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Macrame artist Michael Loftus likes to work out on the wrap-around front porch of his yellow Victorian family home in Federalsburg. It’s a lovely atmosphere surrounded by flowering hibiscus, hummingbird feeders and his macrame plant hangers that display ferns, flora and crystals.
“My best sellers are my Star oasters, Wall Hangings and Jewelry”. That’s right macrame jewelry, also called “micro-macrame”. One earring can take up to an hour to weave. The results are stunning. Michael sold quite a few of his original pieces at this year’s Summerfest event.
Michael learned macrame as a teenager from a neighbor, and he’s been doing macrame off and on over the past fifty years. He finds some of his patterns online and then adapts each one to fit his artistic vision. Currently, he is working on a chakra stone centered wall hanging for a friend. When doing a commission, he will sketch it out or do a prototype, then go back and forth with the client to see if they like it. He recently did a piece for a friend who had a ceramic sun that she purchased online, and she wanted the sun incorporated into a macramé hanger.
Each creation shows a symmetrical woven tapestry. Michael makes coasters, table runners, trivets, plant hangers, lamp shades, even curtain tie backs. “Everything I create is organic, it just flows out of me,” he says, “I feel like I become one with the piece I am working on, and closer to nature. That’s what I like the most.”
Michael sets up at local craft shows and has recently started his own Facebook page, “Lofty Creations.” His next Caroline County show will be in Preston on October 19 at HallowDaze.
