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Macramé and Woven Belts PDF Version
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Less sturdy but oftentimes more colorful than leather belts, macramé and woven belts are a common addition to any Amtgard wardrobe. This essay will compare the two methods, as well as provide instructions as to their crafting.
Macramé Cord
Macramé cord comes in a variety of styles, from braided to twisted, and in various sizes. The most ideal for Amtgard belts is probably Bonnie Braid 6mm cord, available in 100 yard bundles for around $7.00 each. It can be found in most craft stores, although many stores carry a limited selection of colors. It is sometimes necessary to check a number of stores before finding one with a wider selection. The cord is made in solid colors in every shade you can imagine, as well as many two- and three-colored mixtures. A good online resource to check availability of colors (as well as purchase cord) is www.macramesuperstore.com.
Caring for Macramé Cord
Most macramé cord is washable, although if you are using a variety with metallic threads you will want to be a bit more careful: metallic fibers tend to stretch easily and will not spring back into shape. The safest method of washing a belt is by hand with a gentle detergent. Remember that colors can bleed; if possible, always test wash a small section of cords to check for color fastness.
Belt Rings
Belt rings can be found at most leather stores as well as some crafts stores. Rings come in a variety of sizes and are usually found in silver or gold colors, although there are also solid plastic rings in many colors that work just as well (and can add to the overall color theme of the belt).
Woven Belts vs. Macramé Belts
One source defines macramé this way: “Macramé is the craft of tying or knotting cords in geometric patterns…”. Another states: “A coarse lace, made by weaving and knotting cords… to make knotted patterns”. Although both woven and knotted belts are referred to as “macramé” belts within Amtgard, only belts that include knotting are technically considered to be macramé.
Woven belts require no knots other than to finish the belt, are less time-consuming, and require less cord in their making. The drawbacks are that the finished belts are less durable and more prone to stretching and loosening of the cords as time goes by. A woven belt can be finished in a relatively quick timeframe, and is very easy to learn.
Macramé belts, by comparison, represent a much larger time investment and use more than three times the cord that a woven belt does. However, macramé belts are sturdier, last longer, and are less prone to loosening and stretching.
Woven Belts
There are many different patterns possible when weaving a belt; using different color combinations and patterns can produce a wide variety of styles. We will concentrate on the most common pattern here.
1. To begin, you will need cord, a belt ring, and scissors. We will assume for teaching purposes that you will be making a single-colored belt in white.
2. Cut six cords of white. Each cord should be a little more than three times (3x) the length of the finished belt. It is always a good idea to cut the cords a bit longer; the ends can always be trimmed later.
3. Fold the first cord exactly in half. Tie it to the belt ring as shown below. Hold the loop made when you folded the cord in half behind the ring, then pass the ends through the loop (fig. L1 & L2).
This knot is called a “lark’s head” and is the most common way to attach cord to a ring or frame to begin a project. Repeat the process to tie the other cords to the belt ring
4. Lay the ring out on a table, or hook it over a fairly unmovable object at a comfortable level. (Hooking the ring on something is the best way to get a tight weave as you progress.) Arrange the cords so that they lay as flat as possible, side by side.
5. Take the left-most cord, and weave it under the second cord, over the third cord, under the fourth cord, and so on until it has passed over or under all of the cords. This cord now becomes the right-hand cord (fig W1).
6. Take the new left-most cord, and repeat the process, beginning by going under the first cord and over the second, and so on, until this cord is now on the right side (fig W2). This is the basic pattern that will be repeated all the way to the end of the belt, alternating by going over the first cord with one strand and then under the first cord with the next.
7. You will want to stop every few layers to tighten the weave. You can do this by taking all of the “top” cords (those lying on top of the last cord that was woven through) in one hand and the “bottom” cords (those lying underneath the last cord that was woven through) and pulling them apart to tighten the weave.
Macramé Belts
Even more so than woven belts, tying knots in different directions using different colors can produce a variety of patterns. A neat feature of knotted belts is that they are reversible, but will have a slightly different pattern on each side of the belt. The following pattern will create a two-colored, symmetrical pattern that is reversible.
1. To begin, you will need cord, a belt ring, and scissors. We will assume for teaching purposes that you will be making a two-colored belt in white and black.
2. Cut two black cords and three white cords. Each cord should be ten times (10x) the length of the finished belt. It is always a good idea to cut the cords a bit longer; the ends can always be trimmed later.
3. Fold each cord in half. Tie the cords to the ring using the lark’s head knot as discussed in the woven belts section, in this order: black, white, white, white, black. For ease of identification, we will number the strands from left to right (fig. M0).
4. Each knot uses four strands: two outer strands, and two inner strands that you are tying the outer strands around. Move the four left-most cords slightly to the side to separate them from the others; these will become part of your first knot. (Strands 1, 2, 3, & 4.)
5. Take strand 1, pass it under strands 2 and 3, and over strand 4. (fig. M1)
6. Take strand 4, pass it over strands 3 and 2, and tuck it through the loop and over strand 1. (fig. M2) Tighten knot (not shown).
7. Take strand 4, pass it over 2 & 3 and under 1 (fig M3). Take strand 1, pass it under 2 & 3, through the loop, and over 4 (fig M4). Tighten knot. This completes a full knot, or square knot.
Take strand 1, pass it under 2 & 3, through the loop, and over 4 (fig M4). Tighten knot. This completes a full knot, or square knot.
8. Tie another square knot using strands 7 through 10, but in the opposite direction. Take strand 10, pass it under strands 8 & 9 and over strand 7 (fig. M5).
9. Take strand 7, pass it over strands 8 & 9, and through the loop under strand 10 (fig. M6). Tighten.
10. Take strand 7, pass it over strands 8 & 9 and under strand 10 (fig. M7).
11. Take strand 10, pass it under strands 8 & 9, through the loop and over strand 7 (fig. M8). Tighten.
12. You will now have two square knots, one on each side. Finish the row by tying a knot using strands 4, 5, 6, and 7 to make a center knot. Throughout the belt, you can tie all the center knots in the same direction if you prefer, or you can alternate them, first passing the strands to the left for one knot, then to the right for the next, creating an alternating center knot.
13. This completes one row of the belt. You should then proceed to repeat the process for the length of the belt, first tying a knot on the left, then on the right, and finally in the center for each row. This can be a fairly long process, so be sure to always end by tying a center knot when you decide to stop, so that when you come back to it you will remember where to start again.
Finishing the Belt
There are many ways to finish a belt; you can simply take all of the cords and tie them in a knot, then trim the ends. Another option is to wrap one cord around the others many times, then secure it by pulling it through the wrap and tying it off; this is also a matter of taste. Experimentation will produce other methods.
Sealing the ends of the cords is a good idea, as they will fray. The easiest method is to apply heat to the ends using a lighter or matches to melt the threads together. This needs to be done carefully and with a light hand when working with lighter-colored cords, as they will scorch and blacken the ends if too much heat is applied. It is a good idea to experiment with this when using white cords with some spare lengths to discover the right amount of heat. Another method is to seal the ends with hot wax, although this will eventually flake or chip off and need to be redone.
Both knotted and woven belts can be a fantastic addition to any Amtgard wardrobe, and as you can see, both can be learned in a fairly short period of time. Woven belts are much more common and there are a variety of possible patterns not covered here. Knotted belts are more rare due to the amount of work involved in creating them, and can be a truly standout piece of garb. Either is a useful skill to possess and pass on to others.
