This is the macrame bag I made for my furidashi
(jar for kompeito, hard candy).
I used inexpensive Perle cotton thread before trying it in real silk. The cord is
made by kumi-himo braiding. When I started this project, I imagined a purple sanada-himo cord on the gosho-bako (lidded basket), and this color was the best match to the purple fukusa (silk napkin), which I thought would work well.
However, when I looked for chirimen (crepe) silk to make the
teabowl-bag and the small kobukusa, I could only find a red-brown-purple, called
"Madder Brown" on the Pantone color chart. Since I had planned to make another bag with with silk thread anyway, I found a color that coordinates with my chirimen silk.
First, I found a tube the right diameter and covered it with a cotton batting cushion and then grid paper. The cotton batting allows me to use straight-pins to anchor the thread in line while the macrame knots are tied. The tube is on the neck of a wooden bottle, which gives it weight and stability.
The bright red working-cord at the top will be replaced with a kumi-himo cord in the same color as the bag.
Come back later for pictures of the finished bag.
I haven't worked any macrame since the late '60's! But I remember the knots, neat piece you've come up with. Look forward to seeing the finished piece in red. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteWhen I played with macrame in the 60s I did not imagine that it would become one more skill in my collected "bag of tricks" to call upon.
The challenge with this 3" long bag is to make a neat, flat bottom. I wove the ends together on the last one, which is not the way the traditional ones are finished. I just found a website that suggests using alternating square knots and dropping 4 cords in 2 spots with each row to decrease the diameter and make it flat. Worth a try.