DECK CHAIR

Turn an everyday deck chair into a bespoke piece of furniture with this macramé design. Simply remove the fabric from the deck chair frame and follow the pattern to create your own masterpiece. If your deck chair differs in size from the one we have used, you may need to make alterations to the length and width of the macramé panel to fit, adjusting as necessary to make it the same dimensions as the original deck chair fabric.

MATERIALS:

• 304m (997¹⁄₂ft) length of 5mm (¹⁄₄in) rope
• Deck chair frame 88cm (35³⁄₄in) high x 97cm (38¹⁄₈in) wide x 67cm (26³⁄₈in) deep
• Hot glue gun

KNOTS & TECHNIQUES:

• Reverse Lark’s Head Knot
• Square Knot
• Alternating Square Knot Pattern
• Double Half Hitch
• Overhand Knot

PREPARATION:

• Cut thirty-eight 8m (26¹⁄₄ft) lengths of 5mm (¹⁄₄in) rope
• Carefully remove the existing fabric from the deck chair frame

Method

1. Mount all thirty-eight 8m (26¹⁄₄ft) lengths of rope to the top bar of the deck chair frame using reverse lark’s head knots (see Reverse Lark’s Head Knot), ensuring that the cords are evenly spaced apart. The width of the mounted rope should be approximately 47cm (18¹⁄₂in) (or the width of the original fabric).
2. Directly beneath, tie a row of nineteen square knots (see Square Knot) to secure the cords in place.
3. Directly beneath, alternate cords (see Knotting Terminology) and tie a row of eighteen square knots.
4. Continue an alternating square knot pattern for another three rows (see Alternating Square Knot Pattern) with no space between rows.
5. Alternate cords, drop down 3.5cm (1³⁄₈in) and tie a row of eighteen square knots.
6. Alternate cords, drop down 3.5cm (1³⁄₈in) and tie a row of nineteen square knots.
7. Directly beneath, tie a row of nineteen square knots.
8. Alternate cords and tie a row of eighteen square knots.
9. Directly beneath, tie a row of eighteen square knots.
10. Alternate cords and tie a row of nineteen square knots.
11. Directly beneath, tie a row of nineteen square knots.
12. Alternate cords, drop down 3.5cm (1³⁄₈in) and tie a row of eighteen square knots.
13. Alternate cords, drop down 3.5cm (1³⁄₈in) and tie a row of nineteen square knots.
14. Alternate cords, drop down 3.5cm (1³⁄₈in) and tie a row of eighteen square knots.
15. Alternate cords, drop down 3.5cm (1³⁄₈in) and tie a row of nineteen square knots.
16. Repeat steps 3–15.
17. Repeat steps 3–11.
18. Alternate cords, drop down 3cm (1¹⁄₈in) and tie a row of eighteen square knots.
19. Directly beneath, alternate cords and tie a row of nineteen square knots.
20. Now attach your macramé panel to the bottom bar of the deck chair: bring all cords underneath the bottom bar and secure each cord to the chair with a double half hitch knot (see Half Hitch Knots). Make sure your macramé panel has been pulled really tight before securing it to the bottom bar of the chair, so that it doesn’t have too much give when it is being used.
21. Once all cords have been secured to the bottom bar, pull them as far as you can towards the underneath of the chair and tie them together in pairs – 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, etc. – extremely tightly using double overhand knots (see Overhand Knot).
22. Trim the ends of the cords to approximately 5mm (¹⁄₄in) long and glue them down flat using the hot glue gun.