Wendy Elizabeth Exclusive Designs in Knotted Art
Exhibition gallery
Over the many years I have been tying knots, either through commissions or my addiction to knot tying, my repertoire has become vast. Too numerous to catalogue effectively I thought a gallery section might be a good idea. Several of the items come with me to form part of the exhibit for my talks enabling the audience to get a close look and even try them on.
All items displayed can be made up for commission, (prices start from £50.00) if you are interested please contact me for further details.
21st Century Bronze Age Wear
Inspired by my time at Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre in Peterborough, England, I have created a range of clothing with a Bronze Age style but which is also suitable for 21st century fashion.
Knots have been tied since the Stone Age and knotted clothing and fabric was part of Bronze Age life. Archaeological evidence has been found to support knotted clothing. Using common knots that were known at the time my designs are interpretations of what could have been made. As tying knots has changed little in technique my experimentation became whether frames would have been used to support the work. My conclusion being yes, just I use a framework today for any large cumbersome piece. Macramé, as it is called now, is a very portable craft and can mostly be done on the lap, which is how I did all but the cotton shawl. Another experiment came with the fibres, in use during the Bronze Age, wool, flax and nettle. All are wonderful mediums to work with. I am especially enamoured of the nettle and have even had a go and producing some from the crop outside my kitchen! Cotton is not European Bronze Age but at the time of making the shawl very little other natural fibre was available, however, that has all changed thanks to resurgence in natural fibres.
It takes me over 40 hours to hand tie thousands of knots into a shawl (approximately
5000 in the wool)
Wool Cape
Made with Aran wool, it started off as a scarf and just grew!
Knot Sculptures
A creative passion of mine is to make heads and masks, so far my repertoire includes; a Chinese head, a Saxon helmet and an elephant. My future plans are for an Egyptian wig and headdress and a North American Indian headdress. I have already worked out how to make feathers with knots and have converted the idea into jewellery.
Knotted over standard size polystyrene wig stands the heads are eye catching sculptures. I use a lightweight cotton string in natural colour, and also dye colours. Each sculpture takes between 30 to 50 hours to complete depending on the complexity of the pattern.
Furnishings
Made with thick soft cotton cord, washable and hardwearing.
Table mats Antimacassars and arm covers (1 picture sent) Curtain (1 picture sent)
Lampshades (2 pictures sent) Doilies (3 pictures sent)
Table runners (1 picture sent)
Belly dance belt (2 pictures sent to replace the site ones unless they are the same of course I couldn't tell)
I designed this belt to accompany my belly dance costumes. It is so comfortable to wear and makes a lovely clacking sound when you move. I sew metal beads into the knot work with a mix of metal and wood beads on the ends of the hanging strands. Over 1200 beads in all. Made in a soft cotton string.
Bags
Butterfly bag (1 picture sent)
As I like butterflies and my mothers garden was always full of them in summer, I just had to design a bag with my own butterfly on the front. Made with soft cotton string it is fully lined with a bead fastening. Size; 259mm x 259mm (10" x 10")
Leaf bag (1 picture sent)
Inspiration for this bag came one autumn, when the leaves were falling from the tree outside my kitchen window. The size and shape of the leaf was perfect for creating the evening bag I had in mind. Fully lined with a press stud fastening the Leaf bag is great for summer use, but I use mine all year round. Made in cotton string it has a delicate narrow strap. Size; Length 203mm (8") Width 241mm (9.5")
Wool Shawl
I designed and knotted this shawl during re-
Cotton Shawl
Knotted in a patchwork style design, made with soft cotton string
and wood beads. Superb for cool summer evenings, or cold winter nights.
Bronze Age Style Skirt
My version of a Bronze Age skirt inspired by an outfit found in a barrow at Egtved,
Scandinavia in the 1920s. My first re-
Nettle Top
An amazingly comfortable garment to wear. Cool in the heat and warm in the cold. The colours are natural to the nettle. The buttons are hollowed out acorns.
Chinese Head
When I first took up macramé over 35 years ago, I saw a picture in a book of a Chinese mask made of knots. I liked it so much I attempted to make a similar one (there was no pattern).Over the years many people have remarked on it and have received many commissions from it however, It has much improved since my first attempt! Each one I make has a unique difference tailored to its new owner.
Saxon Helmet
Inspiration for this sculpture came from the helmet found at the Saxon burial site in Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, England. Working only from pictures of the helmet and using my own imagination, I designed and created this macramé version of the decorative artefact; achieving the patterning by using various types of knots.
Belly dance belt
I designed this belt to accompany my belly dance costumes. It is so comfortable to
wear and makes a lovely ‘clacking’ sound when you move. I sew metal beads into
the knot work with a mix of metal and wood beads on the ends of the hanging strands.
Over 1200 beads in all. Made in a soft cotton string.
Bags
Butterfly bag
As I like butterflies and my mother’s garden was always full of them in summer, I just had to design a bag with my own butterfly on the front. Made with soft cotton string it is fully lined with a bead fastening. Size; 259mm x 259mm (10" x 10")
Leaf bag
Inspiration for this bag came one autumn, when the leaves were falling from the tree outside my kitchen window. The size and shape of the leaf was perfect for creating the evening bag I had in mind. Fully lined with a press stud fastening the Leaf bag is great for summer use, but I use mine all year round. Made in cotton string it has a delicate narrow strap. Size; Length 203mm (8") Width 241mm (9.5")
Wool Socks
Made in needle hitching with Jacob wool. A technique which can be dated back 7000 years.
Keeping your feet warm Roman style
Flax hat
Made with flax yarn (linen) using the needle hitching technique.
