Elaine Lieberman

My passion for macramé began on New Year's Day in 1974 when my sister-in-law showed me the two basic macramé knots. As I experimented with the endless variations that could result from these two knots, I was hooked.

I began by working with heavier materials and making wall hangings, plant hangers, and an 8 foot valance for my living room window. When I started working with finer materials my focus became macramé jewelry. I work with a wide variety of materials, from rough jute to fine button thread. I use an assortment of beads, shells and findings in my work. I also make jewelry in sterling and semiprecious gemstones and incorporate sterling wire and semiprecious stones into some of my macramé jewelry. I have used fine silver wire and brightly colored coated copper wire to make macramé earrings, chokers and necklaces.

When making my more elaborate, one-of-a-kind pieces, whether a wall hanging or a necklace, I start with some idea of size, color and materials but I usually design my piece as I work, never quite knowing until I'm finished just what it will look like.

In 1993, I turned my hobby into a business and began to sell my work at craft shows. I have participated in juried shows in and around the New York City metropolitan area and was awarded second place in fine crafts at the Gallery North Outdoor Art show in September, 2003 and third place in 2004. My work has been sold in stores from coast to coast and exhibited at local galleries. Since 1994, I have been a member of the Alliance of Queens Artists and since 1996, I have been on the creative arts faculty of the Central Queens Y in Forest Hills, NY where I teach classes in jewelry making. I also teach small classes and private lessons in macramé and in jewelry making in Howard Beach.

I am the designer for a lot of the work used in The New Macramé, published in February, 2000 by Lark Books.

I also created a macramé top for a dress used in the movie The Hoax released in April, 2007.