From the pages of
Bicentennial 20th Anniversary Special!
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During the 70s, the ultimate way to display your plants was to suspend the pots in elaborate macrame hangers. What possessed thousands of men and women to spend hours knotting rough cord till their fingers bled? Perhaps the attraction of doing a handicraft yourself–there must have been quite the sense of accomplishment when you’d done the last of 6,000 knots. Macrame had an authentic “rough” look that was popular in some 70s homes–this was no mass-produced shiny piece of imported plastic. And let’s not forget the plants. Plants were given primary status in the 70s–they had feelings; you were meant to talk to them and carefully tend to their specific needs. A big fuzzy knotted mass of jute is a much more natural environment for your sensitive plant to hang in. No shortage of these dumped in the thrifts. Besides your traditional string macrame, you’ll also find plant hangers made from beads, shells, drapery cord, and synthetic rope.
Maybe you’ll be inspired to whip up your own plant hanger–grab one of the zillions of leftover macrame instructional books. I was flipping through some thrifted macrame guides wondering why on earth macrame had been so popular when I stumbled across a possible answer: “A friend taught me three basic knots and I just went berserk.” (Macrame Boutique, 1976.) I guess it’s kind of like drugs–a “friend” gives you a little taste and soon you’re out of your mind, knotting up six-foot-long plant holders. The books all say easy and fun–but after looking at some of the schematics, I think it’d be faster to build a rocket ship from scratch.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): Thrift Score cover.
