Usually the creative work I pick up strains my eyes (graphic design), my fingers (cross stitch), or my neck and shoulders (lettering…I have bad posture). However, the shipment of rope for my first commissioned macrame was 75 lbs! I’d only made a few macrame pieces before this one, and never anything at this scale. Once I got it from my mom’s porch to my car, then back out of my car and up three floors to my apartment, I didn’t have to worry about moving it again until the piece was ready to hang. I’d enlist my brother’s help at that point, anyway.
After a whole lot of brain-numbing math (a different type of workout), the next step was to measure 40 lengths of 80’. My back was sore for several days, my roommate can attest to that as I wasn’t terribly quiet about it.
At several points in the process I wondered if I had gotten in over my head, but thankfully, my triple-checked calculations were correct. Seven weeks and 80 hours later, the piece was done and installed at 302 Wheaton. I’m grateful for the opportunity to see my art in public, and the owner’s patience and the trust he put in me to make something unique for his new restaurant.
I’ll be honest, once the thing was out of my living room, I had about 2 hours of relief before I was twiddling my thumbs, wondering what was next... stay tuned ;)
