(K)not Your Nana’s Macramé

This craft workshop is as easy-breezy as they come

Creativity 3 min read Oct 03, 2018

Think Thornbury’s macramé classes are a massive hit in Melbourne and this November, they’re bringing all the crafty fun to Sydney and Adelaide, courtesy of no less than their best teacher and co-founder!

Maggie May, who is also creator of The Middle Aisle, is no ordinary macramé tutor. A great supporter of Australian makers, she promotes the use of homegrown 100% cotton rope in all her classes.

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Things are starting to feel a little bit better in the @middleaisle heart and mind. I’ve felt very unwell the past couple of weeks. I’ve been struggling. I’m so fortunate to have a community of friends and my Husband who have been there for me. It’s hard to see what you’ve accomplished when you never stop and take a moment to reflect on your achievements. Pretty much everyone said having a creative career would be hard. They weren’t wrong. Having a creative career is hard, but so are a lot of other jobs. I don’t really like to use the word ‘hard’ I prefer to replace it with ‘challenging’. Challenging, to me, means that me that the thing I am doing is something I can achieve even though I might struggle with it in the beginning. Challenging doesn’t mean the thing you’re doing isn’t tricky or won’t take effort but, excelling in any field is challenging. Being brave is challenging. Telling your friends and family that you want to be an artist and open a shop dedicated to supporting local makers and your community is challenging! The best and most rewarding things I have ever done have always felt challenging and then I have grown and things felt more and more natural. My confidence is growing and I am able to reflect on what I have been able to achieve. My mental health is challenging. I have anxiety and periods of very bad depression. I push myself, I feel guilty I’m not working hard enough, I worry constantly about things I have no control over, I compare myself to other people, I feel scared, I worry what people think of me in social situations, I blame myself for not being smart or fast or more resilient when in actual fact what I’ve achieved in the last couple of years is no small thing. It’s sometimes hard to feel proud of yourself and also humble at the same time. @middleaisle is my place to share, grow and be kind. I hope you enjoy my openness, I’m not here for anything less than being myself completely. Heart on sleeve realness beats small talk any day. May you grow and meet your own challenges with kindness and love for yourself and your community. All my love, Maggie May

A post shared by Maggie May ~ Macrame (@middleaisle) on Apr 25, 2018 at 5:51pm PDT

She is not one to follow patterns and, like a true artist, lets the rope take the lead. Thus, every piece that Maggie makes is one-of-a-kind. True to form, her upcoming sessions in Sydney and Adelaide will also be pattern-free, wherein students will work on a large, improvised wall hanging.

Ready to create your own funky macramé masterpiece? It promises to be a fun treat for more advanced users comfy enough with the basics to wing it. But if you’re a first-time macramer who’s not afraid to take on the occasional creative stretch goal, this class is for you, too. Knotty fun all around!

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Having the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people, share my Macramé skills and passion with them has been an absolute privilege. The way I teach Macramé is by showing my students the basics and helping them understand the capabilities of the knots. By having smaller classes it means that the experience is personal and I have more time to work on important things like tension and the best way to hold your hands! I can also make sure that if someone is struggling with something to get them to stop what they’re doing, take a couple of deep breaths and recite some positive affirmations. One thing that has become very clear to me through my teaching journey is that the end result should be a calm, happy and inspired person. Not a class of finished pre prepared designs. By getting my students to embrace the idea of ‘you can craft ANYTHING’ they start their Macramé learning experience with some autonomy and self direction. I can’t teach you to do what I do in three hours. To say I can is completely ridiculous. I have been practicing everyday for the past couple of years and my skill extends far past the three hours we have available. What I can do is help you get the best starting point possible. Macrame doesn’t have a finish line, it extends as far as you believe you can take it. If in the first three hours I can inspire you to believe it can go anywhere, that you are creative and capable of achieving those things? Well that’s the beginners class I wish I could have attended when I first started teaching myself. Here are a few of the classes I’ve taught! Can you see yourself or your friends and family? I teach at my shop and creative workshop venue @thinkthornbury and if you’re keen to come along I am ready when you are. Much Love, Maggie May

A post shared by Maggie May ~ Macrame (@middleaisle) on Jun 2, 2018 at 5:53pm PDT

Turn rope into art!

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