdoors.
My latest book, Sunshine Spaces, is all about getting creative outside. I like to hope that even if readers don’t make any of the projects from the book, that they are inspired to get outdoors!
Whilst this is a book for every level of crafter, I wanted there to be some more advanced projects in the book, and this macrame chair definitely one of them!
I like projects which involve re-purposing (and still end-up looking good). We tried mountains of different ropes and cords to get the right one (nylon paracord maintained the right amount tautness when woven, and is also suitable for the outdoors). Once that was decided, I laboured over patterns and colours. But, good things come to those who persist, and I feel like we ended up with a pretty amazing chair!
Don’t let these instructions scare you; they may seem complicated at first, but this is one of those projects that becomes clearer once you actually start doing it! (Also, we’ve summarised the steps in this short video above – you’ll find more detailed instructions in the book!)
YOU WILL NEED
Scissors
Aluminium camping chair
200m of 4mm rope (I used paracord: 100m white, 50m grey, 25m yellow, and 25m pink)
2 size Q crochet hooks
Macramé Chair template (Sunshine Spaces, pg186)
Lighter or box of matches
Note: Create a ‘skein’ for your cord (this could be a long, thin piece of card or plastic). Wrap your cord around the skein and unwind it as you go. This will make it easier to handle the cord when passing it through the other cord.
You can find a more detailed break down of instructions inside Sunshine Spaces, out now through all good booksellers – or buy online here!
