About Macrame Belts
Macramé consists of a series of knots woven throughout different cords. Macramé is a fine way to create a lot of the art that once embellished the home and an even finer way to hook up a belt. While macramé belts hit their height in popularity in the U.S. several decades back, they are still widely worn and available today. Macramé belts are ideal for their versatility and wide variety of styles in which they can be bought and made. There is no end to the different embellishments and materials that can be used and styles differ widely enough to suit everyone from a belly dancer to a man in a three-piece suit.
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Types
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The most basic macramé belt consists of a long macramé strand of various materials that is tied around the waist. Materials can consist of linen, hemp, cotton, leather or just about any plain old rope hanging around. Some of the belts are a tad more advanced, featuring a macramé pattern around the belt but fastened on the ends with a belt buckle. Others featured macramé stuck to or looped on a leather belt strap. Since the macramé rope can be dyed quite easily, colors vary widely from the au natural light beige to bright vermillion.
Features
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The focus of the macramé belt can be the macramé pattern itself, or it can contain a number of embellishments. Wooden, glass or plastic beads are a popular macramé belt embellishment. Others come with fringe, feathers, colorful woven patches and anything else that can be looped through the rope. Charms are another popular feature, which can be easily attached with jewelry loops around the rope's individual strands. In addition to a tie or buckle closure, some macramé belts are fastened together by interconnecting two hoops to hold it in place.
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Time Frame
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Macramé belts were a major hit in the 1970s, as was macramé everything. The belts fit perfectly with post-hippy fashions because they still had a grass roots and earthy feel, especially those that were handmade. Macramé belts joined the trend with macramé owls, macramé plant hangers and macramé wall art. Belts were the easiest to make and those doing the macramé could hook one up in less than an hour with rope left over from the owls, plant hangers and wall art.
Geography
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While macramé belts had their American heyday in the 1970s, they were popular far before and after this era in other parts of the world. India is a prime spot to find macramé belts, especially with the belly dancers. The belts are also largely imported from China. Macramé belts imported from foreign lands tend to be a bit more ornate than the American versions, often embellished with coins, jewels or other symbolic objects.
Considerations
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Macramé belts are inexpensive, interesting and fairly easy to make. They make for ideal personalized gifts because of their versatility. They can be constructed with so many different colors and embellishments that it's impossible not to personalize one. The only necessities one needs is a board and pins to secure the belt while it's woven and whatever material is going to be used to make the belt. Macramé boards, pins, entire macramé belt kits, instruction books and even DVDs are available at many craft stores, fabric stores or online (see Resources).
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Resources
- Photo Credit Illustration by Ryn Gargulinski
