This morning I fell into a deep pit that I didn’t know how to get out of. Old stories were repeating, and making music out of it (no matter how awesome it sounded) was making me feel worse. I just felt really, really depressed.

At one point Kasey Musgraves’ song “Rainbow” wandered into my mind, and I pondered the message. What was there to be depressed about, really? The thing I was struggling with didn’t deserve to rule my day or determine my worth or happiness.

I was thinking through what to do. It seemed like a good time to just work on a new macrame piece. I wanted to try a rainbow design that Mary Maker Studio posted a tutorial of on Instagram. My new yarn had arrived and so I now had a wide color palette to choose from. After working through several project ideas in my…

If I’m not happy with a current work in progress or even a finished piece, I change it. I take it apart, a little or a lot, and transform it into something new. Possibilities are endless. Why settle for what does not inspire joy? I’m all about joy. If it doesn’t spark joy, it’s time to change (Yes, I became a KonMari convert in 2018).

One of my favorite transformations. Story about this piece coming soon.

My latest transformation piece is a butterfly, which seems appropriate. Butterflies are symbols of transformation, starting as chunky weight-bound caterpillars and eventually turning into light graceful flying butterflies.

My original plan for this piece did not happen, as I cut too little cord (frequent problem of mine). I tried turning it into something else, and still did not like the results.

Tried to make the best of it, but didn’t like how it turned…

I’ve dealt with anxiety for many years now and I’ve tried different techniques to cope. Sometimes relaxation techniques help, especially if the anxiety appears triggered by exhaustion. Sometimes my anxiety comes from a sudden influx of energy that tends to overwhelm me, and the best thing to do in that scenario is to get moving.

One evening last December I started to become really anxious, and so instead of pulling out my hair and going crazy, I decided to channel my nervous energy into creating something. I opened up my scraps/offcuts bin to make a mini macrame wall hanging exclusively from these scrap pieces of rope. My fingers worked quickly and furiously, and when I was done, I attached a small amazonite stone in the middle.

Mini macrame wall hanging by Grace Lucille

Because I more or less poured all my anxiety into this piece, I assumed it would carry…

Over a year ago I wanted to make a small macrame wall hanging plant hanger. I quickly discovered it wasn’t going to turn out the way I wanted, so I decided to change course and simply make a wall hanging.

This was the third macrame wall hanging I created, and it was really a grand experiementation of clove hitch and square knots. I had no real idea in mind when creating it – I just went with the flow. I also went back repeatedly and untied a lot of my work and started over trying to get things right. I spent hours working on it and at times it drove me crazy, as if it had a life of its own and I was slave to give it form. It was really hard to walk away from, but life’s necessities (and my sore eyes and hurting back) demanded that I…

While looking at my originaldragonfly macrame, I really fell inlove with the pattern on the side pieces. It felt… serene.

“Transcend” dragonfly macrame wall hanging by Grace Lucille

I imagined making an entire wall hanging of this pattern and eventually made one with natural colored rope, and then later in dusty rose. I originally thought these would be lovely pieces for a nursery, and have envisioned them in soft pink and soft blue.

“Serenity” wall hangings by Grace Lucille

I later made a mini version of this pattern, andwrote all about it here.

Mini “Serenity” wall hanging featuring amazonite stones by Grace Lucille

For me, the concept of serenity transcends the mind and emotions. It is the centered still place of the spirit, where peace and contentment flow. This experience is what I’ve attempted to convey with this macrame design- it is what I feel when…

Last summer I began working on healing my third chakra. This energy center is located at the solar plexus, and deals with issues of personal power and will. It is associated with the color yellow, and often linked to the fiery power of the sun. (Here’s a link that explains more about the Third Chakra)

One of the first things I did during my healing process was to focus on the color yellow. I wanted to create a fiber art wall hanging in different shades of yellow. The following is what I eventually created:

Golden Flowers crocheted wall hanging by Grace Lucille

I crocheted the three large mustard flowers with wool yarn, the two lighter flowers with cotton, and the tiny two golden flowers with some old embroidery floss I inherited from my mother many years ago. I insisted on having three different types of flowers to represent…

I’m finding it quite difficult to write this post, mostly because I can’t seem to find the right words to explain what is an experience that goes beyond words. All attempts to describe the spiritual using words will be lacking and incomplete, and that’s why it’s easier to communicate through art and music and the like.

A few months ago I created a wall hanging for my new baby and planned to make one for each of my children. I asked my daughter what colors she would like for hers and she told me she wanted a heart. I wanted to stick with the original design because of its womb symbolism, but then wondered if I could create the same technique with a heart shape.

I finally decided to try this as my daughter’s birthday was approaching. It was also around Valentine’s day and as it happened, I’d already been…