Macramé is a form of fibre art that has been around at least since the 13th century and possibly for a lot longer than that.
This method of knotting yarn, jute, hemp or other pliable materials can create useful items like clothing, bags or jewellery, as well as decorative pieces. Livi Hecht, owner of Knot My Name and macraméer extraordinaire, has been demonstrating all of macramé's attributes through her work and classes at 3 Girls & A Kiln.
Macramé was hugely popular in the 1970s. The trend died down in the '80s, but macramé has made a comeback in recent years. In Cayman, that comeback is partly due to the efforts of local artisans such as Hecht.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Hecht studied textiles in university but never intended to pursue it as a career. After moving to the Cayman Islands two years ago, she was concentrating on being a mother to her two young daughters when she started to macramé.
“I was searching for some letters for my daughters' doors and when I couldn’t find anything that suited my style, I thought I’d try making them myself,” she says.
Soon afterwards, Hecht's friends began to ask her to make names for their children's doors as well and Knot My Name was born. She then began to add more items to her product line including decorative images of Grand Cayman. Retail outlets and art galleries, including 3 Girls & A Kiln, began stocking her items.
Knot My Name’s offerings are even more varied now and include bags, coasters, bookmarks and earrings.
In addition to the workshops she teaches at 3 Girls & A Kiln, Hecht facilitates group events. She recently taught macramé at a baby shower where guests were shown how to create a portion of macramé bunting. Once each person’s section was completed, she put them all together to create the baby bunting as a gift for the expectant mother.
Hecht has also started creating custom-made orders like wall hangings and dreamcatchers for clients. She has even made a decorative teepee as a piece of art for a client’s home.
“Other than the thrill of introducing people to the art of macramé through my products and classes, what excites me the most is to work with a customer to learn what they need or want," she says. "I love being guided by my customer.”
This month, Hecht will teach two courses at 3 Girls & A Kiln: Intro to Macramé on 11 May and Macramé Fruit Hammocks on 25 May.
“I won’t forget the first time I went in to 3 Girls and asked if they did macramé classes, which they didn’t do at that time. I said, half jokingly, ‘give me six months and I’ll be teaching' — and now I’m spreading the macramé love on the island.”
This article originally appeared in the May 2021 print edition of Camana Bay Times.