Macrame a Hanging Cradle

By Mark White
Published on November 1, 1976
article image
PHOTO: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
A hanging cradle keeps baby close by.

Before building this project, read the safety note in the comments section of this article. Lining the finished cradle with fabric stitched to the macrame rope will increase safety.— MOTHER

Tired of awkwardly designed, overpriced nursery goods? “You don’t have to put up with them,” says Mark White of Kodiak, Alaska. And Mark should know. Because he (and wife Karen) designed and made the beautiful cradle you see here… at as cost of little more than a couple of dollars.

The months-long waiting period prior to the birth of our first child was a joyful time for us . . . and part of its magic lay in the many preparations we made for our baby’s arrival. Among the first of those preparations was our construction of a macramed, hanging baby cradle.

We’d looked at some of the space-eating monstrosities offered by the makers of mass-produced cribs . . . and–sad to say–we found their wares entirely impractical. For what we wanted was a cradle that’d be [1] lightweight, [2] compact, and [3] collapsible for easy storage . . . and we certainly hadn’t found these qualities in any of the items we’d seen.

Then too, we wanted our firstborn’s bed to be soft and warm and comfortable, to give the child a feeling of security. Somehow, plywood headboards and prison-like bars didn’t give us that feeling.

Our thinking on cradles was influenced by something else, too: We wanted our baby to sleep as close to our bed as possible, so Karen could–if need be–respond to the infant’s cries by lifting him/her right into bed with us.

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368