Her success rides on back of global sustainability movement
Cara Sawyer says she tied herself into a knot when her daughter asked her to make a plant holder — the start of her venture
Proving it’s never too late to start a successful and creative new enterprise, Jeffreys Bay resident Cara Sawyer, who stumbled on the art of macramé while preparing to become a granny, now supplies trendy restaurants, spas and nurseries with her boho creations.
Six years ago Sawyer, 61, tied herself into a knot when her expecting daughter Micaela asked her to make a macramé plant holder for her baby’s nursery.
“My immediate thought was ‘Oh no! come on Micaela, why do you always ask me the most impossible things?’
“But I guess she knew me well enough to know I would absolutely make a plan and figure it out,” says Sawyer.
“Six years ago macramé had not quite made a comeback, so there was barely any information online except one PDF that I found with a few knots, a picture of a plant hanger and that was it.
“It took me a few days to make a really ugly plant hanger, but once that was done I had to do it better — and I haven’t stopped since.”
Macramé, which comes from a French word meaning knot, started tying up much of her time and soon Sawyer had a full product range of beautiful décor pieces and a bulging schedule filling orders.
Far from the limp macramé plant pot hangers and the ubiquitous grim owl wall hanging that bedecked 1970s homes and became the epitome of hippie taste, Sawyer’s pieces are beachy, romantic pieces that add softness and artisanal boho style to interiors.
She says the 1970s revival of the ancient art was not a part of her Cape Town childhood, though great design and aesthetics were.
“Funnily enough, we were never into the previous macramé trend in the 70s. It completely passed me by.
“My mom was a very successful fashion designer and business woman and had a popular clothing business in Cape Town [Miep of Holland].
“Our house was designed by worldrenowned architect Gawie Fagan and decorated by Binnehuis and so macramé didn’t quite make the grade.
“It was all super-clean modern lines and would not have fit in at all.”
Sawyer has named her business Carami Macramé and her Instagram page is a glorious gallery of her range.
Beautifully knotted pieces serve both beauty and function and are sought after baby shower gifts, bedroom features and window treatments.
And her whimsical Christmas decorations are in the process of flying onto Christmas trees and Christmas lunch table centrepieces.
“At the moment my most popular product is definitely mirrors.
“My products range from key chains, wristlets, lamp shades, small, medium and large wall hangings, massive curtains and room dividers.
“Nursery goodies like rainbows and mobiles and toddler swings are super popular as baby shower gifts.
“Another popular one is a piece for the kitchen window that can also hold a few pot plants.”
On-trend restaurants that celebrate beach culture have also cottoned on to the coastal boho vibe, like popular Jeffreys Bay restaurant Nina’s, owned by ex-East Londoners Heidi and Alastair Smith and Gqeberha’s Banana Beach Bar, both of which showcase her woven magic.
Sawyer’s most challenging commission yet has been a large 2.4 by 2m hanging for a massage studio which required metres of rope and a sturdy back.
“I don’t even have a space that large in my house where I could hang it up to work from as it was way longer than the rails I use.
“It was really heavy and each string — 130 of them — was over 10m long.
“Just imagine pulling 10m of rope through each and every knot a gazillion times across 2.4m and then 2m down to the floor!
“It’s not just about pulling it through, it’s also about detangling it again and again and again — a real back breaker.
“But of course, once it’s done, everything is beautiful.”
Carami Macramé’s success rides on the back of the global sustainability movement that eschews mass-produced, environmentally unfriendly products in favour of handcrafted, locally produced wares.
“I really feel our consciences have changed over the last years and are far removed from the old ‘Made in China’ adage.
“People are valuing handmade, locally crafted goods, and really trying to support individuals rather than the massive stores owned by unknown shareholders. “I really do feel the support of my customers. They would far rather get a beautiful custom-made piece from me than buy from the big stores.”
As a self-taught macramé artist, Sawyer worked her way through online instruction before setting up her coastal home studio.
“Macramé is really not difficult, especially today. The internet is flooded with tutorials and amazing ideas. I work from home, in a small space with the best view overlooking the Point. I have to work with my back to the ocean or I would be far too distracted.”
It is the ocean that has shaped family life for her, her husband, well-known surfboard shaper Des, 69, and their children, Micaela, 36, Daniela, 32, and Steven, 28.
As a surfboard shaper dating back to the ‘70s, her husband knew surfing mecca Jeffreys Bay was the place to be and the Sawyers relocated to the coastal town 34 years ago.
All their children hit the waves early on, but the bug bit son Steven especially hard.
“Though the girls gave it a go, Steven was the only one of our kids who really got into surfing from a young age. He got good really quickly and had a very successful junior career with amazing sponsorships and lots of travelling. The whole family was completely behind him and we all trekked around SA’s coastline to get to all the contests.
“He received his South African colours a few times and represented SA internationally.
“He went on to become World Longboarding Champion 2018 at age 24 and is still just as stoked on surfing as he ever was.”
Working alongside her husband in producing custom surfboards and immersing herself in her son’s global success meant Sawyer’s identity was largely shaped by careers in which she played an integral part.
“But this is totally different. It’s the first time I’ve done my own thing completely and it truly is amazing. I feel incredibly blessed to have a creative outlet and to be earning out of it at the same time.
“I get super excited to start work every single day. Really! I get up, shower, and get straight into my studio and barely leave it all day. I have always been known as someone else’s daughter/sister/wife/mother and finally
in my old age as myself!”