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.
IV
Folk.
Wall piece with dyed tassels, folk palette.
II
Lobby installation.
Architectural installation for a large-format wall.
Process
From thread to fringe.
— four 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.
Filled cotton 4 mm · clean and round 
Twisted cord 3 mm · visible twist 
Natural cotton 37 strands · flowing fringe -
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.
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.
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.