Macramé by Amanda Francis · Patagonia
Bespoke textile installations.
Large-scale unique pieces for architecture and interiors.
Start a conversation →Since 2017 · Commissions for hotels, residences and design studios
The knot
The square knot.
— the foundation of every piece.
Each piece is born of the same gesture, repeated. What changes is the intention.
- Square knot
- Lark's head
- Josephine knot
- Half knot
The pattern
The wave.
— when the knot multiplies.
Wave, diamond, herringbone, cluster. Each pattern is a conversation between the hand and the fibre.
- Natural
- Ochre
- Sage
- Terracotta
The detail
The fringe.
— where the medium becomes touch.
The loose ends, combed by hand. The final gesture — where the fibre meets the light.
Work
Selection.
— commissioned work, 2021–2025.
VII
Shadow.
Triangular wall piece with feather pendant.
VIII
Diamond.
V-shaped wall piece with central diamond.
VI
Cascade.
Multi-layered wall piece, horizontal swag format.
III
Triple mustard.
Textile triptych in three panels.
IV
Folk.
Wall piece with dyed tassels, folk palette.
V
Natural.
Textile wall piece, diamond pattern in natural cotton.
II
Lobby installation.
Architectural installation for a large-format wall.
I
Headboard.
Textile headboard above a double bed.
Process
From thread to fringe.
— five gestures that compose each piece.
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Material
Thread.
I work with three kinds of cord, depending on what the piece asks for: 4 mm single-bullion cotton — clean, round, with presence; 3 mm twisted cotton cord, which shows its torsion and loads the knot with texture; and 37-ply natural cotton, which opens softly when combed and lets the fringe flow. I source the lines ready-made, after reading them with my hands.
Before the first knot, I run the cord between my fingers — that's where the piece is decided.
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Palette
Colour.
I choose the colour after looking at the place. Sometimes the cotton stays in its natural state — its original cream, full of warm undertones; other times I look for tones that speak to the wall, the light, the materials around it. Mustard tones, terracottas, mineral greys, sand beiges. The palette is born from the place where the piece will live.
I prefer the tones that age well — the ones that become more themselves with the years, not less.
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Plan
Design.
Before cutting a single cord, I read the space. I visit the wall, take the measurements — width and height — observe the light at different hours, the materials surrounding it. Then I don't draw: I see the piece in my hands, not on paper. I work intuitively, letting the calculation live in the body.
Some pieces exist first as measurements; others, directly as knots.
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Craft
Knot.
Here the work of the hands begins. I mount the warp on the dowel and build from there: square knot for the structure, clove hitch to draw the geometry, whatever the piece asks for as it appears. A two-by-two metre panel takes me between three and seven days of execution — not counting preparation, mounting and shipping.
The knot is a decision repeated thousands of times; what holds, in the end, is attention.
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Final gesture
Finish.
The piece closes on a hardwood dowel — quality woods, properly treated, that carry the weight of the cotton and the passage of time. I check tensions, comb the fringe by hand and trim it to the profile the design asks for — straight, arched, or in a V. If the work is close by, I install it myself; if it travels far, I wrap it in bubble wrap and a firm box, ready to journey.
The work is finished when it stops asking for the hand and begins to inhabit the wall.
Studio
Amanda Francis.
— Brazilian, my studio in Argentine Patagonia.
I'm Brazilian, but Patagonia is where I found my way of working — and where I built my studio, in El Bolsón, between the hills and the Andes. Since 2017 I've explored macramé as a contemporary language: large-scale unique pieces, textile installations that converse with architecture and transform the space they inhabit.
Each work is born of a slow, hand-built process I've refined over the years, where the knot becomes composition, texture, presence. I work on commission, with limited availability, for boutique hotels, private residences and design studios looking for pieces with a voice of their own.
I've always been drawn to the extravagant — to the idea of creating work that completely transforms a space.
Since 2017 · El Bolsón, Río Negro · Limited availability
Contact
Start a conversation.
— tell me about the project, the space, the tone you have in mind.