history, different macrame steps and characteristics

1. Republic of the Philippines
CARLOS HILADO MEMORIUAL STATE COLLEGE
Talisay City, Negros Occidental
MACRAME
 Macramé or macrame is a form of textile-
making using knotting rather
than weaving or knitting. Its primary knots are
the square knot (a variant of the reef knot) and
forms of "hitching": various combinations
of half hitches. It was long crafted by sailors,
especially in elaborate or ornamental knotting
forms, to decorate anything from knife handles
to bottles to parts of ships.
 Art of tying knots from twines, string, ropes, or cords to produce useful
decorative and yet functional articles.
HISTORY AND ORIGIN
 Macramé comes from a 13th-century Arabic weavers’
word migramah meaning “fringe”. This refers to the decorative fringes on
camels and horses which help, amongst other things, to keep the flies off the
animal in the hot desert regions of northern Africa.
 Another school of thought thinks that it comes from Turkish makrama,
“napkin” or “towel”, and was a way to secure the ends of pieces of weaving by
using the excess thread and yarn along the top and bottom edges of loomed
fabrics.
 One of the earliest recorded uses of macramé-style knots as decoration
appeared in the carvings of the Babylonians and Assyrians. Fringe-like plaiting
and braiding adorned the costumes of the time and were captured in their
stone statuary. Macramé traveled from north Africa to Spain with the Moors,
and as a result of this conquest it spread, firstly to France, and then
throughout Europe.
 In the Western Hemisphere, macramé is believed to have originated with
13th-century Arab weavers. These artisans knotted the excess thread and yarn
along the edges of hand-loomed fabrics into decorative fringes on bath
towels, shawls, and veils. The Spanish word macraméis derived from the
Arabic migramah (‫قرمة‬ ‫,)م‬ believed to mean "striped towel", "ornamental
fringe" or "embroidered veil." After the Moorish conquest, the art was taken
to Spain, then to Italy, especially in the region of Liguria, and then spread
through Europe. It was introduced intoEngland at the court of Mary II in the
late 17th century. Queen Mary taught the art of macramé to her ladies-in-
waiting.

2.  Sailors made macramé objects in off hours while at sea, and sold or bartered
them when they landed, thus spreading the art to places likeChina and
the New World. Nineteenth-century British and American sailors
made hammocks, bell fringes, and belts from macramé. They called the
process "square knotting" after the knot they used most frequently. Sailors
also called macramé "McNamara's lace".
 Macramé was most popular in the Victorian era. Sylvia's Book of Macramé
Lace (1882), a favorite, showed readers how "to work rich trimmings for black
and coloured costumes, both for home wear, garden parties, seaside
ramblings, and balls—fairylike adornments for household and underlinens ..."
Most Victorian homes were adorned by this craft. Macramé was used to make
household items such as tablecloths, bedspreads and curtains.
 Though the craze for macramé faded, it regained popularity during the 1970s
as a means to make wall hangings, articles of clothing, bedspreads, small jean
shorts, tablecloths, draperies, plant hangers and other furnishings. By the early
1980s macramé had again begun to fall out of fashion as a decoration trend.
 Macramé jewelry has become popular among the American neo-
hippie and grunge crowd, starting in the early 1970s. Using mainly square
knots and granny knots, this jewelry often features handmade glass beads
and natural elements such as bone and shell. Necklaces, anklets and bracelets
have become popular forms of macramé jewelry.
TERMS USED IN MACRAME
1. Knotting Cords- these are working cords wc are used to tie the macramé knots.
2. Filler cords- are usually additional cords and are also knot-bearing cords.
3. Holding cordsring- the cords where one start to make the knots.
4. Working cords- the outside w which the knots are made.
5. Knot- bearing cords- the strengthening cords with wc the knotting cords
maybe tied.
6. Wrapping cords- usually made for hanging purposes.
7. Picot- small loops created by extending knotting cord beyond original pattern to
form ornamental edges.
8. Flat knots Solomon`s knot- knots wc need for cords to be worked on two
movements alternately.
9. Half stitch- especially suited in making single or double horizontal, vertical or
slanting bars. Produce from a single cord and a double half-hitch on a pair of
words.
10. Alternating cords- this consist of the eight half of one group of cords wc are
combined with the left-half of neighboring groups of cords to form a new cord
group centered below the original two groups.
11. Spiral flat knots- works on a similar way as the straight flat knot. The movement
differ whereby the movements comes from one direction only rather than
alternately.
BASIC MACRAMÉ KNOTS

3. The Josephine Knot is an elegant knot that looks best in long, lacy designs with many
strands. This knot is very distinctive and unique looking.
The Alternating Square Knot uses eight strands of cording. The
effect of this knotting pattern is a soft and lacy look. To preserve
the lacy look make sure that you don’t pull the knots too tight as
you’re working them. Secure the strands and separate them so
that they lie side by side.
Square Knot Button The Square Knot Button is a vintage
knot rarely seen in modern Macrame patterns. These
decorative knots were very popular in Macrame designs
created in the 1970’ s.
This particular type of button knot is easy to make, and is
often used to create heads for dolls and animals. It's can be
used to decorate just about anything, including Wall Hangings, Plant Hangers and
Wreaths.
Lark`s head knot The Larks Head Knot is one of the most
frequently used decorative knots in Macrame. Another name for
this decorative knot is the Cow Hitch.
Overhand knot a simple knot made by forming a
loop and passing a free end around the standing part
and through the loop.

4. Square knot a type of double knot that is made
symmetrically to hold securely and to be easy to
untie.
MATERIALS AND TOOLS USED IN
MACRAME
1.) Cotton twine- sometimes called cotton cords; they are available by kilo or by skein
in local stores. It is the, most widely used knotting materials.
2.) Abaca twines- a substitute or more suitable one for the finish product.
3.) Nylon rayon- a synthetic, silky-finish braid or cord that comes in thin sizes. It is
mainly used in jewelry items.
.
4.) Waxed linen- is an excellent cord for macramé jewelry. It is fine –ply and well
finished product.

5. 5.) Waxed cotton- excellent material for macramé wc is often than linen cord. Knots
made from this material show prominently and are well- defined.
6.) Waxed Nylon- a synthetic material that usually comes in small sizes and is excellent
for jewelry making due to smooth texture of the cords. Knots from it loosen a little
more than when they are made from linen or cotton.
EQUIPMENTS AND TOOLS
1. Macramé working boards- marked off in inches or centimeter with nails or
preferably wooden or bamboo.
2. Pair of tweezers- used to hold jewelry beads or when gluing ends of cords.
3. Pair of scissors snips- are used for cutting cords.

6. 4. Assorted sizes of aluminum sheets no. 26-28- used as guide in standardizing
distance between knots.
5. Yardstick tape measure- used for measuring cords
6.
7. Glue polymer cement- used for gluing ends of cords.
Prepared by:
Aira Mae V. Oliva