Friday, August 23, 2019

The "Pod" in Micro-macrame Cord

An interesting local bead shop had a supply of S-Lon nylon micro-macrame cord in many appealing colors, so I couldn't resist buying a collection! I've always thought of tatting as a version of macrame anyway, since it is made of knots.

 The cord I used is .5mm thickness, comparable to a size 10 thread. It's slippery and stiff, so takes a bit of experience to get used to.

It takes a firm hand to get the knots tight. Occasionally I had trouble closing a ring because of the cord twisting and kinking. Being able to re-open a ring is a skill worth knowing!

Really nice how the 3-dimensional pod shape formed naturally with no blocking required.

 For the "fluff" inside the pod, I used white cord with large picots and 6 mm beads for the "seeds". Although I followed my original pattern for the pod, I made up a distinct filler variation.

 The finished object is waterproof. I sewed in tail ends and secured them with glue. I did try a "thread zapper" with a hot tip that melts the nylon, but that tool can instantly cut a project to ruin, and leaves a dark residue. I prefer sewing in ends and although I don't use glue on cotton, the slippery nylon does need glue to keep the ends from popping out.


 The finished pod strung onto a leather cord makes an "art to wear" necklace. Definitely different!


8 comments:

God's Kid said...

Looks great!! :)

Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ Diane said...

That is an amazing piece of tatting! I love seeing how you experiment with threads and bringing your ideas into being!

Anonymous said...

That is gorgeous!
StephanieW

Margarets designer cards said...

Totally stunning and makes a very different piece of jewellery to wear

Madtatter80 said...

I was afraid to buy and try your pod love the demonstration pictured I will put this on my list so cute😄 I will not use this thread it scares me and I'm an old dog no new tricks here😊

Judith Connors said...

These are very creative, Marilee.

The threads are interesting too. I've tried tatting with fishing line, but the colours are not as attractive.

picotsnkeys said...

Oh! Wonderful find! I miss the bead store I used to visit before the move. I thought for sure there would be a store here, but alas!
Good to know about the cord. I have sketches for a door wreath in tatting. Maybe this would work??
Oh, and I love the pattern!

Andrew Anton said...

All these are very Creative and you have done great work. I will also try this with the help of the Macrame Thread.