Development of Macrame Dresses using Textile Waste

Macrame is the art ofknotting yams without using needles and hooks. In the current study, five macrame dresses were developed using different textile waste material. The selection of textile waste was done through an expert panel. The selected textile waste was cotton thread, chiffon fabric, artificial leather, wool thread and satin ribbon respectively. Handmade pencil sketches were made for each dress. The selection of colour combination, dress length, sleeve length and macrame knots were on the basis of suitability and availability of textile waste and latest fashion trends. The dresses were constructed on 34” size dress form and their cost price was calculated. A profit percent of 40 was added to cost of each dress to calculate the estimated selling price which lied in the range Rs. 1,200 - 2,200. To determine the suitability of the estimated selling price and overall appeal of the constructed dresses, a questionnaire was developed and administered in the sample space with a sample size of 30. Cotton thread and artificial leather dress was adjudged as excellent by the respondents, while dress made from wool thread was assessed as very good and dresses constructed from chiffon and satin ribbon were considered as good. The estimated selling price of all the constructed macrame dresses was considered appropriate except for artificial leather dress which was adjudged as low priced. Hence, the dresses developed from textile waste using macrame technique were cost-effective and aesthetically appealing and could be used as income generating new idea in macrame enterprise.