Hi there! My name is Gemma and I live in Felixstowe, Suffolk along with my husband and young daughter.
I discovered Macrame during the lockdown of 2020 by accident and fell in love almost instantly!
Having been a crafty child, this was a really lovely way to reignite my passion for working with my hands again and I love as how just a few knots could produce beautiful works of art.
I started by making plant hangers, and slowly started having family members asking me to make them one. This spurred me on to start sharing my work online through social media.
I think took some online course with the lady who has now become my mentor and friend, Isabella Strambio. I learnt to create my first large wall hanging and it really motivated me to want to create more.
Eventually I took the plunge to start a dedicated business with my brother helped me name, GemMacrame. I started very slowly, very rarely selling anything and just working along with my day job in the care sector.
After roughly a year or so, I took the plunge and ran my first ever workshop. I remember feeling absolutely terrified but it actually went well. Then I attended my first craft market and managed to sell a few items! It’s amazing now looking back and seeing how much I’ve progress from my craft fair to today, my set up is completely different now!
I started renting a shelf in a shop to sell my items which again went slowly. Then I got my second shelf in another shop and this one sold a lot more so I ended up putting everything in there instead. This really boosted my confidence and I started hosting workshops in there too.
In 2022 I decided to leave my job in care and work on my business full time, but it wasn’t really until 2024 that things really started to get going.
I attended some incredible events and met some amazing people who really contributed to my journey and my confidence. I went to London to learn how to make my own macrame dress, and at the beginning of this year I went to Seville, Spain for five days for a macrame retreat.
I have held two art exhibitions in my local town centre which have been successful and as of November 2025 I am opening up my very own macrame studio! I’ve completed outgrown my craft room at home so it’s the right time for me.
I’m so excited to have my own space to create more macrame and to host more workshops.
I hope to continue really continuing to improve my skills and make bigger and better pieces.
