Maslins Guarden in The Pantry

Macrame is something that one might think of as a craft that had it’s hey day in the 1970’s but it’s actually a very ancient craft believed to have it’s origins with 13th century Arab weavers. The word “macrame” itself is Spanish, evolving as the art form migrated north to Europe through Spain, then Italy and then the rest of Europe. By the 17th century, macrame had reached the court of Mary II.

Because basic macrame essentially needs nothing more than cords, time and dexterity it’s no surprise that macrame was a craft also practiced by sailors, and thus creations of cords and knots—hammocks, bell fringes and the like—made their way to China and the New World. Today macrame is more popular than ever with artists creating everything from large dramatic wall hangings and window treatments to intricate jewelry.

Julia Maslin from Homer New York took up macrame fairly recently. “I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and started out making a plant hanger for myself. Once I started, I enjoyed the process so much I just couldn’t stop. There’s something very exciting about deciding the colors and textures of each piece and yet, tying the knots is relaxing and meditative. When ended up with nineteen plant hangers in my house, I started offering them for sale and Maslins Guarden has grown from there.”

You can find Julia’s work not only in The Pantry at Dedrick’s but also at Cinch Art in Cortland and the Truxton Out Post.