Gemma Gilbert is a local gal, who has such a creative heart. Here she is to tell us a bit about herself and how Felixstowe inspires her.

Hello Felixstowe! My name is Gemma Gilbert and I am a fellow Felixstowe resident with a passion for all things macrame. For those of you who might be interested, “macrame” comes from Turkish makrama, “napkin,” or “towel”, and is a coarse lace or fringe made by knotting cords or thick threads in a geometric pattern. And this article is a bit about my creative journey with macrame… 

I have lived in Felixstowe all my life (40 years this year in fact), and I honestly couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. We are spoilt living here and having access to the beautiful seafront, as well as gorgeous countryside to meander through. My favourite walk has to be along Gulpher Road past the old golfing range and along Candlet Track, ending up in Trimley St Mary where I now live. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve walked that route, usually with my music blaring in my ears whilst I take in the beautiful views and smells. I’ve always been inspired by nature and the world around us, so I feel very lucky being here in Felixstowe.

As a child, I was always very interested in crafts. I was inspired by my mum and Gran who were very skilled with their homemade knitwear and embroidery. They helped me to learn to knit and cross stitch as well as try crochet, French knitting, and weaving. I think my favourite ever gift as a child was a weaving loom, which was basic but easy for me to use and I made no end of scarfs! Unfortunately, as I grew up, I started focusing on other areas of my life and crafts took a back seat, and now I hate to say, I cannot remember how to knit or crochet now.

During the lockdown in 2020, like most people, I was looking for something to occupy my time. That’s when an advert kept popping up in my Facebook feed for a “Make your Own Woven Rainbow” and I knew I had to have it! I made the woven rainbow over a couple of days, and it awoke the need to craft! From there I subscribed to a monthly craft box which sent new crafts to try every month such as a crochet bag and purse set, dry clay ornaments and embroidery sets. Then one month, a box arrived that was about to change my life. It was a kit to make my own macrame plant hanger. As soon as I had made it, I was hooked and was straight onto Pinterest to look for other projects to try, and it was overwhelming to see how much you could make with just a few macrame knots.

From there, I booked on some courses to learn more, and followed some tutorials online and started creating and filling my home with macrame. I was then asked to make a family friend a few plant hangers and started sharing more on social media and it was starting to get some attention so I had in the back of my mind that maybe I could turn this little hobby into a business. It’s a process that’s started slowly, but what started as sharing what I’ve been making on social media, has progressed to selling at craft fairs, and now I even teach workshops to other people, which is amazing. I took the plunge last summer to step back from my job, to work on macrame full time and I haven’t looked back.
I absolutely love what I do, and Felixstowe plays a very big part in that. I love using driftwood that I find on the beach, and I am constantly inspired in my art as well. I even made a large wall hanging which was directly inspired by the beach at Felixstowe by using a range of blue and emerald shades to represent the sea and sky and knots to represent the waves.  

I’m so excited for the future and see where this little business takes me. My dream now is to have my own little shop where I can sell my pieces and run workshops, so watch this space!

Stay creative,
Gemma :)