Lone Owl Studio is collaborating with Bertie & The Boys with a limited edition collection available until 29th February 2020. Money from the sale of every item in the Rainbow Range will be donated in aid of Place2Be.
Jackie from Bertie & The Boys is a macrame and rainbow maker from South Manchester. Her work has even been featured in Hello!
I met Jackie at a workshop in January 2019 and have followed her work ever since. She’s genuinely one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. Even so, I was still nervous about asking her to collaborate but she was as excited about the idea as me! And so, the Rainbow Range was born 🌈🖤
When I asked Jackie to collaborated with me, she suggested donating a portion of sales to charity (I told you she was lovely) I loved the idea and that’s exactly what will happen. £1 from every bodysuit and £2 from the sale of every other item in the Rainbow Range will be donated in aid of Place2Be. Place2BE is a children’s mental health charity that provides counselling and mental health support and training in UK schools.
Those that know me will know colour isn’t usually my thing. Luckily one of Jackie’s most popular designs is a monochrome rainbow (one of which I have proudly hanging in my studio) so doing another in colour seemed only fair. There are two designs in the Rainbow Range -
Mono Rainbow & Colour Rainbow
Both designs are available on bodysuits (newborn - 12 months), t-shirts (1-8 years), plain long sleeve tops (0m - 6years), baseball raglans (6m - 6 years) and unisex adult t-shirt (XXS size 6 - XXXL size 22)
Limited Edition:
Jackie and I are only offering the Rainbow Range until 29th February 2020. After that, they’ll be gone forever, like a beautiful dream.
Behind the Scenes
Jackie was kind enough to answer a few questions so you can find out more about her and the world of macramé.
Who is Bertie and The Boys and what do you make?
Bertie & The Boys is me, Jackie. Mother and step-mother to four boys and partner to Bertie. You could say I’m outnumbered and as I have zero interest in fishing, football and electronic games it seemed only natural to immerse myself into a hobby and interest. I am a self-taught macramé artist making mainly wall hangings and macramé rainbows.
Favourite item to make?
My favourite item to make are my large wall hangings, I find them therapeutic to make and love adding little twists and new techniques to my designs. It’s always a surprise to see the finished result as they rarely turn out as I planned and I quite like that. The most popular item I make is most definitely the macramé rainbow.
How long does it take to make rainbow?
Making a rainbow can take between two to four hours depending on the size. There are several stages to it, cutting and wrapping the rope, sewing it together, brushing out and straightening the fringe, trimming and attaching the loop and lastly, backing the rainbow in felt. I’m sure I could cut the time down but I like the rainbows to be as high quality as possible and potentially become a family heirloom.
What’s a favourite way you’ve seen one of your rainbows styled or hung?
I’ve seen so many beautiful and unique ways that customers hang and style their rainbows. One lovely company commissioned several that she uses in her beautiful luxury tepee slumber parties. I always get a thrill when I see them styled amongst other beautiful items for a little girl’s birthday party.
If someone wanted to have a go at macramé themselves, what advice would you give them?
Macramé is such a relaxing craft but you can put too much pressure on yourself when your finished piece doesn’t look at neat or as pretty as what you were hoping. My advice would be to start with small projects with no more than two to three different knot techniques to begin with. Use cheaper materials whilst you practice. The first few that I did were terrible so I pulled them apart and started again over and over. Once I was familiar with the knots I then concentrated on my neatness and tension. You will be amazed at how quickly you improve! There are so many tutorial videos out there now, books to buy and patterns to purchase online. You definitely won’t regret it.
Why have you chosen Place2Be as the charity you want to support?
Because it’s a charity close to my heart. It’s a children’s mental health charity who provide support for pupils, families and staff in schools in the UK. I have personal experience first-hand at how this kind of support for young children and their families can help change lives for the better.
Vegan?
It might sound odd to ask if clothing and home decor is vegan. You don’t eat it so why does it matter? To me, veganism is a lifestyle not just a diet, so I choose to exclude animal derived products in all areas, not just on my plate.
Jackie’s Rainbows are made by wrapping cotton around a cord and as such, use no animal derived materials directly. The exception to this is the black and grey of the mono rainbow which uses merino wool. However, if you ask, Jackie is happy to swap it for a cotton instead if having an item free of animal derived materials is important to you.