“This is not your mother’s macrame,” Shelly Weber of PNW Girl tells me as she gently rearranges a long cotton cord hanging from one of her pieces.
“It’s new and improved, with gorgeous colors and fibers.”
Weber’s wall hangings, driftwood dangles woven with seaglass, and plant hangers feel close to the nature that inspired them. Each piece is a work of art that impressively strikes the perfect balance of free-flowing form and skilfull intentionality.
It’s astonishing to learn that this is only her fourth year creating them.
Weber discovered her love of macrame when she decided to pair a piece of driftwood with a bit of cord to create a 6-inch piece of art. After a family member challenged her to make something larger, she posted it to Facebook and the requests started coming in.
“I just started making things and people kept asking for them, so I decided to apply for the Farmers and Artisans Market,” Weber says.
Whenever she creates something new, Weber always starts by working with nature to discover what the piece will be: “I’ll go out for a walk on the beach and find a piece of driftwood, and then hold it up on a wall at home.”
She sits with it to study its curvatures and grain patterns, pairs it with the perfect cord that’s just the right color, and then begins a knotting and weaving process that’s completely unique, in the moment, and influenced by nature.
Vending at the Sequim Farmers & Artisans Market gives entrepreneurs such as Weber the opportunity to try out new products and get real-time feedback from both community members and out-of-town visitors.
Photo by Layla Forêt / Check out creative wall hangings and more at Shelly Weber’s PNW Girl booth at the Sequim Farmers & Artisans Market through October.
Leading with curiosity, she often creates small batches of new designs to see how they’ll sell. Recently, she purchased a handful of ceramic shells from Port Townsend that she used to create macrame hangers for air plants.
“Last week I sold both of them,” Weber says. “So, I made a couple more and sold out again this week! I get excited when I make a choice, exhibit it, and then someone immediately wants it in their home.”
While Weber enjoys seeing her works of art find their “forever homes.” She says her favorite thing about being a part of the market is meeting new people, hearing everyone’s stories, and building new relationships.
If you spend any time talking with Weber, it’s clear to see that who she is and what she loves is reflected in everything she creates. And when you stand inside her booth, the comforting array of rich earth tones and natural materials from both land and sea warmly remind you of life in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
“There’s nothing like a piece of fiber art on the wall to warm up a room,” she says. “All these things I create, I have them in my own house and they’re a representation of who I am.
“So, I feel super proud when people come into my booth because it’s like they’re visiting a room of my home that’s filled with all of my favorite things.”
Layla Forêt is marketing manager of the Sequim Farmers & Artisans Market.
Sequim Farmers & Artisans Market
Open: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays through October
Location: Sequim Civic Center Plaza and Centennial Place, downtown Sequim
More info: director@sequimmarket.com, 360-582-6218
On the web: sequimmarket.com
