Casey Alberti was looking for a fun girl’s night craft and discovered macramé. She creates unique projects inspired by her customers and enjoys choosing the colors for each project. With her new book Sweet Home Macramé, she hopes readers will discover their creativity.
How did you get started doing macramé? Why did you choose that medium? Or, did it choose you?
I started macramé in the beginning of 2020, just before lockdown. I was looking for a fun girl’s night craft idea and found plant hangers that looked easy to make. I watched a few You Tube videos to learn a couple of knots and found it pretty easy.
Before I knew it, there were more plant hangers in my house than plants. I decided to open an Etsy shop not thinking that I’d find much success. A year later, Etsy reached out to write an article on me for their blog. I still can’t believe it to this day.
When was the first time that you remember realizing that you are a creative person?
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Once the Etsy feature was released and my shop had more sales than I could have ever expected, I realized that people truly wanted and liked what I had to offer.
I hadn’t been comfortable calling myself an artist at that point. My customers and followers have been the sole reason that I call myself a creative. I owe what I’ve found within myself to them, 100%.
What is the most important takeaway you want readers to gain from your new book, Sweet Home Macramé?
I want them to discover their creativity! I hope they draw inspiration from my work and infuse it with their own uniqueness.
With a busy family, how do you manage your creative time?
I’m the luckiest woman in the world with an amazing, supportive husband. When I was overwhelmed with orders, he stepped up and took care of things when I didn’t have time. Now that things are back to normal, I make work-life balance a priority.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like? How do you organize all of your creative supplies for your projects?
I took over the bonus room in our house as my creative space. I’ve had so much fun re-decorating and re-arranging it over the years. I’m naturally a very organized person, so keeping my work space tidy and my cords in order helps me stay on top of things and feel open to let creativity flow.
Once Sweet Home Macramé is released and I have a little more time on my hands, I’m really looking forward to changing the room up again. I can’t wait to share the process with my followers.
Are there any other creative channels you use to express your creativity?
I love doing DIY projects around the house. So far I’ve re-done our floors, lighting and kitchen. I’m excited to get back to that. I’ve also been playing around with the idea of creating wall art with texture and fiber. I’m still working that one out so stay tuned.
What plays in the background while you work? Silence? Music, audiobooks, podcasts, movies? If so, what kind?
This is one of the most important pieces for me while I work. I think one of the reasons macramé spoke to me was because it could keep my hands busy and offer the silence to be in deep thought. As an introvert, this is really important to me. But sometimes, when my mind is too loud, I put on a podcast. I have a love of learning so I love podcasts that teach me something.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
This question made me realize that all of my creative pieces have been inspired by my customers. They always come to me with a small idea and ask me to take it from there. Now that I think about it, I don’t think any of my favorite projects started with me at all. The art of human collaborating is beautiful.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
I absolutely love color. Hands down my favorite design process is selecting colorways. Color invigorates my sense of being.
Do you sell your work? If so, where can people find it?
People can find my last few available pieces at sweethomealberti.com or in my Etsy shop etsy.com/shop/sweethomealbertiThey can also find me on the socials @sweethomealberti
What is your greatest accomplishment to date?
Writing this book. I’ve landed exactly where I was hoping. Macramé gave me purpose during a difficult period and something to do and work for during lockdown. Now, it’s giving me the chance to watch it keep growing. I’m so proud of how this book turned out and feel so good about being ready to give away my designs and watch new creators take it from here.
Interview posted May 2024
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