With a background as a girl scout, Etsy seller Kate Gordes, of Scout Gathers, is skilled in the art of knotwork. From macramé hanging planters to wall hangings and bowls, her gorgeous handmade wares are made using NSW cotton rope and this week, lucky readers, she is sharing a fabulous DIY with you.
Tools & materials required
- Scissors
- Circular wooden chopping board (or similar)
- Fabric dye for natural fabrics
- Plastic bucket
- 2 x 4 metre length 8mm cotton rope (found in any DIY store)
- 1 x 1 metre length 8mm cotton rope (found in any DIY store)
- Natural coloured yarn
Getting started
- Gather the two pieces of 4 metre rope and halve them to make a loop.
- Cut 1 metre of yarn.
- Form a loose loop with the yarn over the top of your looped rope; the longest length should be on the right hand side.
- Wind the yarn from the right clockwise and upwards.
- When you have wound the yarn to the top (or run out of length!), poke the end through the loop.
- Pull the bottom yarn end until the loop has been pulled down about half way into the noose. To tighten, pull on both loose ends at the same time.
The tassel
Measure 1.5 metre down the rope and create another noose knot. This will form the base of your floating shelf.
Cut your rope 15cm from the bottom of your noose knot. This will become the tassel. Start to fray the end of the cotton rope to create your gorgeous tassel.
The Base
Spread the four pieces of rope out and place the wooden chopping board over your tassel.
- Gather the 1 metre of (8mm) spare rope and place it around the chopping board.
- Cut 4 small lengths from the yarn.
- Tie each piece of yarn with a tight double knot to the 1 metre rope and the 4 pieces of rope that have been spread out.
- Fray the ends of the 1 metre rope to finish it off. (This rope is to secure the pom poms.)
The pom poms
- Wrap the yarn around the fork approximately 50 times. Cut the yarn from the ball.
- Thread a piece of yarn through the middle of the fork and tie a tight double knot.
- Slide the yarn from the fork and cut the looped yarn on either side.
- Create 3 more pom poms.
- Secure the 4 pom poms to the 1 metre rope around the chopping board.
Dip-dying the tassel
- Using a glass bowl or container mix up your yellow dye according to the instructions on the packet. Make sure you wear gloves and wear clothing that you don’t mind getting splashes of dye on.
- Sit the tassel half way into the dye. The dye will start to creep up the tassel.
- Let it sit in the dye for a half an hour.
- Rinse it out with hot water, until the water runs clear.
- Lay flat to dry.
Photography: Kate Gordes, Scout Gathers
Check out the Scout Gathers Etsy shop here.
Annual Etsy Craft Party
The global Etsy Craft Party event returns this year from Friday 17 June until Sunday 19 June. From cake baking to flower arranging and card creating, the event sees keen crafters from around Australia and across the globe unite and share their skills. In addition to Etsy seller-hosted events in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Hobart and Adelaide, you can host your own craft party too.
“Etsy Craft Party is all about sparking creativity and letting those sparks fly. We want to encourage people all around Australia to have some fun and make some creative messes — and to make them with friends!” says Helen Souness, Etsy managing director for Australia and Asia.
To find out more about the event, discover an event near you or register to host your own, click here.
Comments
This is so exciting! I confess I’m already anxious to go look for the materials to create one for the living room, and one for my room. It will be beautiful couch-side! Thanks for the idea! Your blog is brilliant!! =)